The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-03-23
TESTING FLOW OF
ARTES|AN WELLS
United States Geological Sur.
vey Report Contains Inter-
esting Information.
OF AID TO THE SETTLERS
The Artesian Basin is the Favorit.
Section in South Dakota for Set
tiers, and Such Land Is Eager
ly Taken Up.

Sioux Falls, S. D.. March 2O.-The
* done by the United States geo
logical survey in the various states
OF the union during the last fiscal year
July !, 1904, to July 1, 1905-is given
in the twenty-sixth annual report of
the director, which has recently come
from the department.
In South Dakota 382 square miles of
new areas We're geographically sur
veyed In 1904-5. In cooperation with
the reclamation service two parties
We're engaged in topographic work in
an Irregular area which is the site of
the Belle Fourche reclamation project,
and also in the Vale and Belle Fourche
quadrangles. The area was surveyed
on the scale of 1000 feet to the inch
with contour interval of 5 feet, all
the work being for publication by large
scale photolithographs.
Mapping the Black Hills.
r B. Robertson occupied 8 primary
trlangulation stations, IL secondary sta
tions. and located 15 other points for
the control of the special maps of the
Belle Fourche project in Butte county,
The geologic structure of the country
about Belle Fourche was studied by
N. II. Darton to ascertain the depths
to the underground waters and the area
IN which flows may be expected. Among
geologic publications of the year relat-
Ing to South Dakota We're report on
the geology and underground water re-
sources of the central great plains by
N. II. Darton, a report on the geology
and water resources of part of the low
er James river valley by j. E. Todd
and c. M. Hall, a geologic folio of the
Edgemont quadrangle by N. FL. Darton
and w. S. Tangier Smith. and geologic
folios of the Huron and De Smet quad
rangles, the first by j. Z. Todd the
second by Todd and c. M. Hall.
Stream -gauging stations We're MAIN
tanned at Edgemont. Belle Fourche
Seim, Camp Crook, Bixby Rapid City
Spearfish and Interior.
Investigated Artesian Basin.
Professor j. E. Todd, who was en-
gagged in investigating the James river
aTtesian area, extended his studies into
sie Byron and Redheld quadrangles.
~ oh attention was given to the ques-
Ion of the volume and pressure of the
Wells with a view to determining
whether the multiplicity of borings is
causing a diminution of the water sup-
ply. Professor Todd also completed a
report on the southeastern termination
Of the artesian area for the Elk Point
folio. AS lands within the artesian ba-
sin are taken up by settlers, it becomes
matter Of great interest to ascertain
the limit Of the area in which flows are
obtainable, and this was one of the
c1lle1 purposes OIL PROFESSOR IOdd g
work.
Missouri River Reclamation.
In this state attention has been Civ
en- to reclamation possibilities west Of
the Missouri river, especially to those
in the vicinity Of the Black Hills Any
reclamation attempted on any Of the
streams In this region must be based
on storage of storm water and spring
flow. With this in view the country
around the Black Hills has been care
fully Investigated for storage possibili-
ties, and the north side has been Sc
lected as the most promising. The pro-
ject Is known as the Belle Fourche, the
water supply being obtained from the
Belle Fourche and its tributaries. Work
on this project was prosecuted vigor-
ously during 19045. During 1904 the
south side canal, which would water
lands on the south side of Belle Fourche
river in the vicinity of Vale and En-
pire, was surveyed and mapped