The Winslow mail., 1898-07-09
Some Facts about Our Section.

A correspondent of the Denver Re
publican who spent some ten days in
Winslow and knows whereof hespeaks.
writes of the prospects of Winslow and
surroundings as follows:
Reference has already been made to
the magnificent extent of the valley Of
the Little Colorado river. The irriga-
ton thereof so as to render it produc-
tive as a farming and fruit growing re-
gion is now attracting the attention of
some Of the best minds in the west, men
OF capital and experience, who have
long resided in the southwest and who
set upon this valley as one of the choic- /
est in the whole country between the /
Bio Grande and the Pacific coast. AS
matter Of fact, the Winslow valley, as
it is called. constitutes the only availa-
ble body OF irrigable land between AL |
buquerque on the east and Los Angeles
on the west, a distance of over 500 miles. |
It is the only place in all this great ex-
panse of territory where the "lay of
the land" the soil, climate, etc, so COM
bine as TO make agriculture and horti-
culture a paying proba bility, and big
paying proposition as natural conso-
quence. Enough has already been done
along the Little Colorado and in the
way Of bringing bitches from Clear
creek and Shevelon's fork by Krentz &
Wolf, the Frenchs, La Prade and 9th
ers to demonstrate how productive is
the soil when properly irrigated, 900 to
800 acres being now under cultivation
by these parties, who produce with ease
alfalfa, potatoes, barley, rye, wheat,
oats and the fruits indigenous to the
temperate zone. Sugar beets that yield
from 81 to q per cent saceharine mat
ter have also been raised here for three
years past and this, together with al
falfa and the ordinary farm crops,
promises the best return to the farmer
In fact, the sugar beet proposition has
SO far materialized that ample capital
is now only awaiting the guarantee Of
sufficient beets annually before erect
ing at Winslow a large beet sugar fac
tory. Also, there are in this county
to-day $500 head of cattle and 250,000
head of sheep, and the fattening of this
stock, as well as swine, for the home
market, could be made most profita-
ble undertaking by alfalfa farmers.
Under these existing conditions it is
not at all surprising that every energy
is bent toward procuring an abundant
supply Of water for domestic and irri-
cation purposes.
10 this end the Farm and Fireside
Company, under the management Of
Mr.. S. NJ. Folsom, and backed by such
well-known men in the southwest as
Colonel E. H. Bergman and Territorial
Treasurer Samuel Eldodt Of New Mex
leo, has been at work for some months
and have so far progressed as to give
assurance that every promise of the
company toward furnishing an ample
supply of pure water for the "White
City" and its environments will be
faithfully carried out. This company
has five different water propositions at
its command, but the one which is now
securing its particular attention is
known as the Hay Lake and Jacks
Canyon system. Exf ert reports on the
entire feasibility of this project have
been made by such civil engineers as
Jas. D. Schuyler of Los Angeles, Geo.
6. Anderson of Denver and others.
Hay Lake is about 81 miles distant
from the Winslow valley; is some 1900
feet higher than the town, and its in
vidual watershed covers more than
100000 acres where. the precipitation,
chiefly in the form of snow. amounts
TO 80 inches annually. If necessary
100000 acres more of drainage territory
can be diverted into the same natural
basin, at small expense. At the outlet
OF the natural Hay Lake reservoir the
company mentioned is now running
6x7 foot tunnel 40 feet and placing
twin discharge gates 2x2 4 feet, which
are soon to be utilized in regulating
the flow of water between the lake and
the city and valley. The natural de-
preston. perched high on the noun
tains, it is estimated, will hold 5000
acre-feet of water back Of the dam at
the lower part, the dimensions of which
are 800 feet in length and "a feet in
Iheighth. Coming through the twin
gates the water flows toward Winslow
and the great valley through Jacks
Canyon to point within six miles of
town, where solid masonry dam, al
ready finished, holds it in check 335
feet above the city. Thence it is to be
converged in pipes for the supply Of
the city and in bitches for the water
ing Of the land.
The Santa Fe New Mexican, in the
course Of an article on cattle in New
Mexico. saws that "the ranges are /