The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31

nels, fumes, etc, etc. The total cost
Of dam. tunnels, canals, ETC.. will APP
proximate 81, 900, coo.
Numerous enterprises have been I'M
dertaken by private capital, and among
the more important is the Oregon Ba-
sin project In Big Horn county, in the
northern part of the state This project
acres, at an estimated cost Of $4,000, but
1t is known that these figures are very
low, and that when the work is COM
pleted more than million and O. quar-
ter dollars Will have been spent The
project contemplates taking water from
the south fork Of the Shoshone river,
The canal will be twenty-six miles long
and will empty into Oregon basin, nat
one Of the largest ever constructed for ir-
rigation purposes, and will be sixty feet
wide on the bottom and eighty feet wide
on top. 1t will be ten feet deep and
will carry 1000 cubic feet OF water per
second. The Oregon basin reservoir will
store 100000 acre-feet of water, or about
q. 10000 cubic feet. The total length OF
canals under this enterprise will be 200
miles. A large force OF men and teams,
with a huge steam shovel are now at
work on the diversion canal and approx
imately $4,000 is being expended each
month. The promoters hope to place
| water on the lands during the coming
| summer.
Profit of Agriculture.
Agriculture, both irrigated and dry
| farming, flourished during the past year,
and during the coming season fully one
| third greater acreage will be cultivated;
| During the past year Wyoming produced
wheat, 1,240. 40 bushels; barley, 50, 46S bush
els; rye 81, 154 bushels; timothy, 81 3l6 tonsi
oats, 2.s6S, 3S7 bushels; alfalfa, 56S, 025 tons;
| native hay, 280946 tons. The total value
of these products was s1OOg1, III and this
| does not include the thousands OF tons
| OF potatoes, cabbage, onions, peas, Deans
corn, pumpkins, sQuashes, sugar beets,
turns In this state. 1t is safe to say
that the total valuation Of Wyoming s
agricultural products aggregated s16, 600. coo.
The livestock industry, despite the dis
appearance Of the big herds, continues 70
| grow rapidly, and stockmen are aInassing
large fortunes. The table at the head of
this article shows the number OK sheeps
cattle, horses and swine marketed during
the year, which, with a production OF over
sc, 0O0, 900 pounds Of wool, Melted the stock
men OF Wyoming over s20,oOOO GOO. Or
course this was not clear gain. but 1t Is
safe 70 say that more than one-naIf OF
this amount was net profit. During the
past few months hundreds OF thousands
Of breeding ewes have been imported 70
wyoming, and another year the increase
will more than double the expI porte 5on
ger OF the range becoming overcrowded,
| however, for the flockmasters can at any
time cut down their holdings, for the feed
ers will handle all that the range man
| does not wish TO hold.
The year 1905 will be a banner one in
the livestock industry OF Wyoming. and
especially IN sheep and wool. 1t Is eK-
pected that in 1903 Wyoming will become
the banner sheep and wool state. where
as she is now second to Montana. Wyo-
ming now leads Montana IN the number
Of sheep and lambs on the Heo range raj but
more wool In 1896. Another year the two
states win be about even in wool pro-
duction, with the chances faVorlng Wyo-
ming of taking the lead
New Railroads Coming.
Wyoming is now anticipating with much
pleasure the early coming of several lines
OF railroad, and with the railroads a
great deal Of additional development.
growth, increase in population and greab-
er prosperity. During the past six months
many rumors of prospective railroad
building HAYS filled the air. and as no
one except the directors Of the several
roads Interested know the plans, it is
Impossible to tell exactly what this or
that railroad Will do. Wyoming has been
filled. with surveying, corps for several
| run IN eli directions. Several outfits are
| still in the field. although surveying at
this season of the year Is very difficult
and expensive. But this only Illustrates
the great haste OF the roads 70 carry
out their plans and get everything IN
| readiness for work of construction early
in the spring. That Wyoming is 20 be
the scene of great activity in railroad
building during 1906 is certain, and at
the close of the year there will be many
hundreds of miles Of new railway 20 be
added to the mileage in this state.
There are now being built in the state
five lines of railway and one piece of
road was completed during the past year
the branch OF the Colorado Fuel q Iron
company. running from Sunrise, in Lara
mic county, a distance Of thirteen miles
to the Chlgao iron mines.
Work was started during the summer
on the Northwestern's extension from
Casper west, and the grade has been
completed to the new town Of BhOShoni,
near the Wind River reservation. Rails
have been laid over two-thirds of the
distance from Casper to Shoshoni, ant
the track will be laid and trains running
to Shoshoni in q few weeks. This road
will be built on to Lander in the spring
and from that point pushed on. across
the state to a connection with the Ore
gon Short Line in Idaho. and possibly Il
Salt Lake City and the Pacific coast.
branch will be built in the spring from
Shoshoni northward to Thermopolis.
The Northern Pacific has about com.
pleted q branch line from Red Lodge
Mont, southwest TO some valuable Goa
fields near Clark, Wyo
Line into Big Horn Basin.
The Chicago. Burlington & Quincy Il
now building line from Frannie, OF
its Taluca-Cody line, south to Tbermopo
lis The grade has been completed II
Worland. and the Mormon graders ar
rushing work from that point on south
1t is proposed to have trains running
into Thernlopolis by June 1 next. Thi
line will be about 200 miles in length AM
will open a rich country to settlement.
The Saratoga & Encampment compan.
has constructed twelve miles of grade oil
its line from Walcott to Saratoga an,
Grand Encampment, and contracts cal
] for a " A
This road is being built by Independent
canitaI hut IL Il asserted that II vii