The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-15
WYOMING IS MOVING.
Mountain State Making Rapid Prog
ress in Development Of Land
by Irrigation.
Three Million Acres Still Remain to
Be Reclaimed Roosevelt Very
Popular With People.
From a staff Correspondent.

moving rapidly in Irrigation matters. At
this time 1t has 456,000 acres with album
dant water supply. and applications are
| on file with the state board for the ap-
prevail Of projects which will irrigate from
$4,000 to $4,000 acres more. Three hum
dred and fifty miles of canals have been
built, or are under way, and when all
projects at present uncompleted are com
pleted, the land reclaimed will require
about 10000 cubic feet Of water per sec
ond. Irrigated land brings from SO to
$50 per acre: in Colorado similar land
brings from $3.50 to $500 per acre. When
all has been done that Is possible In
Wyoming, 100000 acres of land. now
| arid, will be reclaimed. Wyoming i'm
ports most Of her vegetable and farm
products, and irrigation for perhaps ten
years to come will not go far beyond sup
plying the home demand.
The mountains of the state form the
| water shed for three great basins. In
Mount Union streams rise which so into
the Colorado, the Columbia and the Mis-
souri,. 1t has the best water supply OF
any Of the arid states, and a larger num-
Der of small areas that can be irrigated.
Under the constitution, water in the lakes
| and streams Is the property of the state,
and Its use is permitted under carefully
drawn statutes. which protect the rights
| of the individual and encourage enter
prise.
What Wheatiand Has Done.
Perhaps the best example Of what irri
cation has done In Wyoming is to be
| found at Wheatland, town Of 1880,
| about seventy-five miles north Of Chey-
| enne This town was founded In 1894,
in the heart Of plain 50 arid that it did
not support a single living plant Ad-
vantage was taken of a water supply from
a neighboring hill, and under the Carey
act, passed by congress in 1884, q settle
ment was formed. Wheatland is now one
OF the most prosperous places in the
| state. In agricultural resources 1t is as
rich as the country around Greeley, Col,
and the $4,000 acres under cultivation sup
| ply considerable portion of the demands
| Of that portion Of the state. The reser-'
voir at Wheatland covers 5000 acres and
Is thirty feet deep. It cost $1,000, 900.
C.. T. Johnston, state engineer, esti-.
mates that after all has been done that
can be done In the way of irrigation,
| Wyoming will have 100000 more popula-
ton than she could have without irriga-
ton. In the past year permits for 1900
! bitches were applied for. and 1000 bitches
I were completed. The work Is going for
ward rapidly, and the people are salts
I fed. For good many years the cattle
men opposed national irrigation, because
it would break the land up into small
farms. increase the population and de-
has been a radical change of public opin-
ion, and to-day sentiment In the state is
strongly In favor Of the federal PROPOSE
ton, and irrigation, by whatever means,
Is encouraged literally The state thinks
1T has better system Of irrigation laws
than Colorado or Utah, that the machin-
cry for executing these laws Is simpler
and more likely to attract the settler, and
that it's irrigated lands are cheaper, and
they are glad of it.
II Keep the Desert Land Act. r.s
Mr.. Johnson doesn't favor the repeal
by congress Of the desert land act. He
admits that 1t has been greatly abused,
but claims that the abuse was made pos
sible by poor administration in the gen
eral land office at Washington. The
desert land act, he says, is the only stat
ute under which poor man in the far
west may acquire ashome. But he would
have the general land office exercise its
discretion and require before final proof
q certificate shall be furnished by the
state engineer showing that the law has
been complied with and that the land is
being taken for home purposes by the
settler. At present the general land
office itself undertakes to discover
whether the filings are bona f1de, an i'm
! possible task and the result Is that spec
ulators and others have been robbing the
government for years.
one or the Dig government reservoir
. projects Is near the center OF this state,
in Natroni county, on the Sweet Water
. or the North Platte river. Such a reser-
| voir as the government has in mind
would irrigate 100000 to 10000 acres OF
desert land In Goshen Hole, and perhaps
100, 900 acres farther down, on the Nortl
Platte.
Wyoming Likes Roosevelt.
No story Of Wyoming would be COM
plete without reference to the wonderful
popularity of the president among al
classes. Mr.. Roosevelt was popular be.
fore he made his western trip last spring
but that popularity has been greatly In
creased The ranchmen believe in him
they talk about him at every opportunity
and seem to believe that he will poll the
heaviest vote ever polled by presiden.
tial candidate In the mountain states
The presidents "broncho busting" pro
clivities have brought him close to tn,
people on the great plains and in tn
mountains, and made them his eterna
friends and supporters. This feeling i
not confined to the republicans. Demo
Gratis and former populists have caugh
1t, and unless the democratic nationa
convention exercises great care a heav
percentage Of democratic votes in thi
part Of the country will be cast for tn
republican electors. The presidents If
rigation policy has also served to en-
| dear him to the people of the mountains