The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-15

the past three years under the direc-
ton of the present board. The bitches
of the Red River valley commission
are numbered on the map from to 10
inclusive and those of the present
board from 20 to 80 inclusive.
The appropriation of 1901 did not
become available until Aug. 1, the be-
ginning of the state fiscal year, but as
soon as it did become available the
board took up it's work in earnest. Ere
quent meetings were held and from the
outset the members took an active in
terest in their duties even to the ex-'
tent of personally inspecting bitches
in course of construction.
Secretary Hanson particularly has
been interested in this work and is
well acquainted with every ditch in the
entire state system. Gov. Van SAINT
made several tours of inspection but
about year ago he fell through the
crust of a swamp in process of re-
clamation, and since then has been
contented to judge of the progress of
the work from the reports of the en-
gineer.
The first year, 1901, the board start
ed work on the Good Hope ditch, in
the northwestern part of Norman
county, the New Solum ditch in the
eastern part of Marshall county, Lost
River ditch in Polk county, and Badger
Creek ditch in Roseau county. Last
year work was taken up at Gun Lake,
Aitkin county; Yeager Lake. Wadena
county; Silver Leaf, Becker county;
Grand Marias, Polk county, and
Emardville, Red Lake county. This
years work includes Two Rivers ditch.
Roseau county; Wing River. Otter
Tail county; Toad River, Otter Tail
county; Wild Rice River, Norman
county, and extensions of New Solum
and Good Hope bitches. Ditching
work was begun in Steamboat river,
Hubbard county, but the contemplated
raising of the waters of Leech lake by
the federal government caused it's
abandonment.
Good Hope Ditch Cost $1,000.
Good Hope ditch, with the extension
built this year. cost the state about
$1,000, and is one of the most expen-
sive pieces of work in the entire new
system. The original ditch was two
and one-half miles in length and cost
$1,000, and this year one and one-half
miles have been added at an expense
Of $1,700.
1t is located in the northwestern part
of Norman county and was constructed
as an outlet ditch for the drainage of
large territory in the vicinity Of
Lockhart. This work has not directly
reclaimed any state swamp lands but
it furnished an outlet for coolies and
bitches that do reclaim 1000 acres of
state lands.
Since this main outlet was construct.
ed, not less that sixty miles of small
bitches have been made by the county
and the township and private owners
to lead into it. 1t is estimated that
10000 acres of private property have
been reclaimed by this work including
the entire township of Good Hope.
The board was for long time in
doubt as to the propriety Of expending
the state money for this ditch as it.
did not directly drain any state lands,
but investigation showed that it was
necessary as an outlet for the lateral
bitches that would drain state lands
and 1T was then ordered
The work on this ditch, while not
necessarily Of a difficult character,
was seriously retarded by the wet sea-
sons of 1900 and 1901 and is only lust
completed. The land which it re-
claims is of the very best to be found in
the Red River valley. Beside the ditch
a graded road has also been built with
the earth removed in excavation. i
Will Drain $4,000 Acres.
New Solum ditch as originally con-
structed was five miles in length and
cost $500 With the work of this
year it extends eight miles and it's total
cost was $500. 1t also is an outlet
ditch and will drain country extend
ing fifteen miles to the eastward. With
some lateral bitches, about 5000 acres
of state swamp land will be drained
through its construction, as well as TO-
600 acres of private lands
This channel was unusually hard to
construct because of many unfayor-
able natural conditions, such as quick
sands, sticky mud and rock Under
the contract it was to have been fin
ished in 1900, but it has only just been
completed. 1t is intended to extend
this ditch three miles further next sea-
son to permit of road bitches and lat
eral bitches to be built by the town
ship.
Lost River ditch is in Western Bel
trami county, and runs for it's entire
length through what was a floating
bog. The work has all been executed
with hay knives and pitchforks. 1t Is
twenty-six feet wide and straight as
an arrow, with fall of three and a
half feet to the mile and connects the
upper and lower portions of Lost river,
which took it's name from the fact that
it disappeared in this bog.
Before the ditch was built a man
could hardly walk across the land and
now it is used for grazing purposes.
1t was here that Gov Van SAINT met
with the accident above referred to.
This ditch furnishes an outlet for the
water of more than two townships of
what was formerly swamp and pre-.
vents the inundation of from 1000 to
| 5000 acres of state land.
The ditch is within the Red lake res
ervation and is considered one of
the best pieces of work ever done for
the money in any part of the state
Since the work was completed the sur
rounding land has nearly all been TAX
en- up by settlers.
The Most Expensive Ditch.
| Badger creek ditch, in Roseau coun-
| ty, is the most expensive waterway
| built by the present board, and cost
| $4,000. 1t is eight and half miles
| long and has an average width of
| twenty feet. The work has been done
chiefly with steam dredge, but the
soil is so sticky that it was necessary
| to dig it off the dredge dipper with
| hand shovels and axes. 1t has been
| in course of construction for three
years and the work is just now being
| finished
| 1t has in every way been the most
| difficult undertaking of the entire sys-
tenn and as it is sixty miles from a
| railroad the trouble and cost of get
| ting fuel for, the dredge work has been
! considerable. This channel connects
/ Badger and Skunk creeks with the
! river