Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-23
GAMBLE ON IRRIGATION
Senator frsm South Dakota Tells
Changes in that State.
lARGesrtAR1HtN ENHANCEMENT IN WORLD
People of state Greatly Interested
Recognize value of the RecIa-
nation Act, Farmers Or
Raniking Societies.

/ WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. 22.-iSpecial. }
The work of national reclamation OF the
public arid lands has been proceeding along
I practical business lines, and outside of the
! localities which are directly benefited, has
excited but little notice. This is rather re-
/ markable when IL is recalled that the works
under construction by the reclamation ser
vice in several states and territories are
among the most spectacle ar ever attempted
! by engineers said Senator Gamble of
/ South Dakota
! Up in my own state work is well under
way on a project which involves an especi-
ally interesting engineering scheme towit:
The construction OF the largest earthen
embankment in the world This will be
| great mass of earth more than mile in
length. over u5 feet in height in its highest
| part and containing more than 1,60c 900
! cubic yards of material, or about the
amount estimated for the Bohio dam in
Panama This mammoth structure, which
Will be faced toward the reservoir with
rock, will create the largest body of water
IN South Dakota, a lake sixteen miles in
length and varying from one to five miles
| in width 1t will store 246, 600 acre-feet, or
| 90, l64000,0O0 gallons, or more than three
times the storage capacity of the Croton
reservoir in New York.
We feel somewhat proud in South Da-
kota of the fact that our people recognized
tho value of the reclamation act and came
to the front with the required pledges to
| the government without any delay. There
was no hanging back over local matters.
! the farmers organized. the citizens of Belle
Fourche and Sturgis Joined in the move
ment, and there was less delay over prclim-
inaries to this project than on any other
/
1 lands.
work is s2,1OO,OOO and the area to be re-
claimed is about 90 900 acres
Changes on the Belle Fourchc.
| Before the appearance of the government
engineers in the Belle Fourche valley, all
| agriculture was subordinated to stock
raising, and the farmer who plowed was
| the exception. Under the new regime,
which is to follow the completion of this
government work. the large ranch will be
cut up into small farms, extensively culti-
waited. Compact rural settlements, with
improved schools. and with the luXuries
| and refinements of the town will replace
| the isolation of the rural farm house.
| Right in the midst of the Belle Fourche
| project the government has located a town
| site, which 1t is proposed to equip with
| modern water supply and sewerage sys-
| TENS. 1t is probable that considerable
power can be developed along the main
canal and can be utilized for lighting and
other purposes
THE whole valley has enjoyed a remark
able boom since the initiation of this pro-
Ject. Belle Fourche has more than doubled
| in population and the prices of city prop
erty have been INCREASING steadily. Farm
property, which before the advent of the
| government work had little sale at from
| Sc to $40 an acre, is now selling in many
places three and four times that amount.
| The indications are that Belle Fourche will
| grow into town of 5000 population, q
modern, wide-awake, up-to-date city in the
midst of one of the most populous and
productive irrigated areas in the north
! west.
THE valley is tributary to one good rail-
road system, but two others are extending
| their lines rapidly in this direction, which
will assure the valley of frst-class trans
portation facilities
! 1.-THE valley is so jam full OF possibilities
that it takes man of some daring to
place any limit upon the future develop
ment, which is to follow the introduction
of practical soil culture"