The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-12-11
IS GREAT ENTERPRISE.
The Lima Reservoir and Irrigation
company's Work in Gen.
tennial Valley.
One OF the Largest Bodies Of Arti-
fetal Water in tho
Country.
A Rich Section Which, WIN Furnlsh
Homes for Ten Thousand Farmsrs
and Towns People.

n xSICU SeCtlOu u WIZ as
Homes for Ten Thousand Farmsrs
and Towns People
An enterprise known a. the Lima Rssee-
voir and Irrigation company" II located in
Centennial valley. Bsaverhead county.
which 10 incorporated in Montana, having
{ capital stock of 800. 900. Tho work of
building a dam across Red Rock creek has
commenced whore il passes through q mar
row channel in Centennial valley. A tim
mel ia also being run through the side OF
the mountain, by means Of which water 10
10 be taken from the reservoir. The dam
will soon be completed, as also the neces-
ssry cnnal, 80 40 to put water on some $4,000
acres OF land lying below the dam and in
tic vicinity of the town OF Lima. II is OK
petoed to ultimately carry water down to
tbe vicinity Of Dillon. This great project
and Improvement lies on the Utah 4 North
ern railroat, a main line OF the Union Pa
eiio system. forming its mountain d''is-
ions"
The town of Lima 10 the end Of division
on the railroad. and many OF the people
employed upon that division live there.
The railroad company pays out over $l5.0Oo
In wages there every month, The conss-
Qu00C6 IL tQht IL - u VoIy uoUSlSuluk pANCot
and has about 1000 inhabitants. with
stores, hotels, two churches, u school house.
q .~oundhouse, q fine depot. ETC., and Is
growing rapidly. 1t 10 the natural metro
polls OF a large section of country that Is
soon destined TO be cot of the lower ends
of Madison and Benverhead counties ana
TO be formed into a new county. with Lima
ms the county seat. Al the present. time the
4anchers. farmers and miners come the e.
in some instances a distance OF sixty miles,
to trade. Tn company has a townsitc
here from which they may reasonably ex-
pect to realize profitable results. There are
other promioinQ villages in this valley. and
Dillon the county seat of Beaverhead. 10 q
place of importance located about fifty
miles further down the valley, with $500
inhabitants. and possesses resources and ad-
vxntages which will insu:e great growth in
the near future.
The storage capacity can be greatly in
creased bv raising the dam ten feet higher,
increasing also the carrying capacity OF the
main canals, extending them. and building
~lateraIs to reach these rich bench lands
amounting to over 100, 600 acres.
Butte is but III miles away. Anaconda l29
miles He enR POS miles. and there are no
better markets in the western country than
these three cities afford. Then there are
many rich camps of miners scattered
men in the valleys. the foothills and defles
Of the mountains. who take al the hay that
con be produced, for their stock in winter.
As q consequence. produce finds a ready
sale At good cash prices, making an excel
lent home market for all that can be pro-
duosd in the valley, either of grain. fruit.
vegetables. grass or hay.
Anarrow pass cut by Red Rock creek be-
tween two high mountains in the Centen-
nial valley appears designed by nature as a
fitting location for the construction OF a
dam to form a reservoir 70: the storage Of
-ntov -hnRA-Nkh N YPPi0RtA all thA lard w. |
ing along the channel of Red Rock creek,
Little sheep creek. Sage Brush creek, and
other minor Streams. This land. when put
under water. 10 % rich and productive as
any found within the temperate latitudes
of the arid region, and undisputable testi-
mouy shows that productive power is from
four to ten times greater than land in the
sane latitudes within the humid areas.
The United States engineer. at the time of
survey, in his report TO the government, de-
clarsd the Centennial valley to be tho lars-
est natural reservoir site he had ever met
with, and recommended that II be appto-
priated for that purpose. In accordance
with this report the land office department
withdrew the land now to be covered by the
company's reservoir from sale and settle
mont. and reserved the Centennial valley
for that purpose. It has since been regu-
iarly Appropriated under the act of con-
Rrsss approved March 8. 1891.
Tho bottom and sides OF this narrow pass
are composed OF solid granite and hard.
non-porous lime stone. The peculiar con-
the dam is constructed ID such that tho
valley can be utilized and the waters
gathered and stored there with the least
possible outlay OF money or labor. The
valley 10 %sinuous. and just above the point
where the dam is constructing there ia a
long swee ping curve or elbow ordered on
the down stream side by a high precipitous
mountain. When the reservoir is filled. the
direct current pressure OF the water vii! be
against thts mountain side. which Is s. 900
feet high and a half to thu &C. quarters of a
mile at TIE base. The pressure against
where tho force OF the current will be
against another largo mountain and a reflex
pressure only will come against the dam
thus insu mi its safety.
1t is estimated that when the dam is
completed and the reservoir filled that il
will be one of the largest bodies OF sttif-
cial water In the country. With the dam
at the height of forty feet the water was
backed up the Centennial valley a distance
Of eighteen miles. with an average width of
one mile and an average depth Of thirty
feet. Raising the dam ten feet will in
crease the acreage of land covered, and the
quantity of water obtained in Reometrical
ratio, and will give a reservoir thirty to
forty miles long. with On average width of
probably two miles.
MAJ oUuGGaut "osoI supply. Iteu
Rock creek takes its rise in Red Rock lake,
q large body of water lying in Madison
county. Montana. about thirty miles from
the dam. This is u large lake fed by nu-
merous streams from the Yellowstone park
and from tho mountains of the Bitter Root
range OF the Rocky mountain chain. This
lake 10 constant in quantity and il a source
OF never failing supply.
The Red Rock creek water in its course
through the mountains to the point whore
the dam is constructed, is constantly re-
plenished BY springs and mountain streams
which are fed by the melting SHOWS on the
mountains, and the rainfall throughout the
entire region which drains into the creek, ia
not less than twenty inches annually. The
water shed which feeds the reservoir il 100
miles long by eighty miles wide, and the
narrow pass no oss which the dam is con-
structed is the only means OF escape for the
drainage of the same from the valley above,
In this wise the reservoir taps the Rocky
mountains themselves and secures an
abundant supply for all seasons.
The dam is to be fifty feet high and forty
feet wide on top. with an extrems length of
PIP feet of solid masonry, and joins the
mountains on esther side of the pass.
The spill way for conducting the surplus
waters ID put along the mountain side,
This was done in order not to in any way
eDdanRer strength or security.
Inc tunnel IL seven feet square, driven a
distance of over 176 feet through solid rock.
The surface is completely plsstered with
the best Portland cement throughout its
entire length. and has II capacity OF 1900
cubic feet of water per eaeond ppdar,b~