Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-07-31
Plan BIG DlTCHES
Would Turn the Boyer Rlver
into Dry Land
Nollparie.

county ditch commissioners are
carried out, two immense bitches
will be dug across the northwest
corner of this county through
/ Rockford and Crescent townships
to the Missouri river. These
bitches are designed to drain off
the swamp lands and carry the
waters of Willow and Allen creeks
and the Boyer river by shorter
course to the Missouri, thus pre-
venting the annual inundation
of miles Of valuable farm lands.
One of the surveys that is now
most in favor proposes to change
the course of the Boyer river in
| the center of Rockford township
and carry its water fnom there by
a continuation of the ditch south :
west to the Missouri. This would
reclaim the Boyer river bed
through the south center Of Rock
| ford and the northwest corner Of
| Crescent to its entrance into the
Missouri and would result in
twenty miles of the Boyer being
made dry land and added to adj
jacent farms.
MISSOURI VALLEY COMMITTEE
j s Wattles and Il w Meyers,
representing the Commercial club
of Missouri Valley, and A j
/ Gilmore, of the Harrison county
board of supervisors, were In the
city yesterday in consultation with
County Auditor II V Innes con-
corning the projection OF the ditch
through the northwest corner of
this county. Harrison county has
been ready for the last two years
to construct the upper end of the
| big ditch as soon as this county
bis prepared to join IN As it ia,
the ditch cannot ba dug until
| Pottawattamie county is willing to
act, for the outlet to the Missouri
river must be through the north
vest corner of this county. A
coupla of years ago County Sur
veyor Ernest II Cook, of this
county, was appointed the Potta-
wnttamie commissioner TO ascer-
tain the ACCESSIBILITY of the ditch
I and the beat means OF it's constrnc-
ton. He has taken extensive and
complete field notes for the ditch.
4 but as yet has not reported or
made any recommendations to the
Pottnwattamie board. The Har-
.ison county committee was yester-
day eDdeavoring to secure a re
port from MIR Cook, but as he
. was absent from the city during
the day, no material progress was
. made.
Plans Two DITclIEs.
Harrison county proposes to
|dlg two bitches. both Of which
would have to pass through this
county. The total cost of these
bitches in Harrison county WILDE
iabout $50, 900, which the adjacent
property owners and those who
are benefited by the drainage will
have to pay. No actual work of
construction has yet been com
menced on the bitches, but the
Harrison county people are pre-
pared to begin work at once. All
the necessary land for the bitches
has been condemned, and appra;s-
ed and the necessary londs filed
for the appraisment damages
The plans for the bitches were
prepared i'm lS99by Commissioner
S Wattles, of Missouri Vail ey,
the consulting engineer
The Willow creek ditch in Har-
rison county will be about
eight miles long and the Allen
creek hitch about fourteen and
one half miles long there. Each
ditch will be made eighteen feet
in width at the bottom and from
. eight to nine feet deep, and are
calculated by the engineers to be
, OF sufficient size to carry off all the
waters of Willow and Allen creeks
!; and Boyer river, even during the
i spring floods. IL such plans prove
j correct, this drainage will mean
an increase in the valuation of the
farm lands of the Boyer and Will
low valleys in both counties of, at
least sl,OO0,OO0
WILLOW CREEK DITCH.
The Willow creek ditch, which