Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1902-06-27
WATER IN COLORADO
DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATION.
Optimistic Predictions Of the State En-
sineer-At Least Ten Million Acres
Can Be Placed Under Cultivation
Possibilities Beyond the Dreams Of
the Most sarguine.

Following is a part Of the paper on
1.-The Status OF Irrigation in Colorado"
which was read before the recent state
convention OF real estate men in Den
yer by Addison J. Mecun.. state en-
gineer OF Colorado:
Years ago il MAS said by seographers
and explorers that the great Rocky
mountain region. or the so-eailei arid
region. WAS for the most part bar
ren desert that would never support
more than II sparse population. To
person not familiar with this nrgion
such would yet seem To b- the ease.
judging from what he can catch from
Il ear window. AMI especially Is he i'm
pressed with the m.aserness OF Its as
rlcniturai possibilities
but how wide OF the mark did they
come In guessing the outcome TO this
country! One can but he enihusei nj
the acumen Of such prophets as Gov
ernor Gilpin. Governor Evans. General
Palmer. W. J.. Pabor and few others
who iirst saw its enormous posslbIli-
ties.
Colorado. for Instance. has every i'm
nsinabl. resource. save. perhaps, fine
timber. to make great and wealthy
country. Concerning her agricultural
development far beyond III. dr.ams
OF our most sansuinc citizens. There
are In Colorado f,I.lDo0JJ acres. About
100000 nrc now under ditch. I he
licyc. with III. use OF storage rrscr-
yolrs and the utilization OF the return
waters, In many places over and over
again. at least i0.oIo.O1o or i3.0Oo.u-o
acres Will b. put under cultivation. \
greater part OF the balance will pro-
duee pasturasc: 10 that, with the in
tcasivc farming which Will Ia prnc-
ticeh the assurance OF nm enormous
yield per acrc. and the amount OF high
class products grown. our state VIII,
when thoroughly developed. produce
almost as much value OF agricultural
products In the Hggrcgnt. AS nm equal
area In some OF the humid territory.
This may seem to some very cStrav-
ngnnt statement. I do not expect such
development To he made In on. gcn-r
alton. 80 cannot say TO you. walt and
see" II may take two or more gen
eratlons. but II viii surely come.
Where. you ask. IL there 80 much
land available. and where the water
supplyf The supply for direct irriEn-
tion In NIL the streams ON the east side
Is already exhausted. you say. About
onc.third OF the entire area OF the state
lies east OF n meridian drawn through
Pueblo. and while some OF the land
within this area Is the most highly de-
vclopcd OF any In the state. yet taken
rs whole IL has the most scnnty
supply OF water. and much OF II must
/ remain Mt least n partially arid region.
However. with the Use OF the return
waters and storage reservoirs, large
areas Will be reclaimed that n few
years ago would not have been consld-
cred Ms even coming within the lrrl.
gated belt. Besides our many broad
and fertile valleys. much OF the noun
tain country. that. to n casual observer
would be considered lit only FOR graz
ing, Is capable OF cultivation.
The beet sugar industry, II allowed
to develop. and hope the people OF
the United States win have sense
| enough to permit II to develop. will be-
| the greatest factor In the growth OF
| this territory.
| After the mountains are reached. and
especially after the range Is crossed. to
| where the greatest supply OF water *
found. you will say there Is not much
but hills and hollows and rocks.
only ask you not to judge the country
f, too harshly. One OF the prophets OF
whom l have spoken was on a train
passing down Grand valley few years
ago with friend of mine; he pointed
to the elevated platcaus. or benches.
up among the aspcns. and spoke of the
| fine farms that would one day be seen
| up there. My friend thought such an
idea rather visionary. but such de-
velopmcnt has already begun, and
| there are many farms now being
| opened up In such places. Any one
passing down the western slope on the
| Denver and Rio Grandc railroad can
see one of these upright farms on the
hillside opposite the town of Minturn.
| Two years ago the owner took 81. ID
worth of timothy hay from that hill
side patch. l did not learn how much
| Of that was profit. but 1t is safe to say
more than half of 1t. Many farmer
of the Eastern and Middle states would
think he would soon be trust mag
nate IL he could clear $1,000 year;
yet thousands of home-scekers passing
through that territory every year
would not dream of stopping in such
| a place to look for farm.
AS have said. from the best infor-
nation attainable, we estimate about
100000 acres under ditch. About
100000 of this is under cultivation.
and much of that Is but partially de-
veloped. The various new irrigation
schemes that have been projected, and
tnnt can DE recommended us 1nPrltO-
rious would probably add another mil
lion acres; so that there can be counted
as available for settlement in the i'm
mediate future 2,OOO.0OO acres of land,
or room for 10000 families, on the new
lands alone. allowing forty acres as the
average farm unit. There is room for
many thousands more on the other
| lands that should be divided up and
| put under more intense cultivation.
Now, it is quite evident that what
| we need is more people in this country,
and 1 would like to urge that the
greatest of all needs is more farmers.
You may answer that | need spend no
time in discussing that point, as every
commercial organization and every
newspaper in the West has been for
years advertising our farming posi-
bilities. l know that is true. and yet.
lest you may overlook some things and
may lag in your zeal, l want to ven
ture few remarks on the Importance
of the subject.
These thoughts are suggested by
what see in the papers here so often.
that Denver must have more facto-
ries and men with large means, more
capital etc. That is all very good,
and we must get all we can. but l tell
YOU we must have people to buy our