The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1896-05-01
IRRIGATION NATTER.



sandy loam and Is capable OF producing
any kind Of crops grown In this laii-
tudc or altitude IN any country IN The
world. But. o. am asked ~ Uritr
the history oil irrigation. J will leave
the productivcnoss 90 some one else.
suffice u 10 nay that in my own opinion
there ia no FINER country in Nebraska
or anywhere In our latitude for farm.
ing than the great Platte valley under
proper and economic system ~ irriga-
tion. Irrigation b the life. the saliva.
ton Of western Nebraska and Is the
hope Of eastern Nebraska.
The people Of this county in 1888 and
1889 were miscnbly poor. having cmi
grated from eastern Nchrasi0 Iowa
aud Kansas 10 order ~ secure Tho bon.
efits Of the homestead act. aud bcliov.
ing that irrigation would not be- ucccs.
1ry, or rather knowing absolutely
nothing about irrigation thcy under
took 90 farm. aud FOR two or three
years there was enough rain 60 pro-
ducc partial crops In fact, IN some 10.
caliiics very good crops. hut Ia tho
Years following there was terrible
drouth. These people. rs rule had
lost no irrigation ditch aud were not in
search Of n place 10 irrIgutc and when
one who had some idca what irrigation
meant would dare 10 suggest that irri.
CATION would solve the question upper
most IN their minds us 10 whether
western Nebraska ever could be- made
q farming country you could hear buch
answers M the following III I have
Co irrlgnio I will cmigntc instead"
GLOW can yon ever got the water ~ the
river up on a. those lands9" GLOW
long will 70 take tn huild ditch tn irri.
cato this Valley eve viii nll bo
drnd ~ have To pat No much
money into % dhch In order io have
farm | will go back whore God irri
gates, and q thousand and one other
expressions, many ~ them more forci.
bile. N less elegant. than the above
But la the year. lss1. iiss and 1850 the
drouthH were quito universal, aud the
all-nhsorbing question waN "Will
western Nebraska ever be % farming
country" There were those who were
ready 10 say no, because they did not
want II 10 be; aud there were those
who snid yes We have been through
the same thing la eastern Nebraska,
and the history of eastern Nebraska
will repeat itself In western Ne.
braslia.
In regard 10 the history Of irrigation
In SCOTS Blun county I hnvc To say that
In tho fall Of 1857 few gentlemen who
had been residents Of Colorado and
thoro learned something OF the bcnc.
Hts Of irrigation, among whom were &.
W. Ford. the present county clerk Of
the county. John w. Weeks. who II
also resident Of the county aud the
owner Of one Of the best irrigated farms
In tho county, John Richards, now n
resident Of Colorado. aud few others
Incorporated the Farmers Canal com.
pany and commenced the construction
OF n small canal, The country over
which the same was TO be built was
very rough. Tho people, all non.be-
levers In the business OF irrigation and
opposed entirely TO the idea, made tho
enterprise move very slowly, and long
before tho Farmcrs' canal had water
the drouth had convinced many OF the,
inhabitants Of the valley that irriga.
tion was essential, and little groups OF
men formed In different parts OF the
county for the purpose of constructing
small ditches- The first public demon.
strntion which the writer knows twas
apublic meeting called at Miniature, at
which number Of irrigators congrc.
gated and discussed the question of
building n ditch the entire length Of
the valley ON tho line on which the
Farmers canal Il now being con.
struoted. The proposition, however,
met with much opposition and the only
result OF this meeting was the orgunl.
ration OF the Minntnre Ditch company,
the leading members OF which were
George w. Fairfield, Theodore Harsh.
man, A. w. Mills aud others.
This company moved along with won.
derful push and by the early summer
Of 1883 had It's ditch constructed some
ak OF eight miles In length, aud II On.
titled To the honor OF having the iirst
ditch Ia the North Platte valley In Ne
hrasltn which made a practicable and
profitable use Of water for the produc-
tlon Of crops ~ this time tho people
were being rapidly converted to the
hclicf that Irrigation was necessary,
and other enterprises were started
Next In point Of timo was the Winters
Creek ditch, starting some seven or
eight miles above the Minntnrc. and
covering something like 1000 or i, 900
acrcs of the very finest land la the state
OF Nebraska, This company was or
ganiSed, MS remember Il, with Thomas
Roaycs as president; lot H. Fclthnm.
SECRETARY. Its membership at tho time
Of commencement Of construction con.
sisted 81 sixteen memhcrs. nmong whom
were The above named and Others.
a ditch was commenced ON ncccm-
Der o, isss, and ON MAY next the water
was conducted the entire length Of the
ditch, which was ten miles. While
there were but sixteen members "a
start, before spring there wore about
thirty interested, and immediately all
hands commenced farming. aud from
that day the question Of successful a.
rigation was settled and there ucvel
has existed doubt In the minds Of ans
one In SCOTS Bluif county from that
day 10 this as 10 the utility and pructi
cability OF irrigation, Immediately
after the opening Of the Winters Creel
ditch another group of farmers bccnm,
interested aud sAid' well, " thes,
Winters Creek fellows can build ditcl
% easily we can also build one, and %
as result the Eutorurise Ditch conn