The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-01-15
Rev. Harry Thompson Writes Of the
Beauties OfGa Winter in the Gar.
den Spot of the West.
GREAT RESERVOIR TO BE BUILT.
Thousands of Acres in Arizona Will be
Irrigated at Government Expence-
Sugar Beets In Arizona.
Phoenix, Ariz., Jan. /, 1908.


Dear Editor
The beginning of the new year is
the time for looking around to see if
any obligations of the old year have
to be carried over into the new year
and I find one to give that has re-
uained for some time unfuflled.
First of all let me say that we all
greatly appreciate your continued
favors to us in sending us news from
cur old home and we rejoice in the
large measure Of prosperity and
growth that has come to your city and
people. Were it not for the cold
might wish we were back to share it
with you but, as a lady from Wis
consin, who is in very straitened cir
sun1stances and poor health, said to
me yesterday: eff I stay here I have
only one evil to fight, but there
should have both cold and poverty,
and the cold is more cruel than the
two"
While you have been enjoying such
prosperity all over the East, this valley
has suffered1much. from the universal
cold and drouth. The two together
have greatly depressed both business
and people. Now however, the cycle
of drouth seems to be ended and the
little cold has been greatly moderated
thus far this winter. We have had
such rains in the last month as have
not occurred ssince 1886 and there is
good promise of more to come. This
has filled the people with new hope
and will make the desert blossom as
the rose all through the coming
spring.
Your readers who have interests
here will be glad to know this and
also some other zzmatters that seem
imminent in the near future. The
first of which is The storage Of our
food waters in a reservoir built by the
government suuder the .Hansbrough-
Newlands law.
These flood waters will furnish with
the reversal flow of the river, album.
dance of water for 100000 acres of
land, and make it, as the Hon. Geo. Fl.
Maxwell, the President of the National
Irrigation Society, tells us, ''the most
productive land in the country" This
is to cost about two and quarter mill
lions of dollars, to be paid back to the
government in annual installments in
ten years by the land owners, pay
ments beginning when the reservoir is
finished and SSthe water in actual use.
To arrange for this has been gigantic
task, work of nearly two years; but
all the preliminaries are about finished
and we hope soon to see the COM
mencemeut of the work.
Another good thing is the establish
ment of beet sugar factory. The
growth of sugar beet here is phenon1-
email, both in strength and purity
Tests made last year were more than
satisfactory and we hope this year will
see this reality.
Again we have a new railroad
building to the southeast, which will
doubtless connect and become a part
of the Rock Island system, which will
place us on trunk line from Chicago
to San Francisco. With these good
things before us we begin the new
year full of hope for the future pros
perity of this valley and it's people.
We spent our Christmas very pleas
antly at home after the morning SER
vice at church, house doors and room
doors all open, thermometer 75in the
shade. Pepper, orange and mistletoe
were our materials for decoration. A
great deal of the foliage was still on
the trees outside, so it was an ideal
June Christmas. I enclose you leaf
of the former and wish you happy
New Year. Yours very truly,
II. THOMPSON.