The record-union., 1892-08-22
GREAT AMERICAN DESERT.
The Wonders Accomplished by Sys
TENS of Irrigation.

The Wonders Accomplished by Sys-
TENS of Irrigation.
While the Sahara remains to-day as it
was beyond the records of time, the
American Desert is populous with an en-
terprising race; it is dotted with cities of
marvelously rapid growth; it is grid
lroned with railways; its dry and arid sur
face has been watered into richly pro-
ductlve soil, until we see here garden
spot Of the continent, rather than its Sa-
hara. Not only have the savage tribes
been conquered and exterminated, but
nature herself has been subdued and
overcome. Her small supply of timber
has been remedied by the tearing of coal
from her bosom. The water she denied
to the plain she has been compelled TO
surrender from her mountains for equit-
able distribution by mans artificial
means to the plains below. The energetic
American settler on the Great Desert was
not content, like the lazy and dreamy
Egyptian, to watch a Nilometer thou
sand years old to know when to look for
the rise of his rivers; but, draining
them at their sources in the mountains
he stores their floods and doles their
waters out through innumerable sluices
and canals and bitches as the broad fields
demand lite-giving irrigation. And he
goes on thus, year after year, building
more drains and retaining more acres
of his desert. The once guarded and
fortified camping-spots of generation
ago he has turned into free cities which
fear no foe and engage only in friendly
rivalry and contention with one another.
All this has been accomplished within
q little more than a generation. In less
than generation cities in that region
have grown TO greater population than
cities OF the Eastern States of the Nation
which are 200 years old, and in some in
| stances cities of the Plains, incorporated
less than decade ago, have larger pop
ulatlon than towns founded by the
Puritans and by Penn a century since
1t would be incredible, ii the official
figures did not establish the fact, that
Denver. Col, for instance, incorporated
in 1851, has larger population than AL
bany, n. Y, founded in 1886, and nearly
twice that OF Trenton, n. j., Incorporated
in 1892, though founded forty years be-
fore. The town of Beatrice, Neb, is now
just eleven years old, its population is
1886, while Dover, n. H., was settled in
1913 and has now population OF only
II, 790.
AS still more extraordinary develop
ment, one may cite the city of Wichita,
Kansas, right in the heart of the desert
plains, which, incorporated as recently
as 1886, six years ago, has population of
Is, 1913, an actual valuation Of 81, III, 067 of
property, a costly water system, twenty
VI Cl6CtIlC SLIGSI railways, nineteen
banking institutions, is the cOnVerging
point of no less than five steam railways,
and is lighted by electricity. Colorado
itself, in the heart of this great American
desert, was admitted as Territory only
in 1861, as State as late as 1876, and last
year its property valuation was assessed
for State tax purposes at SIZE, 544, 064.
Such extraordinary illustrations of rapid
development OF country are unparal-
leled in history, even in that of our East
ern States and cities.
The extraordinary development of this
peculiar and interesting region is not yet
written history. Indeed, the region is
not thought old enough to be entitled to
the dignity OF historical record. The
time to write it has not ripened; the ma
terial has not been collected: in fact, it is
only beginning to be manufactured. I
can only write solely in the hope that |
may incite others to steps to preserve the
facts of this development. / can only
hope in this article to point out this rapid
growth of a section of our country, partly
as stimulus to those who are making it's
prosperity, partly to excite thought as to
the possibilities of the carly future, to
stimulate renewed energy in the same di-
rection of intelligent development, but
chiefly to urge the collection and preser-
walton of this history now making.
The facts which throw together with
(.
I have secured through newspaper clip
pings from current publications furnished
me from time to time, and from officials
of a number Of cities of the Plains who
have sympathiZed with my purpose in
preparing this article. 1 am actuated to
persevere Ia this by former experience
of similar character. In Rdrpe7's
Magazine, in 1886. | pointed out the grave
dangers to our fishing interests, and thus
led TO an agitation which has resulted in
establishing Fish Commissions in nearly
every State. In this magazine in May,
1881, | pointed out the dangers to our
oyster supply; and since then the oyster
has been literally legislated on, to the
preservation of his natural beds. If, in
like manner, l can stir up the authorities
of even one State In the dry, arid des-
ert' region of the Great West to the
preservation of its early historical records
| shall have accomplished good part Of
my representation Z. G. Shanks, in
Lippincott's.