The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-03-17
GREAT RESERVOIR FOR MONTANA
Dam Will Be Forty-Five Feet High and Two Miles
Long-Wil Take Two Years to Fill
the Reservoir.

Washington, March 13,-Secretary
Hitchcock of the interior department
has granted authority for the acquisi-
ton of necessary property, rights of
way, ETC., prior to the construction Of
irrigation works in five localities.
These projects are:
Montana-Milk river canal.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. canal.
Colorado-Gunnison canal.
Neyada-Truckee canal system.
Arizona-Salt river reservoir.
These projects are estimated to
cost 1000, 900 and will provide for
the irrigation of about 600 900 acres
OF arid land.
In addition thereto, the Gray Bull
reservoir project is to be taken up
Immediately.
The constructions remain subject to
the feasibility Of obtaining the neces-
sary rights and the adjustment of pri-
vate claims in such a manner as to
comply with the act approved June
IL, 1902.
Great Falls, March 13.-The Great
Falls land office received orders to-
day to withdraw from all entry lands
which the governments proposes to
use as a reservoir for what will prob
ably be the first work by the govern
ment under the new irrigation law.
Government engineers have located
a site for a dam which will be As
feet high and about two miles long.
The reservoir will a district
about 20 miles long and eight miles
wide, an area so great that it will
take the entire flow of Milk river ana
Beaver creek two years to fill it. The
construction of the dam and reservoir
will make necessary the abandonment
OF q miles of track on the Great
Northern between Malta and Saco,
which now runs through the proposed
reservoir and will be under ten feet
of water when the reservoir is COM
pleted.
The railroad will have to make a
wide detour to the north to avoid the
reservoir. The withdrawal and reser-
walton are made in connection with
the Milk river irrigation plans OF the
government and means an early start
of work upon the project.
Eniaraes on Plans.
Such, in brief, is the news gathered
today from authoritative sources AMI
it's importance is readily apparent.
The news has an added local interest
here from the fact that it indicates
that the government has approved the
: private irrigation plans of Thomas 3.
Brady of this city. Mr.. Brady now
has title to a reservoir site surrounds
ing and including Bowdoin lake, which
covers in all nearly 5000 acres. The
government proposes to take this site,
extend it's limits, and instead OF
Brady's short dam, four feet high, to
put in a dam As feet high and two
miles long. Mr.. Brady's rights, under
his reservoir claim, will be respected
by the government to the extent thai
he will be given free water to the
extent of his present holdings out o.
the government reservoir.
The first news of the action OF thf
interior department in this matter wa'
received at the Great Falls land Office
today in the mail from the nationa
capital. Governor Richards, now com
missioner of the general lane office
under date of March 8, advised tn
local officials of an order made by tn
secretary of the interior March
The commissioners letter says:
Withdrawing the Land.
by letter of March 2, 1903, the sec
rotary of the interior directed the pull
lie lands in the following enumerate
townships in Montana be temperate
withdrawn from any public entr
whatsoever under the first form c
withdrawal mentioned in Section
of the act of June II, 1902. (This
what is generally known as the i
rigation billy
11The withdrawal is recommends
by the director of the United State
geological survey in connection wit
the Milk river irrigation project"
APPENDED to the letter was a list {
the lands involved. This list cover
portions of all of 81 section of Ian
lying along the line of the Gres
Northern main limo etwee Malt