The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-05-10
DESERT PINES FOR WATER.
DR.. ShaIer tells of Great Possibilities
of Rocky Mountain Region.

VI nOCNy WOuUldIIl nCSlOHs
1T makes my heart ache to see
such valley as you have here a des-
ert, while less than ten miles away
there is water enough to maze a gar
den of it" said DR.. N. S. Shaler, dean
of the st. Lawrence scientific school
at Harvard university, in addressing
large audience in the assembly
room of the Helena high school Mon
day evening. He spoke on the agri-
cultural and mineral properties, the
educational features ana the race of
people to come, in this great Rocky
mountain region from Mexico to the
Canadian line.
DR.. Shaler was introduced by his
old friend, former Governor Preston
H. Leslie, who, in his brief introduc-
tory address, stated that no man
could come to Helena whom it would
give more pleasure to introduce than
Dr. Shaler
DR.. Shaler prefaced his remarks by
telling of his earlier friendship for
Governor Leslie, stating that he had
been appointed state geologist by
him when Mr.. Leslie was governor
of Kentucky. He told of all the great
experiments of the Rocky mountain
region and said that he considered
the greatest to be the introduction
of our people in this country to
set of conditions totally unknown in
their development in the old world.
He spoke generally of the conditions
of the human life all over the United
states and dwelt specially upon that
Oh the Rocky mountains, to which he
had given particular attention.
Water is the clue to the future of
the race in this region" said Dr.
Shaler, ''for all domesticated plants
or al kinds depend upon their snare
of water. By reservoiring the water
during the rainy season, about one
third of the arid section can be
brought to the uses of man. When
this has been done, you have one
third of the acreage of this vast coun-
try fit for tllling, which is great
thing when you consider that it will
then produce two and one-half or
three times the product of the land
watered by nature. BY the proper
use of water, the results can be quite
as good as if the country had the fer
tility of the Mississippi valley.
'The mineral resources of the
country from the eastern foothills of
the Rockies to the Pacific coas., with
the exception of the coal belt, are
fo ho, Of /
area in the world"
DR.. Shaler then told of the various
metals to be found in that vast ex-
panse and said:
THE mineral resources of the
Rockies are more on exhibition than
any others in the world. The def
cheney of coal store can be compen>
stated for by the fact that you have
a rich store of water power, the pres
sure of the snow and water down the
slopes of the mountains. Singularly,
you have water stored in the noun
tains for fertility and also for power.
This power will prove more valuable
to you than the store of coal in the
Allegheny mountains"
DR. Shaler said that another feat
ure on which to base the develop
ment of the country was the great
forests. He told of experiments which
had been made by removing Aryan
folk from a low to high altitude,
which has shown that the race has
retained it's vigor, valor, manly quail
ties although they had not shown di-
versified culture. He said that here
we have experiments and noted con-
ditions under which they were made.