Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-16
Serious Obstacles in the Way Of
Carrying Out the Straw
berry Project.
LEGAL SCTRUGGLE EXPECTED
liomesteaders Say They VIII Not SUBJ
init 10 Diversion OF Water With
out q Protest.
speoIal Correspondence.

tBN'ioi
Vernal. Utah, Jan l0.-The project to
make great reservoir of the Straw
berry valley, by the storage Of water
from the Strawberry river and Cur
rant creek, which has been endorsed hy
the government engineers, is Icing
closely watched on this side Of the
range and II seems certain THAT there
VIII arise grave and serious compllea.
tons over the matter in the future. All
along the strawberry and Duchesne
rivers the lands that can be reached
%ith canals are being homesleaded, ana
the waters OF the rivers and creeks liled
upon. IN many instances the settlers
win be able to get the water to their
land WITHIN the next year ur Two ana
viii have their homes established ana
farms irrigated peIore the sreal reaer-
voir project can BE- fplrly gotten under
way. Xxx. e.. Il.
BIG Legal STRUGGLE
These people who have entered their
lands and hled Oh the water in good
faith. wil not submit TO the diversion
OF the water TO the west side OF the
range without a big legal struggle, Tor
It Is quite generally understood that the
object OF the promoters Of the straw
berry project is not only to store the
mood waters bat the normal flow as
well. on the south side OF the Dn-
chesEo river there Is at a conservative
estimate $4,000 acres OF good bench
land that must be reclaimed by u
canal taken from the strawberry river
Just above the mouth of that stream,
There are good many thousand acres
Of this lana, already filed upon ana
there Will be great deal more during
the coming season.
EXPENSIVE CANAL NEEDED.
To reclaim this land viii necessitate
an expensive canal entailiug an outlay
OF IRON $1,000 to $4,000 OF $4,000, per
acre The land Is or fine quality, ana
entirely free from alkal!. and VIII 1usti-
~ this cost. Among the l0cators on
this bench land are a number OF DEM
Yer and Colorado Springs people, VINO
aver that there viii be plenty OF mon
ey available Tor construction WORK, ana
the matter viii be taken hold OF In
earnest next season.
WILL FIGHT FOR RIGHTS,
That the success Of the Strawberry
reservoir schemes VIII sound the death
kneli OF the south bench settlements -
obyious. hut It IL certain that TINS
canal viii be undertaken, and when an
ATTEMPT Is made TO interfere with the
How OF the strawberry river these PEG.
pie viii be found on the ground ana
,endy to fight for what they pelieye
are their rights 70 tie court ot iust
resort. IL viii be a hard matter 10
convince them that there Is any JUS
tice In the government allowing u'eUu
to homestead lands nv good rain, aluIls
the streams, and natural chahheis oi
tha water flow, and then follow 1t UP
with a move to divert the water across
a mountain range, ana leave them hlgh
and dry
WHOLE SECTION INVOLVED.
Just as certain as the sun shines the
pushing OF the strawberry project WI
involve the wnole of northeastern Utan
in one of the biggest ana most deter
mined legal contests In the history OF
irrigation I'm the west 1his viii seri-
ously delay the development OF
the country, and work great deal
OF hardship on the real honebuiid-
ers, whom ii is the aim OF the
government 10 assist IN every way po5-
sble. B,nind the settlers OF the straw
berry and the south bench will be the
sympathy OF every lnierest In this Sec
ton OF the state, including The 3intah
Railway company ana the Rio GIante
Interests, VITA the iJttrrs co.parthtr,
ths COLORADO Fuel Il iron company. OF
course, 1t tx very well understood that
NJ assistance can reasonably be eX-
pected from the congressional delega-
lion FOR this side OF the range. as
they have committed themselves To the
straw berry reservoir scheme, and tho
settlers fully realize that IN case of
Interference with the water supply
they must make their nght In the
GOurts,
\ POINT OF ATTACK.
The filing on the waters Of the Straw
berry river which was done before the
opening Of the reservation. by the Utah
County people via be made a point VI
attack and the contention will be made
that the state engineer did not have
jurisdiction at that time, over the wa
tors OF the reservation, by reason OF
the fact that IN the enabling act the
Il .1s,l. \.