The herald., 1893-09-08
Progress Of the Owens Valley
Railroad Enterprise.
An Extensive Region Which VIII be
Tributary to Los Angeles.
The Inyo Valleys Ready for the Rail-
road Buiider-Owens Valley
Country and Its Pos
sibilities.


BILE business Of raising high-priced
fruits, the cheaper grades of land for
ordinary farming, alfalfa and stock raia-
ing have not been thought worth look
ing after.
Southern California settlements, while
they are wealthy and thickly populated,
are small. Riverside with it's Gage an
mex and little irrigated land about the
Gage canal, contains less than $4,000
acres OF land and only two-thirds OF that
is at present under actual cultivation,
and vet this is one OF the largest COM
pact settlements in Southern California.
Thousands of people are kept out OF
this end of the state because OF this lack
of cheap lands.
During the past year work has been
quietly going ON to develop large tract
OF fertile country that will become when
developed very rich tributary to the
southern metropolis and the HERALD
has succeeded in ferreting out the plans
that are being perfected and iH ready to
lay them before the public. Reference
is had to the Owens river country and
the chain Of valleys stretching south
wards from Owens lake towards. this
/, city.
Ovens valley contains 500, 900 acres of
tillable land surrounding Owens lake,
which is 18 miles long and IL miles
wide.
Owens river comes down the east slope
OF the Sierra Nevada mountains which
are covered with snow large portion OF
the year and the highest peaks OF which
are covered with snow the entire year.
This river never carries less than 100,-
600 inches OF water, enough water to ir-
rigate 100000 acres OF land with first
class water right. 3
This river is at its lowest stage late in
the fall or in early winter, after irriga-
ton has ceased for the season, and 10
highest in early and midsummer, when
its waters are in the greatest demand.
During the irrigation season Owens river
covers 500, 600 inches of water-more
water than can ever be utilized unless
some gigantic scheme is at some future
date undertaken to bring the surplue
water of that river southwark hundred
miles or more to irrigate the great Mo-
jave desert, which is desert only from
lack of water.
To the south Of Owens valley are
series Of valleys, the largest OF which Is
the Indian Wells valley, which contains
about $50, 600 acres OF choice land. The
south end OF this valley is about So miles
northeast Of Mojave station.
just north Of Indian Wells valley is
the Rose Springs valley, which contains
about 40,000 acres OF choice land; and
north OF this is to be found the Owens
valley.
Owens lake Is about 5000 feet above
sea level, and the valleys to the south
have somewhat less elevation.
1t is 100 miles from Mojave to the
lower end OF Owens lake, and the lay Of
the country 10 such that railroad can
be built from Mojave through this chain
of valleys to connect with the railroad
now built to Independence from Reno
as cheaply as q line can be built up the
San Joaquin valley. A railroad line to
connect these two points woald be 152
miles in length. W
That chain of valleys is composed OF
as good farming land az can be found on
the Pacific coast and is supplied with
more than enough water to irrigate
every foot Of arabic land at very small
eum per acre. The actual cost of the ir-
\ rigation system TO cover 500, 900 acres of
land would not exceed "a per acre. The
land all belongs to the government and
can be taken up at the minimum price
of sl.25 per acre. There are no railroad
grants to claim the odd sections.
The big canal system now projected
takes the waters OF the Owens river at
point few miles north OF the town OF
Independence and swings around to the
west side OF the valley, continuing
through the chain OF valleys and II de-
2 sirable and profitable 80 miles more OF
canal than 10 now contemplated would
FtpI a fnp NJ -. - l.
of the Mojave country.
Inyo county, in which these valleys
are mostly located, contains today q
population of $500, Notwithstanding the
lack of capital to divert the water from
the river for irrigation purposes, and
tho further lack of capital to build
railroad that shall place these valleys in
close touch with the outside world.
Attention 10, however, now being di-
verted in that direction, and now that
the tide is turned nothing can stop it
until these valleys become densely pop
ulated and very wealthy.
The only railroad now reaching the
Owens Valley railroad and the outlet to
civilization Is via Reno and the Central
Pacific railroad to San Francisco, dis.
tance OF nearly 1900 miles.
A railroad built out directly from this
valley to Mojave so aa to connect direct
with Los Angeles would do the business
OF the valley to the great benefit of both
the valleys and Los Angeles city.
With such railroad built the Indian
Wells valley would be brought within
135 miles of Los Angeles.
1t 10 safe to say that il that road were
built and the irrigating streams were
turned loose in these valleys that q
stream Of population would pour out
over the railroad into these valleys that
would astonish those who are accus-
toned to rapid developments here in
Southern California for nowhere else on
the Pacific coast or elsewhere could the
advantages of these valleys be duplicated
ALI things considered.
1t 10 to build that railroad and that
irrigation system that few enterprising
Los Angeles men aided by English cspi-
tai have been turning their energies for
the past few months with every assur-
ance now that active construction will
pc commenced at an early date and that
the work will be pushed to completion.
The Los Angeles, Owens Valley and
Utah Railroad company has been organ
ized, the aurveys of the line we're COM
pieted several months since, all the
plans and details have been placed be-
iore English capitalists by Mr.. Freder-
ick Stock, who is president OF the COM
Pany, the plans have been approved In