The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-05-11
A Re-Conquest Of Nevada.

desert region? Its geological records.
as indelibly carved in sandstone and
granite, showing the shore lines OF
ancient lakes, proclaim that it has not
but that at one time a vast body of
water, as great in area as Lake Erie,
covered portion of the State. Today,
however. the aridity of the s0untry is
unouestoned and the 1000 acres, to
part of which Uncle Sam is about to
apply water, will practically double its
we'll irrigated area and its agricultural
population.
Nevadas ancient inland sea is known
as Lake La Hontan; it was one of sew
eral great prehistoric lakes distributed
over the Great Basin of the arid region,
among them Lake Bonneville, OF which
the Great Salt Lake was the deepest
portion. Its area was nine times great
er than the Great Salt, or almost as
large as Lake Michigan and much deep
err
The contracted remains of Lake La
Uontan in Nevada are found in Pyra-
md Lake and number of other small
enclosed lakes which were the deepest
portions of the ancient lake. Since
these large prehistoric lakes were land
locked and did not overflow, it follows
that the rainfall which fed them was
much heavier than it is today.
DROWNING OUT THE MORMoNs.
Should conditions revert, many OF
tie important points situated in the
Great Basin would be hopelessly flood
ed; such for instance as the Mormon
Temple. which would stand in $50 feet
at water. while 700 miles of railroad
would be submerged. These pre-hls-
f0rjc lakes are said to be of very recent
origin-that is recent by the biologists
count-perhaps 800 or 10000 years
old Fossils have been found showing
the presence of primitive man along
their ancient shores and embankments,
which in many instances are as perfect
in contour and as. distinct as it the
waters had receded only few years
since. These lakes included such arid
and fear-inspiring localities of today as
the Black Rock Desert, Skull Valley,
Death Valley, and a score of other
places where the bleached bones of man
and animal attest to an awful lack of
water.
GOvERNMENT IRRIGATION WORK.
The first irrigation work of the ma
tional government, which is to be cele-
brated by the turning of the water into
the gigantic bitches this month, is the
largest project which has been definite
~ outlined and approved under the if
rigation act known as the Truckee Car
son project. When completed it will
involve the expenditure of approx
mately nine million dollars and will re-
claim $50. 900 acres of desert land. That
portion of the system now completed
consists of canal 81 miles long to take
water from the Truckee River and con-
vey it to the Carson River, where a
large storage reservoir is projected.
Just below this reservoir site, the wa
tiers of the two streams will be led out
upon the plains by two canals, with
combined capacity of 1900 cubic feet
per second. Some $4,000 acres are to
be irrigated this spring, for which 200
miles of small distributing bitches have
been dug.
The Secretary of the Interior has set
aside S2,740,000 of the Exclamation
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 original investment. The
money thus received will be used as
revolving fund for the completion of
this project. The land has been divid-
ed into farm units of 50 acres, and the
cost of reclamation will be 500 per acre.
Work is being commenced this spring
Oh regulating gates at the outlet of
Lake Tahoe, located in California, but
whose waters will be used to reclaim
the fertile Nevada soil Future plans |
involve the draining of Carson Sink,
%, 900 acres in extent, which overtlowS
in years of heavy rainfall, and the
reclamation of lands in the upper
Truckee and Carson valleys. AS these
large areas are gradually brought I'M
der irrigation a greater water supply |
will be required and nine additional |
reservoirs will be constructed, with a !
combined storage capacity of over a |
million and quarter acres feet IAN |
acre foot equals one acre, one foot |
deep
FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND GRAINS |
YIELD ABUNDANTLY.
The soil under this project is very
fertile, and decduous fruits such as |
apples, pears, peaches, grapes, all the
berries and vegetables produce luxuri-
antly. 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 and Truckee railroads |