The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-22
RIGHTS OF PEOPLE
AS AGAINST SHEEP
Population of 5000 in Sanpete
District Want Protection.
PETITION TO GOVERNMENT
SAY RECENT ORDER WILL DE-
sTRoY THEIR FARMS.


ERhraim. Feb. 21.-The people living
adjacent 10 the watershed of Twelve
Mile creek are up in arms against the
| grazing Of sheep upon that part of the
Mand forest reserve. The Gunnison
and Mayfield Irrigation companies have
united upon taking d hand in the ques-
ton Of asking the government for pro
lection. a committee was appointed TO
draft d petition and the petition is
now in circulation and is receiving "A
large number Of signatures The Pc
/ ution, which is meeting general ap-
prevail by the people Of the two places
mentioned, including sheepmeu, is as
follows;
To the Honorable Secretary Of the In
terror Washington. d. C.:
Sir-NEe, your petitioners, respectful
y represent that the towns Of Gunni-
son and Mayfield, with a population of
about 5000 souls, are in Sanpete coun-
~, Utah, and are mainly sustained by
agriculture, and in a great measure
solely dependent on the waters Of
Twelve Mile creek, in said county, for
water for irrigation and domestic pur-
poses.
The watershed Of said Tweiye-AIiie
creek is situated in grazing district No.
6, Of what is known as the Manti forest
reserve, and embraces about $4,000
acres of land.
That, for grazing purposes. under the
first modification Of the number Of
sheep allowed to run on said forest re-
serve for the year 1904, the number OF
sheep so allowed TO be grazed on said
forest reserve was increased from 100
000 TO 10000.
That in apportioning the number of
sheep TO be grazed on the several dis
tTiCts of said reserve, under said allOt-
ment of 10000 for the year 1904. the
honorable supervisor Of said reserve, 4.
w. Jensen. allotted to said district No.
s, 2lS50 head of sheep.
That since making said allotment the
department, as we are CTedibly in
formed, has modified said first modi-
fication, and for the year 1904 has in
creased the whole number Of sheep TO
be allowed TO run on the said forest
reserve from 10000 head TO $4,000
head
That we are informed bv said super
visor that this will necessitate a pro
rata increase of the number of sheep
to be run on said district No. c. and
instead of there being allowed 21,S50
head Of sheep to be grazed thereon, for
the year 1904. the number will be in
creased TO about 1880 head.
Wherefore, we, your petitioners, the
GunnisOn Irrigation company, a cor
pOratiOn, and the Mayfeld Irrigation
company d corporation, who handle
the water of said Twelve Mile creek.
for the use and benefit Of their stock
holders, the other signers of this pc
titiOn, humbly represent that if this
proposed allotment OF sheep TO be
grazed on district No. be increased
as proposed. then one of the primary
objects of establishing said forest re-
serve, the conservatio of the water
supply of the people, VIII be utterly
disregarded and eliminated, Tor the fol-
lowing reasons:
District 10. s IN said forest reserve.
as a grazing ground alone, Is not ca
pable Of maintaining more than $4,000
head Of sheep.
That with 2G.00o head of sheep graz
ing upon said district No. 9, said part
of the forest reserve containing the
watershed of The towns of Gunnison
and MayfeId would absolutely receive
nc protection as a watershed from the
establishing Of said forest reserve by
the parent government.
That i the allotment of sheep to be
gra zed on said district be increased to
present sIlOtment, then said district
will not only be destroyed as a water
shed for the people, but in a short
space of time il viii be virtually
tTamEed out and annihilateda as q graz
ing ground for sheep or anything else
That without any reserve being es- (
tablished lu the past we, your petit
TONERS, confidently affirm that in no /
past year has said district No. 6 been
buTdeued with $4,000 head of sheep.
For reasons given alone, and many
more that might consistently be given, |
we ask that immediate steps be taken l
to prevent this threatened wrong and /
TO see that the forest reserve az estab- |
lished may not b. a greater burden /
apOn the people whom it was sought to |
relieve than conditions were before Its /
creation. and the interests of 1900 of |
the inhabitants of The towns of Gunni- /
son and Mayfield ruined for the sub :
serving Of the interests Of about twelve /
fOckmaSteTs.