The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-07-15

by man, not solely by sheep and oxen.
Hence the persistent attempts at set
Element. the desire for information
about irrigation, the public movement
to influence Congress and the state
legislatures.
THE GREAT PLAINS.
This semi-arid region has been de-
fined in acts of Congress and else
where, as lying between the eastern
foot hills of the Rocky mountains and
the 9th meridian. That is, roughly,
country extending through degrees
of longitude Cmore in the northern
parO from the boundary of Manitoba
and Assiniboia to Mexico and the
gulf, embracing nearly the whole OF
the two Dakotas and large parts of
Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kan
sas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and
New Mexico. A belt of this country,
a degree in width on the eastern side,
probably needs irrigation no more
than does Massachusetts or Ohio, but
the rest of it would be materially
benefited in it's agriculture by the ar
tificial application of water; and some
parts can not be cultivated with any
regularity without it.
The region of the Great Plains, oc-
cupying nearly one-ffth of our nation
al territory, has features that but
slightly vary the fiat monotony of the
whole, but which locally are of great
extent and economically of great val
us. These are (a) the valleys of the
rivers which have been cut out of the
body of the plains by erosion, CD the
gentle increment of elevation west
ward and (c) the few mountain areas
(e. G. the Black Hills of South Dako-
ta) which essentially vary the topog-
raphy and the rain fall. To this last
feature we shall make no further re-
ference. The second, however, needs
to be noted. Though there are no
mountains in Kansas or Nebraska, yet
the altitude above sea level on the
1920 meridian in those states is about
1000 feet. In eastern Colorado and
Wyoming the elevation of plains runs
up to over 5000 feet. Then trough
900 feet deep cuts off the plains from
contact with the mountains. The
plains are highest about the 41st par
allel North and south of that there
is diminuition of height to the Next
can Gulf and the Arctic. The river
valleys must also have some attention.
Certain rivers having their origin in
the mountains have long, tortuous
courses across the plains to the sea or
to the Father of Waters. Such are the
Missouri, Yellowstone, the North and
South Platte, the Arkansas, Canadian
and the Rio Grande del Norte. There
ore, nONtNeI, HldIiy IIFSLo WillClt HdNV
no connection with the mountains.
They are wholly. rivers of the plains.
Such are the Red river of the North
and the Red river of the South, the
James river of the Dakotas, the Loup
and Running Water, or Niobrara, of
Nebraska, the Republican, Smoky Hill
and Medicine of Kansas, and many
other streams of these states, as we'll
as of Oklahoma and Texas The water
of the rivers is naturally considered as
the available source of supply for irri
cation. 1t is soon manifest, however,
to. an intelligent inves tigator, that the
greater part of the vast bodies of wa
ter carried by the mountain streams
may easily be used for watering the
irrigabie lands within the mountain
areas or within a few miles-fifty, as a
maXimum-east of the foothills. Only
engineering or other difficulties in the
way of its nearer application will ulti-
mately allow any Of the water of the
mountain rivers to be used on the dis
tant plains. Such failure of distant ap-
plication is seen in the Arkansas valley
of western Kansas. The water of that
river can now rarely fill the Kansas
bitches, as irrigation canals of more
recent construction in Colorado absorb
it al. Here is a case to be settled by
national law. Priority of water use is
conceded as establishing the prior
claim of individuals in the state courts.
Similar equitable adjustment between
states is the province of Congress.