The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1905-12-08
DRAINAGE PROJECTS.
Heavy Snow in Red River Valley Re
Wives Drainage Projects.


wives Drainage Projects.
The recent snow storm, rivaling, If
it did not exceed the famous one of
Thanksgiving time, 1896, will serve as
nothing else could have done to fix at
tention on the drainage movement
now in progress in the Northwest, and
especially in the Red river valley. The
conditions thus far are quite similar,
with perhaps little difference in ia
vor of deeper snow now, for it is still
showing. In 1896 little before
Thanksgiving there had been several
light falls of snow, and the snow all
lay upon the ground, almost where 1t
fell, to the depth of nearly foot. A
strong northwest wind arose and lifted
this mass of snow into the air, and the
result was one of the worst billiards
in the history of the country, and the
deepest drifts that white men can re-
call. Several heavy SHOWS followed
piled to an incredible height.
The Red river winds it's way for 300
miles through a country almost abso-
lutely fiat, in what is practically a
deep, narrow ditch. In ordinary years
there is little trouble from high water.
The water may rise to some twenty
feet above low water mark without
nri0, Is
one. but when it goes beyond that
point there is trouble Not only are
fields near the river flooded, but the
water backs up in the numerous small
streams and coulees which empty into
the main stream, and lands far distant
from the river itself are flooded just
at the time when the farmers should
be at work on them.
In 1896 this condition existed, and it
was aggravated by the condition of the
river itself. The heavy winds of the
fall and winter had filled the river bed
full from bank to bank with hard pack
ed snow. In many places there was
scarcely a depression to mark the
course of the stream: the snow lay
across it in level plain. This was
the condition when the spring nf 1897
arrived. The snow melted Oh the level
prairies in the basin of Lake Traverse
while the snow in the river bed was
still intact. The gentle dip of the land
toward the north sent the water SLOW
ly in that direction, and their course
was INSTRUCTED by the great snow wall.
Tho fertile farming country near the
head of the river became lake many
miles in extent. Slowly the snow
melted to the northward, and as it did
so the quantity OF water accumulated,
so that the flood was an increasing and
| progressive one from the headwaters
of the river to its mouth at Lake Win
| nipeg. Halfway down the stream its
greatest tributary was discharging at
one point the accumulated waters of a
territory half the size OF the state of
! New Jersey, and this did not help mat
tiers any. Smaller streams were con-
tributing their share here and there.
The damage that resulted cannot be
estimated, but it certainly ran into
millions-more than the cost of all the
improvements in the way of drainage
that have ever been suggested.
AT the drainage convention which
was held at Grand Forks subsequently
number of improvements were sug-
gested, and among them there were
two which could be perfected at small
cost, and which would give consider.
able relief One of these was the con-
struction of canal from Lake Trav-
erse to Big Stone lake, by means OF
which when desired a considerable
portion of the water could be diverted
from the Red river to the Minnesota.
As the Minnesota has been open long
before there is any danger of high wa
ter in the Red river valley, this would
take care of great deal of water
without mountaineering any one. The
other project, equally simple, is the
damming of Red lake at its exit into
the Red Lake river, so that by the rails
ing of the level of this lake a trille an
immense quantity of water could be
stored there in the spring, to be re-
leased from time to time during the
summer, when it would do no harm.
The drainage convention which is to
be held in Grand Forks on Jan. 10 and
II will take up these and other pro-
ieds looking to relief from danger
which is present every year, and which
cannot be averted. except by the united
action of the people of the entire val
ley. Naturally nothing that can be
done will have any effect on the con-
d1tions next spring. Action has been
postponed from time to time, partly
from the spirit that animated the Ar
kansas man who explained that he had
MOI repaired his roof because when it
rained he could not work on it, and
when it did not rain the think didn't
leak. But the winter season of this
year starts out in manner which
leads one to suspect that nature in
tends to give the people of the Red
river valley one more object lesson In
what can be done in the way OF pro-
dnSinp a flood.