The silver star., 1898-10-20
GREAT RESERVOIRS.
IMPORTANT PLANS FoRiRRioA-
TlON.
oovsrner Adams and rar'y visit the
Region Near Lamar andsss Result
win seil Lands to the Great Plains
Company.

Denver, Oct. 1.-THE Rocky Noun
tain News this morning says:
Governor Alva Adams, Attorney
General Il. l.. Carr and Register L.. c.
Paddock of the state land board re-
turned yesterday from Lamar, where
the party, in company with Platt Rog-
ers and w. NJ. Wiley. made an iis
spection of the properties of the Great
Plains Water Company. The object of
the trip was to report upon the advis-
ability of selling to the Great Plains
company 5000 acres of state school
land for which the company has np-
Piled Speaking of the result of his
observations, the governor said last
evening:
IL 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
cxpending large sums of money IN the
valley of the Arkansas. and 1t Is Il
revelation tn 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 gained Il victory in n foot
ball contest. They are the happiest
set of people I have ever seen. Ev-
erything with them is prosperous.
They have been libcr;illy treated by
the company. and the future looks
cloudless
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
It, and as the company offers $3.50 an
acre. ! am in favor of accepting the
proposition. | am in favor Of this
plan for several reasons. one of which
is because the company is a great
blessing 10 the state of Colorado. and
II 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 90 across the line in the state of
Kansas and carry out n large series
Of improvements there instead of cx-
tending in Colorado. While | do not
want TO he selfish. it appears good
principle to do what we can for our
own people when it 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
ern border Of the United States The
reservoirs have n combined shore line
of more than sixty miles. and when
they are filed with wafer will he the
largest body of wafer between the
Mississippi river and Salt lake. The
reservoirs Will float steamships and
form n 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 II is proposed
TO let the flood waters Of the Arkansas
find their way in the spring. One Of
fhe reservoirs is now partly filed with
water.
The school land was selected in the
region n number of years ago when
the .rlin belt" was pointed out ms the
most promising district Of the state.