The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-07

much expense TO reclaim. The land
was all public domain, and the Govern
mcnt engineers OF the reclamation bu-
reau planned the system to establish
an agricultural settlement thereon.
Three townsites were created near the
center of the, tract, and along the pro
posed line of the Oregon Short Line
railroad. The agricultural lands were
subdiyided into farms of forty and
eighty acres. The farm unit was de-
signed to create n densely populated
agricultural community. The Govern
ment engineers are convinced that the
water supply for irrigation purposes,
furnished by the reclamation works,
will be unfailing.
VIII Be Valuable Test.
The reclamation of the Minidoka
tract by the Government will be
watched with great interest, as afford
ing fair illustration of the utility
and value Of reclamation work gen
orally When the Government began
the work of reclamation the country
was unlnhabited and was IL sage brush
desert. The Snake river was safely
ensconsed IL a canyon far below the
surface Of the soil, rendering irrigation
by individual effort utterly impra ctica-
: BILE, It required the vast expenditure
of Government money, expert engineer
ing skill, and an engineering project
of mammoth proportions to utilize the
waters of Snake river.
One Of tho first projects attempted
under the authority of the reclamation
act of 1909 was the Minidoka enter
prise. A surveying party was sent TO
Idaho to look into the feasibility of
utilizing Snake river to irrigate the
surrounding country. The obstacles
presented by nature seemed insur
mountable to everybody except one
Government engineer, After season
Eented plans for comprehensive sys-
tenn Of irrigation, His plans were
adopted, bids invited, and the contract
for construction awarded.
Building Great Dam.
Among the difficulties to be encoun-
tered in the work was the proposition
to lift the Snake river from its bed
and to accomplish this a dam was laid
across the stream at Minidoka rapids,
fifty feet In height, constructed of rock,
and $50 feet long at the top. This
structure raised the water surface
forty-seven feet at food level, and
backed it up for thirtyfve miles This
dam, now nearing completion, viii cost
approximately half a million dollars
The plan Of operating this project will
be TO lift tho immense gates in the
diversion channel and allow the flood
of water to pass into the high line
canal ON both sides Of the river. and
be led from them through the many
miles of laterals, running like great
arteries through the agricultural dis
tricts.
AS soon as the Government project
was fairly under way settlers were at
I tractcd to the former desert lands, and
soon every available farm tract was
fled upon, While the Government was
building its irrigation works, the set
tiers were building houses Towns
sprang up to supply the needs of the
settlers, and newspapers were neccs.
sary incident, followed by doctors,
population of 1000 people is already
embraced within the former desert
? tract. Two lines Of railroads now di-
vide the Minidoka country
Sale Opens Soon
The sale of town lots at Hepburn
will occur August 90, and at Rupert,
August 81, Nearly ali the business and
mercantile establishments are now To-
Gated Gu lots that belong TO the Gov
ernment, and the occupants are merely
tenants by sufferance In the third town
site, Sherrer, the sale Of lots will not
occur until later. No doubt is enter
tanned by the Government engineers
that tho lands embraced within the
irrigated tract will. as result of the
success of the reclamation work, be-
come rich and fertile community, An
other feature which has not been
overlooked in considering the possibili-
ties of the region is the magnificent
power possibilities that may grow out
Of the development and transmission of