Fergus County Democrat., 1906-01-23
Several Montana Projects Will be
Put Through by Government
Within Few Years.
MILLIONS Will BE WATERfD
GIendiye, Huntley, Madison and Milk
River Projects Have Been fdv-
OrabIy Considered.

A prominent official of the United
States reclamation service has given
ing the progress Of government ire
cation projects in the northwest:
Bids were recently opened at Glen
dive, Mont, for 33 miles of main canal
to irrigate the first 2S00O,OOO acres OF
land. Bids were also opened Dec
for the dam across the Yellowstone
river to divert water into the main
canal The value of the lands under
this project has been increasing very
rapidly and at present raw land is
selling for $500 per acre.
1--WE have been going over surveys
for the North Dakota pumping pro-
jects, one at Buford, one at Williston
and one at Nesson. The Topographic
cal surveys covers $4,000 acres in the
three projects. Plans are being rapid
ly made for the power generating and
pumping machinery. The water for
irrigation will have to be lifted from
the Missouri river to heights varying
from 25 to 100 feet The immense beds
of Ignite, underlying a large portion
Of the country in this vicinity insures
an inexhaustible supply of fuel to be
had for the mining. The government
owns hundreds of square miles of this
Ignite bearing land.
"and owners in the Milk river val
ley in Northern Montana, are pushing
the adjudication Of the water rights;
the necessary legal steps have been
taken, and it is expected that the TAX
ing of direct testimony will begin in
few weeks Negotiations with the
Canadian government for the appor-
tionment Of the water from st. Mary s
drainage basin and the Milk river
drainage basin are being carried on
and it is expected that definite un-
derstanding equitable to both govern
ments will be reached in the near fu-
ture.
"Field surveys on the Madison river
have been completed and the engin-
GERS are now computing quantities
that results will be available some
time in January. Field surveys have
also Just been completed on the CLARK
Fork project, located both in Wyom
ing and Montana. A large area of ir
rigable land is available, with al
abundant supply of water.
Engineers are yet in the field am
will probably be employed for seve
raj weeks before completing thei
work on the Lake Basin project A
area of upward of 100000 acres of we
located land have been surveyed an
classified. A large water supply
available from the Yellowstone riVel
supplemented by storage from tn
Yellowstone Park. Water is also avail
able from streams running into tn
Yellowstone from the left side whic
will be crossed by the main canal.
construction work is DelnS puSne
on the Shoshone dam and the Cor
bett tunnel in northern Wyoming
"Construction work is also bein
carried out on the Huntly projec
work on division and 3 being we
under way. The first division mai
canal is being re-advertised, the fir:
contractor having failed to qualif
We expect bids will be received for tt
first division, two miles in length,
which about one-half is tunnel, ear
in January. Bids We're opened for
distributing system for the enti
acreage under the Huntly projet
Dec 15.'
The last named project is include
within the Crow reservation land
soon to be opened to settlement, al
the present plans contemplate the su
division of 2S,OO acres into farms of
acres each Townsites are being s
lected at regular intervals of five mil
along the line of the Northern Paci
and the Burlington railroads, both
which traverse this project