, 1905-04-06
CONGRESSMAN FROM WYOMING
TELLS WHAT Is BEING DONE
IN IRRIGATION.
Shoshone Enterprise Along Shoshone
River Developing Into one of the
Largest n Most Attractive Irri-
cation Projects Yet Undertaken
by the Government.

uolHS III wyoming anu III
the way of projects under The national
irrigation law. Mr.. Mondell said:
The great Shoshone enterprise
along the Shoshone river in the vicin.
ity Of Cody and Garland in the Big
Horn county is developing into one OF
the largest and nos attractive irri.
CATION projects undertaken by the gov.
eminent reclamation service. The pos.
sibilities of the enterprise have devel,
oped as the work has progressed.
Starting in with the idea of irrigating
about rs, 900 acres, the government en-
gineers now estimate hat ultimately
200 900 acres will be irrigated under
this project. | had a talk with Chief
Engineer Newell and Division Engi-
neer Savage of the reclamation ser.
vice just before leaving Washington in
regard to Wyoming enterprises. They
informed me that satisfactory founda.
lions had Deer found for the great
.Iimpounding dam on the Shoshone near
Cody, and that within a very short
time bids would be asked for the build
ing of this dam and also for the build,
ing Of a diverting dam in the vicinity
of Corbett and canals for the irriga.
ton of lands north and south of the
river. The building of this latter dam
will make possible smaller tunnels and
canal from the ~impounding dam thar
would otherwise be required, and make
it possible to reach some of the lands
under he project with water sooner
than would be possible if all the land
were watered by canals directly from
the great storage reservoir. Already
a large amount of preliminary work
has been done on this enterprise in the
way of road building. drilling for foun.
dations, etc.
The great Pathfinder enterprise
for the irrigation of lands along the
North Platte river is well under way.
The diversional tunnel at the Path,
finder dam Is under construction, and
bids will be opened on the 9Th OF May
for the construction of forty miles OF
diversion canallower down the stream;
and the reclamation service expects to
call for bids in the near future for the
construction of the great Pathfinder
dam. Two million dollars have al,
ready been definitely set aside for the
Cody enterprise and 81, O0O,0 900 for the
Pathfinder. 1t is estimated that the
Cody enterprise will cost ultimately Ill
the neighborhood of $4,O00,0O0 and
probably as great a sum will be ex.
pended on the Pathfinder enterprise.
Il had a very earnest talk with Chief
Engineer Newell of the service the
day before l left Washington relative
10 their enterprises in Wyoming, par
ticularly urging upon him the con
struction of a reservoir at the head
of the Grey Bull river for the purpose
of reinforcing the flow of the stream
and the carrying out Of the Lake De
Smet project in johnson and Sheridan
counties. l also called his attention tC
other opportunities in the state for
ditch construction by the reclamation
service, notably on the lands to be op
ened to settlement on the Wind River
reservation next year and on Green
river and elsewhere.
81 1-rAf fhot NJ. NnyyNI1 ItI uot
give me much encouragement of early
co%nstruction of these projects, all OF
which have been Investigated by the
service. There can be little doubt OF
the feasibility of the enterprises men
toned, but Mr.. Newell called attention
to the fact that one eighth of the
entire reclamation fund had already
been apportioned to Wyoming for the
Pathfinder and Cody projects; that
there were several states, among them
some of the largest contributors to the
irrigation fund, where no enterprise
has as yet been started; that these
states were all clamoring for the con
struction Of works; and hat the rec
lamation service was bending all its
efforts at this time to get one or two
large works started in each one of the
states which are beneficiaries of the
irrigation law where such projects
could be found, and that until this was
done he felt that the service could moi
properly take up new enterprises. par
ticularly enterprises the cost Of which
was not SO great but what they could
be undertaken and carried out by pri
vate enterprise.
AT this time the reclamation ser
vice has carried on or is about to In
augurate enterprises in New Mexico
Arizona, Nevada, California, South De
kota, Idaho. Montana and Colorado, In
addition to Wyoming. They are still
investigating the situations and hope
before long to be able to start enter
prises in the other states which are
contributors to the beneaciaries under
the reclamation act, particularly North
Dakota, Oregon, washington and Titan,
the first three Of the last named states
being by far the largest contributors
to the irrigation fund"