The Holly chieftain., 1898-09-09

N'dtr iiiS uhiuit nes iSit IQucU. 1Hit
great valley is rich in nstural resources
The soil OF the bot ton lands is Of al
alluviai nafure ant sssst Of the high
lands deep, rieb, sandy loan. easy
OF cultivation and we'll adapted for irri
CATION. The Topography of the NORTH
side of the valley Of which this article
treats, is smooth, sloping uniformly
towards he river and the east, broken
only by the creeks and arroyas which
form the natural drAinage channe
of the immense territory stretching
agsy toward the water heads OF the
Republican and Smoky Hill rivers in
the north.
Short aud generally mild and open
winters. summers with bright sunny
days and pleasantly cool nights, and
warm falls, characterize the climate Of
this section. 1t is equable. very DRY
and totally devoid OF Anmidity. ThJ
climate of the fall mottths is one thins
which the resident 81 The Arkansas
valley is particularly proud Of, and
rightly too, for very few sections of Til,
or other countries, are or coud b,
blessed with q more plrssing com bina-
ton Of temperature and sunshine.
The Arkansas valley is be largest
and most fertile agricultural valley o
Colorado, and until recently, 6tteen d
twenty years ago, before the agricul-
tnrslist discovered the unusualiy iavo,
able conditions OF soil 3and climate, II
was vast and nneqnaled grains
ground ior cattle. It's value in this re
spect has not deterroriafed The frs
settlers were not wsleom ed by tbs
cattle IMAM, in fact. they we're looked
upon as intrudefs, the cattleman',
immunity, in tho early days, from iht
intrusiors OF the pioneer farmer. per
hsps inibued him wi.h a feeling OF out
ersnip of The country which later nt
was loath to have Questioned. aud II
his freedom from ,hs Restrictions ot th,
'isw did all isinsiAis ,sasssss ~ efeeabse u
his own sense ofsjbsiier, of ccurse, tt
keep them out. His belief has howeyei
changed, many Of the leading cat tlt
men being now satisfied that sgricul
tural development and the cattie in-
dustry are interdependent. The chic
element necessary 10 snecesstni farm
ing, however, was iaakfng. aud bur fol
the rich hiit laden walters OF the great
Arkansas river the cattle king would
still reign supreme.
When the agricultural possibilities oi
this valley, from a farming standpoint
beca me known, capital b-came readily
interested and canal building, iSriga-
lion development and settlement hsye
been remm kably rapid so that now
every available foot 9th normal dow
of the river is appropriated. This led
to the consideration Of utilizing the
flood waters OF the river and capital is
now busily interested IN the develop
ment OF storage reservoirs for that pnr.
pose. The great Santa Fe raii road
traverses the VALLEY afording the very
best of shipping fncihties both east ana
west.
The Greet Plains Waler Co. is with
out donbt the largest Irrigation enter
prise on this continent. 1t consists OF
the Kicking Bird, Butfalo and Amity
canals and the five reservoirs, King,
Queen, Nee Noshe, Nee Gronda, and
Nee Sopah, together With dams, mead
a a "a a md t.te r f..s
the Amity and Butfalo canals, of which
we speak later, is entirely storage
system depending upon the flood wafer
of the Arkansas river, and those Of tho
creeks and arroyas Intercepted by lie
supply canal in its course from the
headgaie to the resefyoiro. These flood
waters are cole cted from total water
shed Of l2,2t0 sqnare milea. The dis
tance from the river 20 the reservoirs
by canal liz rs IL niles. For forty tive
miles from he head ga.e to Gaseby
arroyo the Fort Ivan rafai has been
enlarged by The tireat Plains Water Co
and is utilized ami operated Jointly bJ
thas company and iae Fort Lyon cans
company
From this point e toe reeefyolys I
disianoe OF Is ~ niles. the storag,
waters Of the Crest Plains Water Co
are conducted uy an independents canal
the KICKING Bro The head work.
Iof the Fort Lyon oaiisi are very con
piete aud subataniial structures cor
sisting OF 4 dam on HoGNd and slee
pilo fonndatlous, and masonry ycgula
Ing gates. The latter are perhaps til,
best ard most permanent of the kips
lin this country, The ordinary tram,
design was departed from, rock, pricl
and concrete taking the place Of timbe
and lumber, and the result is struc
ure not only pleasing TO the eye from
an engineers stand point bat marks TIN
beginning ofthe substitution Of perm
neDt for temporary struptures in ifri
cation enterprises in arid america
The entire structure, except tho gates
of which there are thirteen, with
tsta, clear water way Of sixty i've ieet
is built of rock. brick or concre,
masonry, and the sub-struction Of th
roadway spanning the channel, an,