Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1905-08-17
What Williams County People
Saw in Relation 70 Irrigation
in Montana.

. S-~~k4$S
Saw in Relation 70 Irrigation
i9 Montana.
During the early summer when the
several meetings were being held thru
out the different irriga ton projects for
the purpose Of stimulating interest in
the subject OF irrigation, Hon. s. NJ.
Costello, 1ndustrical Agent for the
Great Northern Railroad, offered to take
. representative delegation Of farmers
and business men from Williston, Holt
lund and Buford to Bozeman and Bill
ings to inspect the irrigating districts
lying adjacent to these cities. This
promise of Mr.. Costello's was realized in
the recent trip to Bozeman and Billings.
The delegation left Williston on No.
"WEDNESDAY afternoon and arrived at
Billings Friday morning. There were
sixteen men in the delegation.
Billings is busting city of some
1900 inha bitants. It is on the Yellow
stone river and is called the Gateway
to Montana. To the west OF Billings
there is large valley where irrigation
works have been established and sue
cessful]y. operated for over twenty years,
To the east is the new irrigation plant
which gave us the first real glimpse Of
practical irrigation and the power of
water and sunshine combined to re-
claim arid land.
At Billings we were met by Mr.. Co.'S
tello who had come from Minneapolis
by way of the Northern Pacific and
were taken in charge by him. It seems
that Bozeman and Billings vie with
each other in their hospitality. This
was the case with our trip, In the fore
noon tho Billings Commercial Club
furnished rigs and drivers to take all
members out to view the recently con-
structed irrigation work Of tho Billings
land and irrigation company, Tho Com
pany is headed by W. T. Clark who
is the Engineer in charge and promoter
of the scheme. The water is taken from
the Yellowstone river some twenty
miles away from tho land irrigated.
This water is conducted to the land in
large canal dug along the banks Of a
high wall of rock, At one place the ca
nal is tunneled thru the solid rock a
distance of 1847 feet. As it emerges
from the opposite side of this rocky
cliff, it is flumed across a. deep ravine
some sixty feet high and nine hundred
feet long. From here the water is con-
Quoted along the edge of another rocky
ravine to the land to be irrigated.
Here, seeing was believing. The water
was turned on, and the main ditch was
full while many laterals were being
used for the purpose ofactual irrigation
In March Of this year this plateau(for
the irrigation scheme Of Billings is on a
tableland very similar to our highest
land) was almost wholly destitute of
breaking, fencing or dwelling. Since
that time at least fifteen houses have
been erected, and every farm large or
small has been fenced either with good
barb wire fence or woven wire one.
Almost every foot Of the land for a dis
lance of eight miles hsa been sold and
broken up and is now into crop.
The soil of this bench land is very
light sandy loan, which without the
water produces very scant growth of
grass and an abundance of cacti. It is
poorer than the very poorest land that
can be found in Williams county and
yet the crop this year which are the re-
suits Of the first years use of water are
simply marvellous. The readers of this
article will scarcely believe the reports
from the members of this party and yet
not single individual can possible exa-
gerate the wonderful development six
months have brought about. Corn
stood from six to eight feet high. Oats
from four to five, and wheat about the
the same, potatoes, cabbages, pump
kins and all manner of Vegetables will
be paying crop this season and this
you will remember is on the first years
breaking, the same as that on which We
frequently SOW flax. 1t is true that the
soil is lighter there and the breaking is
more easily done but the difference in
the quality of the soil is such con-
trast with that Of Williams County,
that it does not seem possible that crops