The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-11-23
3IGOITCHFOR THE CROWS
sunt. Graves Tells How the Enter
prise Under His Direction
Is Getting Along.
The Land to Be Reclaimed VIII
Equal In Area q Big East
ern State.
lp,endid Opportunity e Test tho Question
:. n Whether the He'd Man Can Bs
Made self Supporting.

Thu DEVELOPMENT Of irrigation works
largely by the labor Of Indtans and Wholly
under government diYeslios. Win MI. wal
tsr II. Graves % superintendent and enai'
nes1, has been going on FOR i've Or shfse
yssrs within the limits Of the Grow rsssrva-
zion, Ia southern Montana. ssys the Ensi-
nesrins News. This work Ii In accord wish
Ahe connon sense belief Of many that N"
Nrue way 10 deal with tho Indian 10 TO set
him 10 work and TO make him s~slf-suppoYt-
Ing.
The srea Of ne Grow reservation 10
nearly g. great a. thas OF the state Of Con-
nsotiest, which has an area OF 4.7bO square
niles. Il has . general altitude Of S.AN
feet above the sea level. ranging from 2,7W
10 $500 feet. The climate 10 said to be
suited 10 any Of the ordinary crops 81 frsAta
raised in The western states.
The most Important river. 20 far % irEi-
Gation 10 concerned. IL said TO b The Big
Horn, which fievs into the Yellowstone
near the northeast corner Of the sssssva-
tion, has q drainage area Of $4,000 square
miles, and BY seina on Abe reservation hal
been shown TO have = fov Of $3.50 TO h7N
subio feet per second. The Little Bis
Asrn 10 An important tributary Of shs Biz
Horn river. A large amount Of land suie'
shls for irrigation and within reach OF
canals ID situated on these Swo streams,
mid on the south side Of the Ysllewstsns
river there arc from 10. 600 to bO.OO acres OF
bottom lands within The reservation which
could probably Ds served BY one irrigation
In 1880 tho Indians sold ]. 200. 900 aores. OF
aoms Q 800 souars miles. TO the government
for S94s, 600, of which 600. 900 was set apart
for the construction Of irrigation works.
not more than $50, 600 TO be expended In
any one year, and $4,000 fez the maintsn-
snse and management Of the system. The
sot esdiaR the land 10 the government pro-
vidsd that in smployinR labor for tho SON
struction Of the works, preference shoald De
given TO such Grow Indians As are compe-
tent and willing TO work at the average
wages paid TO common !Ahoress Tor tas
labor 20 employed shall be paid In cash"
In May. 1891, Walter H. Graves. an trri-
cation engineer, wal som nissioned 10 servs
90 superintsndent of irrigation for the
works TO be constructed under the above
act. From July IA TO Dec. II. 1891. Mr..
Graves was engaged In making surveys sho
studies, and In 1892 . ditch ten miles lona
was constructed and two others started
under his direction. the tota! expenditure
having been about $4,000.
Considering the fact that tho Indians
we're entirely unsocustomed to suoh work,
and In fact practically strangers to work OF
any kind. it is said that they did very well
on the ditch con struotion.
The ditch constructed In 1899 beads IL
ths Little Big Horn river, whore q low dam
was con ut. usted aet oAs the stream. the rive1
at This point being 23O fest wide. The dir
was loosened BY plows and removed from
the ditch BY ssrapsrs. Al Two miles from
its head the ditch has . bottom width O.
twelve feet. depth Of seven and one-hall
feet, inner slope Of two to oas and tor
width of bank Of six feet.
Altogether this work 10 ysry interesting
and il remains to DO seen what the indiana
will do with the water when it is available
for use. Irrigation bitches have been con.
structsd on Indian reservations before this
but 1t appears thas either their construction
or management has bsen faulty.