The Florence tribune., 1900-09-01
What Recent Government Investigations Disclose in Regard to Irrigation
 Possibilities in Arizona.
Good Indians and industrious White Men Who Are Practically Destitute
 for Lack of Water.
An Exceptionally Favorable Opportunity to Inaugurate the Much-taiked- of System of Federal Irri-
 gation.
IFrom the Los Angeles Times. Inlr 1n.l

I.nC Angeles of the Photographic Office of the United States Geographical Survey, fur nishes The Times the following irrigation possibilities in Arizona:
 The Gila River Indian reservation Is situated about eighteen miles south of Phoe- nix, and extends along the Gila River for a distance of nearly fifty miles. Here are located the Pima and Maricopa Indians to the number of nearly five thousand. These Indians are known throughout the Terri tory as good Indians.' They have always been peaceful in their habits. and agricnl- tural or pastoral in their pursuits They are now cultivating the lands where the prehistoric races built the now-ruined Casa Grande and it's neighboring canals. Irripa ton mas been practiced in this valley from prehistoric times. Many ancient ditches can pc traced across the plain, showing evidences of engineering skill, and testifying to the tact that large, volumes of water were at one time carried.
 The Pimas and Maricopas have been until recently, self-sustaining nation. They raise their crops of grain and corn ~ith Nih skill equal to that of the whites. he settlers. seeing the results which the In- Hans have produced, through the operation of the desert land act, brought under culti- fation much land in the valley of the Sila. ldJacent to this reservation. and have built extensive canals between Florence and tbe 'ailI oad station of Casa Grande Under inc provision of the United States law, all land bought under the desert-land act must be made productive by the application of vater In order to comply with the provis- ons oi this law. the settler was compelled to make diversions from the Gila River at joints above the Indian reservation. Other ands were taken up under similar condi- ions on the upper portion of the Gila River -hese diversions by the whites quickly de- rived the Indians of their water supply nd for the past live years they have been eft on the desert without water for their r,ops and scarcely enough for their horses. hey are put in the position of either having steal, starve or be fed public wards ations to them and feed them as it does the oidlers. Numerous court decisions have cen rendered establishing heyond con- roversy the fact that the Indian has the rior and the better right to the water but he whites have maintained their wafer upply despite the dictates of the court he development of this newer civilization as become so extensive that to cut of its 'ater supply would mean the desolation of iany thousands of acres of fine farms and richards Evidently, the situation is diff nit one, and the Indian Bureau is hard ressed for proper answer,
 Tn 1s96 an allotment of $s50O was made 'Om the appropriation for the Indian Office Dr preliminary investigation of the avail 6le water supply for these Indians. Mir. ewelI was instructed to make this inyesti- ation by the Secretary of the Interior. and delegated Arthur P. Davis to take the alter up in the field. The surveys were orage possibility of the GiIa River was lily demonstrated. It was shown that this ream drained about fifteen thousand uare miles of the high plateau and noun in region of Eastern Arizona and that the yer is remarkable for it's exceedingly light ade. Consequently, the storage possibili- ss Of the stream are great. Recommenda- 0ns were made by Mir. Davis calling for rther and more accurate surveys. and in spring of 1898 Congress passed second propriation of S20,000 for the Completion this investigation, The photographic de- rtment of the Geological Survey was ain indelegated as the proper office to con ct these surveys.
 The Gila River derives its source from White Mountains in western New Mexico d eastern Arizona. W hich rise to Elevations from ten to twelve thousand feet. At the int where it issues from it's mountainous sin, there are over twelve thousand IHre miles draining through its canons basin has been extensively explored, d three large reservoir sites located and rveyed; The capacity of these reservoir es has been determined and filings have en made under the United States laws for sir segregation from the public domain. point known as the Buttes a dam 15O in height above the bed of fhe stream istore enoug h water to cover IT., 900 acres 9 feet deep, or, as it is technically ex- sssed, 174.000 acre feet. dam at this mt would be approximately 300 feet long the bed of the stream and 800 feet at its st. At Riverside. Ariz. it was found that am $50 feet long at its base, and approxi- teiy ao feet long on top will store much site being still incomplete, At San los. on the Apache Reservation, the river ses through narrow gorge 100 feet le. and dam at this point I5O feet high uid be bus 200 feet long at the crest. Such am would store 361 900 acres one foot deep. Extensive explorations have been made to ermine the depth of bed rock at each one hese dam sites. At the Buttes the bed is disapDointingly deep, the depths ging in the center of the channel from 75 4 feet beneath the surface of the stream. Riverside the maximum depth on the raN hr rNnrr AL.
 feet, while at San Carlos the depth to rock is believed to be substantially less n at either of the other dam sites.
 The records of the flow of the Gila River years. and the estimates of available ersupply are, therefore. based on actual isurements., not on surmise. The ordi- flow Of this stream is ample to fill the est of these reservoirs, and on the driest $ of which we have record it has been reat as 200, eco acre feet.
 twill be seen by the above figures that possibility of storing water on this am is very great. It is doubtful if it any equal in this line among all the ams of arid America. The San Carlos
 site, particularly. is one of unusual it. The size of the necessary dam, the lable water supply, the great storage II, and tie proximity of railroad facili- are perfect; while the other two sites have features of merit.
 he duty Of water in Southern Arizona eater than in California For the rais- )f the staple crop of alfalfa, depth of ity-four inches of water is ordinarily jed to the land, which is equivalent to
 for six months of one miners inch to
 three and one-half acres. On this ,. the San Carlos site will furnish enough TT to irrigate over 150,00O acres of land. is assumed that each two acres will sup one inhabitant this would permit of a ilation of 75,000 souls to be sustained | this reservoir.
 hese figures are more startling when act is realized that at the present time fthe canals below the San Carlos dam ire absolutely dry, and that the country
 the Apache Reservation to the mouth eSelt River is in condition of W ithered ght with it's inhabitants both white
 indian reduced almost to the condition
 feet want. It is estimated that 10.0O0
 of land should be irrigated on the
 indian Reservation In order to relieve
 .ondition of the Indians. This would
 over 100000 acres that could be irri-
 on the public domain. If 100000 acres
 sse public lands could be so irrigated
 ,eing subdiyided into forty-aere tracts,
 O actual settlers, at the rate of $10 to
 'er acre. the condition of the Indian
 d be wholly relieved, and it is probable
 overnmenf would be reimbursed for its
 outlay. In addition to this, a district
 ng ideal conditions for irrigation,
 te that will produce crops in continu-
 -Otation will be made to support iation of 7J.000. and will add to the
 C wealth of the Territory. a conser-
 estimate. over S6O00,oO0."