The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-12
COLORADO ONCE
AN ANCIENT LAKE
State Was Covered by a Vast
Sheet of Water
TRACES OF MAN ARE FOUND
Biologists Say This Condition Exist
ed only 10000 or 10000 Years
Aeo-Work of Irrigation
in Colorado.
TRACES OF MAN ARE FOUND
BY GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL.

BY GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL.
las. Nevada always been an arid and
desert region? Its geological records, Us
indelibly carved in sandstone and granite,
showing the shore lines of ancient lakes,
proclaim that it has not. but that at one
time vast body of water, great in
area as Lake Erie, covered "A portion of
the state. Today however, the aridity
of the country is unquestioned and the
350.Oo0 acres to part of which Uncle Sam
Is about to apply water, will practically
rieutaral population.
Nevada's ancient inland sea is known
as Lake La Hontan; it was one of several
great pre- historic lakes distributed over
the Great Basin of the arid regions,
among them Lake Bonneville, of which
the Great Sale lake was the deepest por-
ton Its area was nine times greater
than the Great Salt. or almost as large
as Lake Michigan, and much deeper
The contracted remains Of Lake Hontan
III Nevada are found III Pyramid Lake
and u number OF other small enclosed
lakes. which were the deepest portions
of the ancient lake. Since these large
prehistoric lakes were landlocked anu
md not overflow, it follow mat the ram
iall which fed Them was much heavier
Than ii Is today.
Drowning Out Mormons.
Should condiuons revert, many of the
important points situated in the Great
Basin would be hopelessly Hooded, such,
for Instance, the Mormon temple,
which would stand in $50 feet of water
while 700 miles Of railroad would be sub
merged.
These pre- historic lakes are said TO be
of very recent orgin-that is, recent by
the biologists eount-perhaps 10000 or 40
0eO years old Fossils have been found
showing the presence of primitive man
along their ancient shores and embank-
ments, which in many instances are as
perfect in contour and as distinct as If
the waters had recedcd only a few years
since. rhese lakes included such arid
and fear-insplring localities of today as
the Black Rock desert, Skull valley
Death valley, and score Of other places
where the beached bones of man and ami
NAL attest to an awful lack of water.
Government irrigation Work.
This first irrigation work of the national
government, which is to be celebrated by
the turning of the water into the gigantic
bitches this month, is the largest project
which has been definitely outlined and
approved under the irrigation act-known
as the Truekee-Carson project. When
/ completed it will involve the expenditure
of approximately nine million dollars and
/ will reclaim $4,000 acres of desert land
/ That portion Of the system now completed
1 consists of a canal thirty-one miles long
! to take water from the Truckee river
/ and convey 1t to the Carson river, where
/ large storage reservoir is projected
Just below this reservoir site the waters
/ of the two streams will be led out upon
1 the plains by two canals with IA combined
/ capacity of 1890 cubic feet per second.
i Some $1,000 acres are to be irrigated this
spring, for which 200 miles of small dis
| tributing bitches have been dug.
Money Set Aside.
The Secretary of the Interior has set
aside $2,7l0,0OO of the reclamation fund"
! for the initial work. and by the time this
has been expended about 100000 acres will
be under canals, and the settlers will be
/ returning in annual payments the origi-
! nal Investment. The money thus received
/ will be used as revolving fund for the
completion of this project The land has
| been divided into farm units of eighty
! acres and the cost of reclamation will
be $26 per acre. Work is being commenced
this spring ON regulating gates at the
outlet of Lake Tahoe. located in Califor-
| mia. but whose waters will be used to re-
claim the fertile Nevada soil Future
| plans involve the draining OF Carson
| sink. $4,000 acres I'm extent. which over
| flows i'm years Of heavy rainfall. and the
reclama ton of lands I'm the upper Truckee
| and Carson valleys As these large areas
are gradually brought under irrigation
| a greater water supply will be required
| and nine additional reservoirs will he CON
! structed. with combined storage capac-
| ity of over million and quarter acres
| feet IAN acre foot equals one acre, one
foot deep.
Yields Abundant
The soil under this project is very fer
tile, and dcciduous fruits, such as apples.
pears, peaches, grapes, all the berries and
| vegetables produce luxmiantly. Wheat,
oats, potatoes and alfalfa are the staple
crops. The lands are tributary to the
/ Southern Pacific the Nevada. California
and Oregon, and the Virginia ana Trnckee
! railroads, and the recent enormous actiV-
| ity In gold and silver mining in Nevada
insu1es nearby and profitable market
At the same time the supply of food pro-
duets will greatly reduce the cost of liv-
ing and further stimulate mining devel-
| opment.
The fact THAI a very large portion of
| the lands included in this project belong
to the government and have been with
drawn from speculative entry under the
desert ana other land laws. is a matter
! for congratalaton. Neyada's past his
tory has been one of land monopoly; In
fact, 1t has been said that the state was
long since stolen by land robbers. In
| area Nevada is three times the size of
Indiana, hut her population is scarcely
sufficient for single small county The
popular vote of last year was but little
over 1900 The bulk of the inhabtuble
lands are in the hands of few great
land owners while the opportunity for