Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-23
WATER FOR THE ARID LANDS
Work Already Accomplished Under the
Carey Act in Wyoming,
MANY CANALS TO BE BUILT THIS YEAR
Hundred Thousand Acres selected by
RcsponsibIc Companies which EN-
pcCt to Have Their Lands Ready
for Settlers Next Year.


One OF the most interesting problems the
state OF Wyoming has had to deal with
during the past year is that OF utilizing
the public lands donated to the state by
the general government under what is known
as the Carey Land Act. In 1894, congress
passed an act donating to each of the arid
states that would accept the conditions Of
the grant 100000 acres OF land for the
purpose of reclamation. Five states have
accepted this donation. Wyoming was .he
first to act, and the Wyoming law defining
the conditions under which the land should
be reclaimed became without material change
that of Colorado and Idaho through the
subsequent action of their legislatures AS
the author of the law is a Wyoming man.
and as Wyoming has taken the initiative
in carrying the act into practical effect, the
experience of the state is of great interest
not only to the other arid states, but to
the country at large, the question of util-
izing the great arid regions of the west
being one OF national Importance.
The Carey law provides for the disposal
Of land to actual settlers and cultivators
only, in tracts not to exceed $50 acres, title
to pass after satisfactory proof OF reclama-
tiOn and ownership in the ditch or canal
which provides water. The price of land Is
so cents an acre, half at the time Of making
entry ana naII at tne time VI making Hudl
proof of reclamation. bitches and canals
are to be built by private parties, under
state supervision and in accordance with
the terms OF a contract entered into be-
tween the ditch builder and state authorities
before work begins. The conditions Of
these contracts are set out in detail in the
law. They fix the size OF the works, the
price of shares in the canal and the terms
in payment therefor. They provide that
bitches must be transferred to the settlers
have been Sold and require the state to
only dispose of land to purchasers OF shares
in the canal.
WHEN THE WORK BEGAN.
The state law accepting the donation and
providing methods for carrying the national
law into effect was passed in 1895 Under
this law a board, known as the State Board
of Land Commissioners, was organized in
April 1885, and completed its organization
by the election In May of officers. The chief
clerk. upon whom much of the detail wonS
of carrying the act into effect was entrusted,
was "A. j. Parshall. A number of applica-
tions was received by the board for the with
drawal Of lands in various parts of the state
to be reclaimed under the act. 1t was not,
however, until June 4, 1895, that any appli-
cations were presented which in the opinion
Of the board met the requirements of the
state and the general land laws The first
regular and proper applications, accompanied
by maps and field notes, filed with the board
were those of the Burlington Canal com
pany for $4,000 acres, of the Globe Canal
company for $500 acres, and the Cody Canal
%, 900 acres. All of these applications were
rejected at the local land Offices where all
applications under the general law were
required to be approved before further ac-
tion by the state could be taken. The appli-
cations were considered in the general land
Office at Washington for the period of al
most a year before final action M4s taken
upon them. the decision Of the local land
offices having been appealed from by the
stats. 1t Is proper to state that the officers
of the Interior department have at no time
been antagonistic to the act and the delay
in passing upon the applications was that
due consideration might be given for the
purpose of protecting the state and the set
tiers availing themselves of the provisions OF
the act in those and future transactions. In
Tho meantime applications of the Blacks
Fork Canal company and the Fort Bridger
company, for 10000 acres, were received by
tho board and rejected by the local land Of
fees. The state having all it's applica-
tions pending in the Department of the
interior. decided to refuse further appica-
tions until a decision upon those pending
was reached. After some minor corrections,
on January 2S, 1896. President Cleveland
signed the contract under which the Burling-
ton canal. the Globe canal and the Cody
companies were TO reclaim and coloniZe the
arid lands they had selected in Wyoming.
The applications OF the Blacks Fork and Fort
Brdger companies were rejected, 1t being
found that these lands were located ON the
original Fort Bridger military reservation,
and that the United States act opening mil
itary reservations to settlement barred all
methods of acquiring these lands by settlers
and others except under the homestead act
The application of the Uinta Canal company
for 20 600 acres was made in April and ap-
proved by the Interior department, and
contract signed by President Cleveland in
September. 1896,
MUCH WORK DONE IN ONE YEAR.
1t will thus be seen that the actual time
under which the companies desiring to re
claim lands under the Carey act since it be-
came certain that their selectiors would be
approved has been less than a single season
In this short season, however, great deal
CT work has been accomplished. The Globe
Canal company, which has undertaken to
reclaim and cOoniZe $500 acres In the Big
Iuorn BASIN has constructed seven miles of
main canal taking water from the Shoshone
river and now has over 1000 acres under
irrigation. During the coming year the tull
body of land selected by this company will
be under ditch and ready for settlement by
coonists Twenty miles of ditch will have
been constructed and over 100000 expended
In the enterprise.
Although the Blacks Fork and Fort Brdger
applications for land under the Carey act
have been rejected. these companies have
their bitches are practically complete. Up
ward OF 30 900 acres of land have been placed
under irrigation during the year, and large
crop has been raised. The companies tur-
ni3h water to homesteaders and actual set
tiers who have taken up government land
under their bitches. These lands, as pre-
yiously stated, are on the old Fort Bridger
military reservation, are we'll located for
the purposes of irrigation and cultivation,
and promise to become a garden spot in
gOut WCStern wyoming.
The Uinta Ditch Company No. 2, with
which q contract was made for the reclama-
tion of 90, 900 acres in September OF the pres
ent year, has been unable to perform any
work upon its project this season. The com
pany. which is composed OF wealthy Omaha |
capitalists, will begin operations in the com
ing spring and will construct during 1897 |
twenty-five miles of main canal, and Viii |
eXpend $50 900 in the work OF reclama- |
tlon It's lands are situated in Uinta county, |
in the southwestern portion OF the state, |
and will be watered from the Blacks Fork |
branch of Green river
BUYS OUT ITS RIVAL.
The Burlington Canal company, which has
selected $4,000 acres OF land to be watered |
by an irrigation system supplied from the
Grey Bull river was delayed in its work
Of ditch building, etc, by controversy with
thd Bench Canal company, which had started
work upon an irrigation system in the same
locality. This controversy has since been
settled by the purchase OF the Bench ca
nal by the Burlington Canal company. The