The Grit-advocate., 1906-07-13
THE new ERA IN IRRIGATION
BROUGHT ABOUT BY RESERVOIRS
Bv FRANK c. GoUpY.

III DeuSeT delivered one OF tHe primer
Sai addresses. The subject assigned
to him was: THE New Era of lrriSa-
tIon." and was as follows:
'.The industrial history of Colorado
hS written in seven chapters, each
forming successive era of its prog
rehs. The FIRST era was that OF gold,
:ht-n came the live stock industry. and
with it the vast herds of cattle upon
the range: following In due time came
the railways; next came the silver
mines. yielding fabulous fortunes and
starting afresn the tide OF western I'M
migration. Following naturally, agri-
culture. which had been restricted TO
the maintenance of the home in the
scattering settlements, grew rapidly
Into one of the leading industries of
the people. and the towns and cities
founded in the agricultural divisions
OF the state have grown rich and pow
eIfut
"Colorado's agricultural development
has demonstrated that 1t is the home
aeeker's ideal. Our delightful, health
giving climate, the fertility of our soil
and our excellent irrigation systems,
tries. have placed this state in the
front rank among the wealth-produc-
ing states in the arid belt of our cOun-
try.
Irrigation has transformed many of
Coiorado's once barren and arid plains
and mesas into beautiful farms, now
occupied by prosperous and enterpris-
ing farmers, men whose notes and
promises to pay are always gilt-edge
paper.
zone journeying through Colorado
will find in almost every valley fields
of grain and grasses, and may behold
orchards. and vineyards, which have
been made to flourish where but few
years ago was an uninyiting desert,
where once unsightly and seemingly
useless stretches OF land have been re-
claimed and transformed as though by
magic into wealth-producing farms, by
distributing over such lands, through
artificial channels, the waters that flow
from, the snow-capped mountains of
Colorado.
"ColoradO's irrigation laws, with one
exception. Wis: the irrigation district
law, differ very materially from the ir-
,rigation laws of the other states Our
state has been the scene of an indie
pendent development of irrigation laws
and customs. In years past there has
been much litigation over ditch and
priority rights, but Notwithstanding
this we have made remarkable prog
ress. and titles to water rights have
been cleared up by the decisions of
our Supreme Court to such an extent
that the purchaser or dealer in irri
cation securities can now rely upon
such security as fully as he can upon
the titles to land securities.
when Colorado was first settled but
few of the pioneers paid any attention
to agriculture, SO that that industry
was restricted to a few scattered set
Elements, but by 1870 the wonderful
fertility of Colorado's soil had become
known, and from that time on and par
ticularly from 1880. agriculture grew
rapidly into one of the leading indus
tries.
"1'he growth of our agricultural, hor
ticultural and stock interests have al
ready reached value almost beyond
belief For instance, the estimated
value of farm. range and ranch prod
ucts for 1905. aggregating $73 5000. 900.
far exceeded the value of the mineral
products of Colorado, and the length
of our irrigation canals has already
reached the amazing aggregate of 49,
600 miles.
'sIt is estimated that the area of
lands improved and under cultivation
by irrigation in this state is upward of
100000 acres.
In Prof. Elwood Mead's work en-
titled Irrigation institutions he saws
of irrigation in Colorado: In a number
Of important particulars Colorado has
been a leader in irrigation affairs.
There are more miles OF canals in Col
orado than in any other state. Her
mountains are the storehouse which
supplies the rivers flowing into and
through the surrounding states. To
Colorado belongs the credit of having
been the first to enact a code of laws
for the public administration of
streams. The first settlers in
Colorado were MeXicans, who estab-
iished themselves in the southern part
of the state, built small bitches and
cultivated small farms. The present
irrigation system of Colorado had its
birth in the northern part of the state,
along the branch of the overland trail
which followed the South Platte and
Poldre.'
cat first small bitches were taken
out to carry water from the natural
streams to the ranches of the early set
tiers. Later large bitches and Ca
mails were built by some mu-
tual or cooperative companies
composed of farmers who used
the water on their respective lands,
and others by what are commonly
called or designated as common car
rier' companies. But few of the latter
companies were financial success, for
many reasons; many were compelled
to go into bankruptcy, and most of
them have since been reorganized and
are now owned and operated as mutual
or cooperative companies.
"The limit of development in most
Of the older settlements, by means Of
bitches taking their supply of water
from the natural streams, has long
flow of such streams has been apprO-
priated except in food time, so that
the farmers who depend upon irriga-
tion and desire to be in position to ma
ture their crops needing late irrigation,
have been compelled to resort to the
construction OF storage reservoirs, and
particularly for maturing such crops as
alfalfa, potatoes. sugar beets and small
fruits. Iu fact, as has been suggested
by one writer. the ability to obtain a
late water supply through storage has
also led to a change in the character
of Colorado's agriculture, which has
amounted almost to Il revolution.