The Elbert County tribune., 1898-10-20
GREAT RESERVOIRS.
IMPORTANT PLANS FOR IRRIaA-
TION.
ooveruor Adams and n rArty visit the
Region Near Lamar and ns . result
WIN sell Lands TO the Great Plains
Company.

Denver. Oct. 1.-THE Rocky Noun
tnin News this morning says;
Governor Alva Adams, Attorney
cenern. Ii. L. Carr and Register l.. Z.
paddock of the state land board re-
furued Yesterday from Lamar, where
the Marty. in company with fiatt hos-
crs and W. NJ Wiley, made an ih
spection of the properties of the Great
Plains Water Company. The object OF
the trip was TO report upon the aavls-
ability of selling to the Great fiaihs
company 5000 acres of state schooi
land for which the company mas ap-
Piled Speaking OF the result OF ms
observations. the governor said last
evening".
II was never more surprised In my
life. The Great Plains company Is the
largest organization of the kind IN
Colorado. il not in the United States.
The company has been for some time
expending large sums of money In the
valley of the Arkansas. and II is a
revelation TO talk with farmers who
have located upon land under canals
Of the Great Plains system. The farm
ers seem to me like school boys who
have just gaincd victory In foot
ball contest. They are the happiest
set OF people have ever seen. Ev-
erything with them Is prosperous
They have been literally treated by
the company. and the future looks
cloudIess.
Yes said the governor, Il am in
favor of selling the land to the Great
Plains company. 1t is worth nothing
at all to the state without water for
ii. and ms the company offers $500 an
acre, am In favor OF accepting the
proposition. l am in favor of this
plan for several reasons. one Of which
is because the company Is n great
blessing to the state of Colorado, and
If the state does not part with this
tract of land. which really ought
never to have been selected by the
state in that locality. the company
will go across the line in the state of
Kansns and carry out n large series
of improvements there instead OF ex-
tending in Colorado. While ! do not
want to be selfish. II appears good
principle to do what we can for our
own people when II is in our power
The governor says the system of
five reservoirs which nature has CON
structed for use in the region of La
mar Is on the same general plan as
the system of great lakes in the north
crn border of the United States. The
reservoirs nave com Dlueu snoTe tlhc
of more than sixty miles. and when
they are filed with water will be the
largest body of water between the
Mississippi river and Sa1t lake. The
reservoirs will float steamships and
form center of health resorts and
hunting preserves such as are now un-
known in the West. The system Is
fifteen or twenty miles north of the
Arkansas river, and the climate and
products of the region elicit the high
est admiration from visitors. The res
ervoirs are connected with the river
by canals through which 1t is proposed
TO let the flood waters of the Arkansas
find their way in the spring. One of
the reservoirs is now partly filed with
water.
The school land was selected In the
region n number of years ago when
the 'rain belt" was pointed ont as the
most promising district of the state.