Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-09-18

been taken up in tracts of l60 acres
under the homestead law, or pur'
| chased in tracts of 800 acres at Sl.2t
an acre from the government, since
/ the desert was opened to settlement
| in 1901. In 1904 there were 5000
acres under cultivation in grains
sugar beets, beans and alfalfa, and
this year about 10000 acres have
been planted and half of them have
already been harvested. The irriga'
ton company sold the water rights
for $3.50 more per acre. according
to the amount used, but later II ad-
vanced the price.
The first water was delivered to the
settlers in 1901. but little was done in
the way of farming until 1903, when
the Southern Pacific railroad was built
down to the town of Imperial and the
farmers were thus able to ship their
crops to market. Although in ap-
pearance II is hopeless desert, the
apparently lifeless sand is extremely
fertile and needs only the application
of water to yield fifty bushels of
wheat or seventy bushels of barley,
and from seven to nine crops of al
ialfa. averaging twelve to fifteen tons
10 the acre.
The water comes from the Colorado
river and has been carried to the lands
in what is known as the Great Imper-
ial canal. which taps the river thir
teen miles below Yuma, Ariz. crosses
The Mexican border. runs through
Mexican territory for nearly fifty
miles and then returns into the United
states near the town of Imperial. The
main canal is sixty miles long, seven.
~ feet wide at the top and from six
10 eight feet deep. The water is dis.
tributed by means of 500 miles of |
smaller bitches from eight to twenty |
feet wide and from three to six feet
ieep. The town of Imperial is head. |
for everything. and since the |
southern Pacific railroad built a |
branch in there from Los Angeles II |
has assumed metropolitan airs-with /
m ice plant electric light plant, n |
newspaper of which | wrote you the \
other day, and other essentials of mod
arn civilization. Although the ther
generally hovers around 112l
legrees. the people are as active and
Energetic as in the more temperate
regions. They speculate in town lots
with as much zest as in any of the
)tner towns in this section.
The three greatest rivers in the
West-the Missouri. Columbia and
'olorado-rise near the same spot, at
he base of Mount Union. in the
iouthern portion of Yellowstone Ma.
ional park. Wyoming. The Columbia
lows northward and westward into
he Pacific ocean, the Missouri flows
lorthward and eastward to join the
and thence into the Gulf
If Mexico, the Colorado flows south.
yard for 1000 miles, receiving the
waters of five great rivers--the Green.
Grand, Gunnison, Virgin and Gila-I
md about half Of them finally reach
he Gulf of California The other half
s sucked up by the thirsty atmos-
,here or the still thirstier sands. The
lelta of the Colorado, created by ages
# overflow. mas probably the richest
oil on the continent-fully as rich as
he delta of the Nile, which was ere
tied in a similar manner and is com
,osed of similar material. 1t com
rises about 100000 acres of land
art in the United States and part in
.Iexico-and until five or six years
,go it appeared to the ordinary OBJ,
erver to be the most hopeless of ali
he waste places of the earth. Irriga-
;ation engineers. however, have look
ID at that great stretch of soil. filled
With the richest nourishment that
liant life requires: and then at that
magnificent volume of water carried
" the Colorado, and were tantalized
~ the thought that it was beyond
iuman power to unite the water and