Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-02-09
ARID WEST TO BLOOM.

Snake River. in Idaho Is to be har-
messed at n cost of s1,S20.OO0 about
six miles from the tracks of the Ore
gon Short Line Railroad. near a
Town sailed Minidoka. On Nov. Is
work was begun upon an enormous
dam 1000 feet long and fifty feet
high, which will back up water SO
mat II can be brought out into the
valley above and given sufficient fall
to reclaim about 10000 acres of pub
lie lands. That tract Is now a dos
ert without living thing except sage
brush and cactus, but ms soon as
water can reacn 1t II will produce
anything in the way of plants. trees,
fruits and egetables-anytbing that
will grow in New York State or Ohio
The entire area benefited is public
land and is open to homestead settle
ment in tracts of forty. eighty, 120
and 160 acres. without cash payment,
but it must be paid for at the rate of
$3.50 an acre for ten years. There
are plans in the geological survey for
the extension of this Improvement
until the Snake River has been made
to redeem several hundred thousand
acres of desert
There is a big project down In the
Pecos Valley of New Mexico. which
is fairly well settled by farmers and
ranchmen, who nave not been success.
ful In their private irrigation schemes.
because the soil Is underaid by sol
uble gypsum. which absorbs the water
and allows II to escape through I'M
derground passages. The owners Of
these enterprises nave fought the
plans OF the irrigation bureau fierce
ly until few weeks ago. when a
flood washed away their dam and
their bitches. Now they are begging
the government to hurry up and do
something lest they lose their peach
and apple orchards, which now cannot
be reached by water until the irri-
CATION system Is restored. II they
do not get water on that land be
fore midsumer. hundreds OF thou
sands of dollars worth OF fruit trees
will perish. DR.. Newell and his men
are working system that will reach
about 10000 acres to start with. al q
cost of s2s0.000 near the town OF
Roswell, on the Santa Fe Railroad
II will be the first step OF compre-
hensive system to include the entire
Valley of the Pecos. which resem-
has a deep. rich soil capable Of pro
ducing unlimited crops of melons.
sugar beet, berries, fruits OF all kinds
root crops. and alfalfa. and the eli
mate is one of the best in the United
States. II Is a natural health resort,
particularly for consumptives. Nature
unaided, will cure tuberculosis while
YOU walt. About half the land Is
vacant. and belongs TO the govern
ment. II is open to homestead entry,
but settlers will have TO pay $2S an
acre. IN Ten dnNudl lnStdllfnenls. 1OT
the irrigation system.
For several years negotiations and
surveys have been going on for an
international dam In the Rio Grande
River near the City Of FL Paso, which
IL needed to store the water to irri-
gate about $4,000 acres on both sides
looks as II the benevolent scheme
would have to be abandoned. as the
engineers cannot fnd foundation
for the dam, They have been Dor
ing everywhere that dam could
possibly be placed. and have gone
down eighty-six feet into the sant
Without striking bottom They say
that, even could a dam be built. th'
storage lake would be 50 wide ant
80 shallow that more water woult
be sucked up by the thirsty atmos
r pberei than could be utilized for irri
cation. They have recommended a,