Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-06-02
A GREAT LAKE.
Will be the Largest Artificial Lake
on this Continent.

A correspondent in the New York
Sun of a recent issue has the following
to say of the great Cheyenne Lake now
in course of construction north of this
city. Slowly the people of the whole
nation are having their attention called
to what we believed from the start
would be the greatest enterprise that
ever originated in the west. The Sun
Says:
The wish of the people of the prairies
for great lake is ready for realization
when the Arkansas river furnishes
the supply of water at its late spring
rise. The largest irrigation and i'm
provement undertaking in the Mis-
sissippi valley has been completed, and
If it proves successful there are hopes
for climate changes that will be even of
more value than the land watering to
be accomplished. A great basin has
been made ready for the waters that
come down from the mountains in the
erratic Arkansas, and when filled the
lake will support sail vessels where the
prairie schooner has been travelling,
and will afford great gathering place
for the waterfowls in their semiannual
migrations.
For years the farmers along the
course of the upper Arkansas have been
using the water of the stream for
irrigation. Indeed they have used it
again and again, for the water seeped
back to- the underAow and was never
kept from the river long at a time. So
many were the users of the water that
the stream is drained before it reaches
the farms in central and southern Kan.
sas. The people of this state threaten
to bring suit against those of Colorado
to secure share of the water. but the
outcome of such plan is problematical.
AT seasons of the year when the sun
has melted the SHOWS on the mountains
the broad bed of the river, across which
woman might walk at other times
without wetting the soles of her feet,
ing the confguration of the land along
the river in its lower course, the
engineers found that there might be
built a ditch to carry off the surplus
water and utilize in it benehting the
people of the eastern part of the state.
They found back of the foothills to the
north of CT. Bend peculiar formation
that made possible vast lake-a tract
of land fourteen miles long, from four
to six miles wide, with every foot of it
from three to sixty feet below the rim
of hills that completely surrounds it..
1t is the bed of ancient lake. and on its
surface have grown for hundreds of
years the rank grasses of the prairie
sloughs. 1t is almost worthless for
farming, the soil being too heavy. and
it has remained famous spot in the
wide plains, broken everywhere else for
miles around with handsome farms.
Cheyenne Bottoms il is called, and
there is story that once it was gather.
ing place for the Cheyennes of the
territory. Here they lighted theil
council fires and parcticed their in.
carnations. Marks of their occupation
were common when the first settlers
came. Later 1t was the famous rabbit
chasing ground of the American Cours.
ing association, which included prom
inent citizens and lovers of the chase
in eastern cities. They came to the
fall meetings in special cars and they
brought Wallets to the prairies, causins
much wonderment among the dweliers
on the plain. Once real prince was
among those who watched the sleel
hounds chase the feet jackrabbIt
through the waving grass. He was on,
OF the cattle kings of Wyoming ant