Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1904-09-02
REpUBlICAN|SM FATHER OF HOnESTEAOS
Grand Old Partys Record Home Builder
Extent Of the Arid Regions
and Their Enormous
possibilities


- been the party Of homestesds 4
- people In has enacted and enforce
- laws permitting each adult male 81
~ Of the United States TO establls
e. own homo aud rooftrec, at mercl
e,usns. cost.
When good homesteads began to gro
S~srce. and corporations. by doub
1>slins. had largely nsurped the bird
stgA< OF the individual, the party Z
ers>dom aud justice began to look Int
- question or irrigation. IL propose
- Sank the subtle novemcnts Of Ian
4nseopolistH and 10 practically create
-psw heaven and new earth" for III
>said~< Of homes. upon which rests tn
esrne< stone Of the republic.
Upcle Sam owned the whole arid re
SOC. and he swned the water supply
49,. lie decided 10 hiring the water 4
- land. aud by this union 70 make pos
s6ble messureless bounty for the pres
@t. and future generations Ho profit
n experience. SO he decided 70 Il,
a tbs new land business In such was
DAT monepoliSfx could never again stul
xtfy good citizenship by robbing Il Of
~ own.
orixia Of Nstioaai Act.
In keeping with the wishes Of Re-
vuhiicsn President a Republican Con-
.srss~ rnxxcd law. June IL. 1902. au-
xAcrizing the Government 10 enter upon
skss work Of reclHiming arid America.
gAis law restricts the amount Of such
lad TO be owned by any one individual
- 100 acres. aud requires q continuous
snldence Of tive years on the saule. to
-.
fsnd 70 the Government. In number Of
s&ax. annual insfallments. the actual
- Of bringing water TO the land Such
~stries cannei be committed.
urd~r the ACT approved June IL, 1902,
which = properly the beginning Of the
ers~~as Government Reclamation Serv-
~ an ~~ndiess chain" Of funds was
ersvsded by appropriatinr the reeeipts
frnm The sale aud disposal Of the public
nnds ia the thirteen States aud three
Territories Of the arid region These
States are: California, Colorado. Idaho,
Kansas. Montana Nebraska, Nevada.
Sartb Dakota. Oregon South Dakota.
Drah. Washington aud Wyoming. Ter
rfforles: Arizona. New Mexico and
Oklahoma This fund nj present bowers
sensewhsfs near the SIS. 0ooOo0 mark
The arid regions Of the GATED States.
~ gencrnlls drsigusted include about
Two f.ffhs II lfr entire area. extending
from about the middle Of the continent
westsfly nearls 90 The Pacjic Coast aud
sssch1ug from Mexico 10 Canada. There
arr no sharply marked lines or divisions
tssw~en the arid and the humid areas.
but there Il. especially near the certer
- the United Ntases. a broRd inter-
sn~dint~ beit neither distinctly arid nor
distinctly humid, which Il called the
suD-hamid o. ae1ni-erid region. This belt
extends over North Dakota. South Da-
Acts. western Nebraska. and western
Kansas into Oklahoma aud the Pan
A4ndis Of Texas
What IL Being Done
Since the passage 81 the Recsme ton
Act the Government has had large
corps Il engineers aud assistants es-
Anslnirr The arid region aud studying
~ streams aud water snrply carefully
fnportans ipvestisai IONS have been made
az tie following places. and ~ some
u them mammoth irrigation projects
arr nav anles Nny MIX River project
n Aoniaae includins The Investigation
y The p1vi-ossd dam sites at 81 Mary
L<kss la Nyomlnz examinations have
ben made q the possibilities Of storing
waters 10 the BiEhofn Mountains for
uss along their eastern slopes. aud vi
sh< proposed dam site for the Sweet
water reservoir on The river Of that
came. q tributary If the North Platte.
Il Colorado IN the vicinity ar Sirrs
.4s. work has been done IN connection
9Th the plan TO utilize the Pawne~
Pass reservoir site for irrlgeting lands
- the North bank Of South Platte liis-
q. Surveys have also been made for
<sv~rting the waters Of the Guunison
River through tunnel into the un-
so<npahxrs valley for irrigation. The
Grand River project. involving the use
Il the waters Of the Grand River on
eAs plains west Of Grand Junction ia
Colorado and Utah. bias also been the
Subject Of Surveys and exarina tlons. Ia
E~vsds the Truckee-s'arson basin has
s>>n sxauiiocd with view to utilizing
che Water II these riyers and exam
tainx the storage possibilities Of Lake
Tsho> and other lakes 10 the Sierra Ne
vxdx lnyesuratioss have also been
sssds In tie valley OF the Walker Ris
-. Nsvsds. In Arizona and Colorado
az examination Of the Colorado River
frem the Needles 20 Yuma has been In
S1estsd for the study Of plans for the
sscisrration Of the low lands along both
GlAes Of the river. TIE pracficability
u storing tas hood waters Of The Salt
Rive has also been Investigated. There
ers many otter Instances
h<asarele~s Possibilities
The records show that ~ least ono
sbird Of the area Of ms United States.
exclusive Of Alaska and our outlying
possessions, consists Of vacant public
lan4, Ono Of the great economic q,ies-
aens GOV before the people Of this coun-
az, 10 de utilization Of this vast area,
so ef which has rich soil and un-
~ Gss1 mana cement would be capable
Il sstaining large population, The
disabilities are stupendous. Govern
Osn< engineers estimate that the total
osssfh4s water supply Of the ard re-
~ y sancisnt, # properly conserved,
- ks1gsts 10000, 900 acres, which, re-
49, show, could be made available.
- sswstsssd empire. brouskt from