Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1905-04-13
TO RECLAIM LAND.
First Work Of Importance in ormsby
County.

First Work Of Importance in ormsby
County.
The Appeal has been advocating the
reclamation Of the sage brush land
in tits county for the past ten years,
and only recently has any attempt
been made in this direction. 1t is ~
far the II ost important piece Of work
that las teen taken up in this county
in many years and the outcome will I
be watched with considerable interest. |
Mr. Frank Wildes. deputy State
Treasurer, has secur ed some 500 acres
OF land about mile south of this city
The land is q mass of the heaviest
s2gebrr sh in this section. which
(which speaks well for the character
! Of the soil. Last summer the first at
tempt tC drive a we'll was undertaken.
but owing to the light tools that were
a hand the efforts failed. Surface
water was Ct 'Or ntered in few feet
from the surface. but no flow was
found
Lately Mr.. Wildes had dug we'll
sunk or the ground. The we'll has
been carried to depth Of forty feet,
where a flow Of water was encounter
ed that has prevented further sinking
A crew of men were placed on the
well with the intent of sinking deep
er but it was impossible to handle the
flow. An artesian well is to be sunk
in the dug well which will give addi-
tional water and sufficient to supply a
large pump. Another well Of the same
character is to be sunk. and in fact
enough in number to supply water fo2
the land.
Upon the completion of the wells it
is intended to place electric driven
pumps on the ground and thus furnish
water for a section that has been
travelled over by thousands of people.
The plan is thoroughly practical in
every feature. as it is done in other
arid districts and the lands reclaimed.
The land in this case was sold AS
State land and in fact lay idle until
Mr.. Wildes saw the opportunity 70
make a good thing out of it for HIM
self and for the community at large.
The same character of land ten miles
above in Carson Valley brings $3.50 per
acre and is hard to get at that price
In digging the wells it was found that
the soil is over forty feet deep. There
isis no alkali or mad pan, but rich soil
that will respond to the efforts of man
just as soon as water is applied, am
there is an abundance of water under
lying the ground.
About forty acres OF land is being
cleared of brush at the present tim =
and already Mr. Wildes has been made
an offer to rent the lands just as soOi
as the water is applied. He intend:
to sink the artesian wells just as soot
as the parties taking the contract witt
flow of artesion on his land makes i
of as great value as any Of the farm
ing lands in the valley above Will
the produce is as market that vii
take every pound that is producel
without going a mile from home.
What Mr.. Wildes has undertake,
can be done in dozen places in thi
valley. 1t is a known fact beyon
speculation that artesian water is i
this valley and at the same time littl
effort has ever been made to get i
Surface water is found all the wa
from five to forty feet and there neve
vas well sunk but what some kind
flow was encountered There is n
such thing as failure in this lin.
North. East. South and West of Ca
son the condition is the same and
every Ioint of the compass there
bunch Of sagebruhs growing tn;
Should be under cultivation. There
enough idle land in this small cOun
to support half hundred small farm
and ali that is needed is small outls
Of capital and to place it on the mark
anil in the hands of Industrious peopl
such as have made Carson Valley Il
finest piece of property on the Pacii
- Coast.
The gasoline engine, electric pow
and even steam can be made to do tt
work at profit. as the irrigation sc
son at it's longest is only ninety day
Mr.. Wildes' pioneer work will proba
ly be the opening of this all importa
factor in the future of a county TIL
has small resources and a limit
Territory