The Teton peak. [volume] (St. Anthony, Idaho) 1899-1904, 1903-10-29
WATER IN A
NATURAL BOWL
Novel and Effective Method of
Irrigation Used in Idaho.

ST. Anthony, Idaho, is rainless com
munity living and raising crops on the
surface Of an Invisible artificial lake
which is never allowed to rise above the
surface of the fields The valley is
about twenty five miles long and five to
seven miles in width. The lava rock
which underites the soil forms perfectly
water-tight bowl with an average
depth of about go feet Until ten years
ago the valley was desert and the bowl
was empty of water. Now canal has
been cut from the Snake River little
distance above St Anthony and there
crops which spread out for miles above
and below the town.
This invisible lake proposition is
new one, even to experienced irriga-
tionists. 1t is a pleasant discovery for
those who stumble upon it, for it means
irrigation without any OF the trouble or
hard work. Ordinarily it is necessary
to lead the water in large feed canal,
and then to take it in smaller canal to
/ the field to be watered, and then to run
it into lateral bitches and to stand and
open trenches and burrows, and thus
| distribute the water on the surface OF
the land. And this process must be
repeated whenever the land becomes
dry. But up in this kink of the Snake
River Valley all that the farmers have
to do is to open the big ditch and let the
water flow promiscuously out upon the
valley The surface of the water rises
in the bowl, and when the fields ate
sufficiently filed with moisture the gates
are shut in the ditch and the flow is
stopped. The soil is wonderfully fertile,
and the potatoes grown there rival those
of Greeley, Col.
ST. Anthony has 1000 inhabitants
Ten years ago it had one He discovered
and fathered the town, and now bears
the honorable title of 'Old Dad Moon.
Mr. Moon come here from Cedar Rapids
Iowa, in 1886. For several years hi
house was the only habitation within
range of ten miles. People said Da'
was crazy to come out into the deser
and to think people were going t.
follow him; but Dad said it was tn
other people who were stupid not I'd se
the great possibilities for irrigated
farms Dad took advantage of all hi
rights under the new laws and BEGAN
the owner of 100 acres Of the bes
land. Now that land is worth fro1
$400 an acre up. The father of th
town wears black broadcloth, chews tn
best finecut tobacco. and takes drin
whenever he feels like it. Dad is youn
and hearty at ~, and good for man
years more of honorable enjoyment.
1t is rather unusual for man to be
come Western pioneer at the age c
%, and the example of st. Anthony
founder may be inspiring to Some oil
men of 35, who, working on salaries i
; Eastern cities, think they are too oil
and too hampered to get out of the rut
With old Dad it was, apparently, a
inspiration He had been farming an
raising cattle in small way for year
in the East, bnt one morning he came i
from feeding the critters and his fee
were covered with mud and his clothe
Il saturated with cold fall rain; he shoe
> himself disgustedly and, turning to hi
faithful spouse, announced Tin goil
II to get out of this, and I'm go in to
. country where it never rains. And
: course of time it dawned on his frienC
e and relatives that Moon meant what h
said. Minneapolis (Minn,) Jour nal