, 1905-02-28
TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 2S. 1905.


S''' "S ''' I'm many pNo- l
pie are heard TO complain that times
are not as good as they should be. that |
an extremely duh period is upon the
state. Possibly there is some truth in |
period existing now it cannot remain
long. The e a future has so much in |
store for the benefit of the state at
large that a vast increase in wealth
and population is inevitable.
Three and perhaps four great irriga.
ton projects are to receive rapid de.
velopment. Probably the first to give
real benefit to the people is the Path
finder project. Within a very short
time, possibly this year, water will be
furnished settlers on the north side
of the Platte river. in Laramie county,
under what is known as the Lingle pro
ject. To divert water for these lands
it will not be necessary to wait till the
big government dam is completed, but
a diversion dan will be placed in he
liver at the site of the present crude
l lUCtule anu Inc water NlNelltu "
this particular tract of land. The land
in question was segregated under the
Carey act and has mostly been dispos
ed OF to settlers. who only await water
to begin the tilling of the soil. This
project covers more than thirty thou
sand acres of good farming land and
will give support to fifteen thousand
people. 1t is near the great Sunrise
iron mines and the towns of Hartville
and Guernsey. 1t has exceptional rail
road facilities,the Burlington road run
ming directly through it and the North
western and Colorado Southern being
near at hand. The greater portion of
the Pathfinder project, however, lies
to the south of the North Platte river.
1t will be necessary to wait till the
completion Of the government dams
at Arcova and Guernsey before this
land can be brought under water, and
this will take our or five years. The
work of building these dams will be
pushed with all possible vigor. some
of the contracts having been let al
ready. and when completed the set
tiers hereunder a rest assured that
they will have a sufficient supply OF
water to irrigate their lands for all
time to come. These lands. compris-
ing something like 225 900 acres in
northern Laramie county and small
tracts in Converse and Natrona o IN
ties, will support a population almost
as great as hat now possessed by the
entire state. Much of the lam is low
err than Greeley, Colo. and is splendid
farming land. New towns will spring
up and this portion of Wyoming will
take on life and energy unheard of in
all its previous history.
The Shoshone project. near Cody,
Wyo.. is one OF the most notable irri-
CATION enterprises thus far attempted
by the government. It''"" reclaim
land to the north of the north forkNof
the Shoshone river. in Big Horn coun-
ty. The water is to be aiken from
the stream mentioned. The govern
HELL liz "itl VIVA o'c"' p''V
acres and will extend from he head
cate almost to the Montana line. The
secretary of the interior has already
fixed the farm unit for this tract at
so acres and many locations ave been
made, although 1t is not at all likely
the work of building the dam and ca
mails will be completed during the next
four year time. Pending the time re-
ouired to perform the labor. settlers
will be compelled to make a livelihood
in some other way than farming the
lands.
Just to the south of the Shoshone
government project and on the south
side Of the south fork of that magnifi
cent mountain stream. lies the Oregon
basin lands, the Carey land project
promoted by Senator Charles A. Guern-
sey of Laramie county. This company
will reclaim upwards of two hundred
thousand acres of land and have one
OF the finest irrigation projects in the
entire country. 1t Is believed that the
land here can be reclaimed at a very
small COS The company is exerting
every effort to push the work to COM
pletion and will doubtless be furnish
ing water to settlers long before the
government project to the north is
completed. Many settlers have al
ready made application for lands un-
der this vast enterprise.
The third great enterprise to be I'M
dertaken by the government In this
state will doubtless be the ShQshone
~E nfQiect,, which offers az
penis TO the govern,
A reservoir could be
b on Wind river and
ross to the north
vast two hundred
lie lanes that
Wan one dol