The Courier. (Genoa, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1903-07-31
Churchill County.

lon will supply water to irrigate an
immense tract Of arid land, which in
a few years will be dotted with hun
dreds, If not thousands, of homes.
The dam will back up the water
twenty miles, forming lake very
nearly if not quite as large as Lake
Tahoe. All the food waters Of the
Carson and Trnckee rivers. together
with all that can be stored on both
streams, will be turned into the reser-
yoir. The dam will be about 300 feet
long, and about 10 feet high in the
center. The site for the dam is the
best we ever saw, the river passing
through narrow gorge between two
rocky cliffs. The bed of the river at
this point Is solid rock, forming the
best possible foundation for the dam.
Below the dam canals will be built
by the Government to convey the wa
ter to 200, 90 acres of land. When the
system is completed no water will be
permitted to flow down the river, and
the old river bed will probably be
filled in with earth and titled some
day. The farmers along the river, and
there are quite number of well Gull
tiyated farms there, will deed their
river rights to the Government as
soon as they are supplied with water
for their ranches from the new canals.
After the completion of the reser-
voir and canals no water will be al
lowed to go to waste. The water will
be held In Lake Tahoe and other lakes
and reservoirs, and In the main reser-
voir, and taken out only as needed for
irrigation. This will do away with
what il now known as Carson Sink,
and the swamp lands surrounding the
sink and many square miles of the
lake bed will be brought under cult
walton. This land il said to be the
best land In the country for wheat and
other crops, but il not thought to be
good alfalfa land. Some of the swamp
land at this end of the sink has been
reclaimed of late years, and is said to
be producing tremendous crops of
wheat. Not few of the old farmers
along the river have their eyes on the
swamp land, and propose to get a
chunk of it when the water is drawn
off.
Nearly all the land below the dam is
somewhat sandy, large portion of it
being covered with greasewood, al
though there are large tracts of sage
brush between the two branches of the
river and In the vicinity of saltwater.
Many OF the old formers say the
greasewood land is the best-it doesn't
wear OUTPUT the sagebrush land is
the easiest to clear and put in shape
for crop. Most of the old farms
there are situated along the river on
what was formerly sagebrush land.
Both the sagebrush and greasewood
lands produce good alfalfa, but, in our
opinion, neither equals the alfalfa
lands of Carson Valley. Still the land
must be pretty good, for they raise
about three tons per acre, with very
short water supply, cutting only one
crop and a half crop, az they call 1t.
The river Is dry now, and the major.
ity of the farmers will begin cutting
the half crop next week.
The town of Fallon, which Is stu
ated about the center of the tract to BIZ
reclaimed, is a thriving little place
and will be the county seat after the
first of next January. 1t contains {
dozen dwellings, two saloons, thret
stores, a town hall, one hotel, a lum
Der yard, telephone Office, Jail and
school house, and will soon have a new
eight-thousand-dollar court house
The town is headquarters for the Piuts
Indians of that section, and they have
a dozen little frame houses and n
many tents, in which they make theil
homes.
Fallon will probably remain the prin
cipal town for some years at least
The nearest railway station is Massey
ON the Southern Pacific, eighteen
miles west of Fallon. This point Ii
the source of lumber supplies and
other necessaries. The lumber |,
shipped In from the Truckee country
The only timber in Churchill county
III cottonwood trees, which are very
numerous along the river. This tim
Dor is used for fencing and many Other
purposes. On account of the high
price of lumber many sun-dried brick
and adobe houses are seen.
Many inquiries are being received
about taking up land under the reser.
voir, and a few entries have been
made.
1t Is supposed that the Western Pa
cific railroad, the new line from salt
Lake to San Francisco, will pass
through that section. A line has been