The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-03-31
GREAT IRRIGATING
SCHEME is STARTED
Belle Fourche Canal Will Be a
Magnificent Utility for
Farmers.
THROUGH RICH LANDS
Over 10000 Acres Of Grazing Land, Fa.
nous for Its Growth of Grass,
Will Be Turned Into Guilt
waited Corn Ground.

cry doubt as to the construction or the
gigantic irrigating scheme in this vi
clnty is now at an end. The Belle
Fourche Valley Water Users associa-
ton. composed of the owners Of the
land embraced In this scheme. has met
and voted to enter into the final con
tract with the government for the work.
Within a few days Il surveying party
from Denver will arrive here to look
after the preliminary work incident to
the letting of the first contract for
construction on April 10. The survey
Ing party viii be in charge of II. e.
Green, of Denver.
Is of Great Magnitude.
Not many people comprehend the
magnitude OF this Belle Fourche irri-
eating scheme, not even here in the
Black Hills. The project will cost
over $2.000,000, and an appropriation has
been made. 1t will reclaim about 10000
acres of choice farming land, $4,000
of which is government land subject
to location This land is not arid,
but has been famous ever since the first
settlers for its excellent grazing. The
land to be watercd lies on each side
OF the Belle rourche river A dam
will be built a mile and q half below
this city for the purpose of divcrting
the water from the Belle Fourche and
Rcdwater rivers to the mammoth res
ervoir on Dry creek, six and one-hal
away. The inlet canal will be forty
feet wide at the bottom and sixty feet
wide at high waterlne, carrying water
ten feet deep with capacity of 1875
cubic feet per second.
The Mammoth Dam.
The mammoth dam will be built 4
half mile from the mouth of Dry creek,
which will cover about 5000 acres Of
land when full with n maximum depth
Of ninety feet and Il capacity of $780,,
900 acre feet of water or enough water
to cover seVenty-lire acres of land two
feet deep. From the reservoir two
main distributing canals will be built.
one to the north, on Indian creek fiat
land, thence to Willow Creek divide.
crossing Owl, Indian and Horse creeks.
This canal will be sixty miles long.
The other canal will be run on the west
side of Owl creek and Will irrigate the
land along the river and the body of
land west of the mouth of Owl creek,
| and will water the land on the south
side of the Belle Fourche river in the
vicinity of Butte, Vale and Empire.
Canal Thirty Miles Long.
This canal viii be thirty miles long
1t is probable also that d reservoir will
| be built at the Wilson lake basin which
| Will cover l,ouV uCEtS WIN Il lluNllllul
depth Of thirty feet, and D water capa
city of $4,000 acre feet This reservoir
! will water land along the lower Belle
Fourche river and it will also be sup
/ piled with the flood water from Indian
| Owl and Horse creeks. The structures
are to be of permanent character and
{, all laterals are to be complete, and the
water to be delivered to each farm
Each person owning land will be priv
| LEGGED to receive water for 100 acres
and no more. The government land
will probably be settled in so or 12C
acre tracts.
Soil Unusually Rich.
The soil in this district is especially
well adapted to the growing of small
| fruits. A number of the largest land
owners have had considerable CORE
srondence with capitalists of Michigan
in respect to the building of beet sugar
| factories. Tests made three years age
ut the agricultural college at Brook
ings for the purpose OF determining
the percentage of sugar in beets grow
In Butte county gave % per cent,
which is the highest percentage of al
the counties In the state. 1t is esti-
I mated that there are something like
! 100000 acres of grazing land ada
cent to this irrigated tract.
It Is Great for Alfalfa.
One of the staple products that vii
be grown will be alfalfa for winter
feed for the range stock. 1t Is esti.
| mated that the annual income from
the irrigated crops will be $1,S00.000
and the government land now valued
| at SIS to $40 an acre will be increased
to. SIS and 500, making an increased
va,uation of the irrigated ground o.
many millions OF dollars. go
/ The proposed new line to the coas
by the Chicago, Milwaukee and st
Paul Railway company will tap thi:
irrigated district from the east to tn,
west side. The district thus irrigated
will cover over 200 square miles