The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-07-10
DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATION.

DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATION.
The very earliest attempts to con.
struct compile ted machinery were for
irrigation purposes, and the systems
of irrig alton in those distant days in
the far east, in Babylonia and In
Egypt, dating back 10 the last named
country to twenty centuries before
Christ, furnish a. important a chap.
ter in the history of invention as in
the story of agricultural development.
In those primeval days the water
was hoisted from the wells and streams
by means of water wheels and ditched
to the cultiv ated 6elds. Often the
water wheels we're turned by man,
sometimes by cattle. and later by the
water power of the stream itself. Thus
the stream was harnessed to do the
work OF man, and for the fret time
power, other than flesh and blood, be-.
came known. To this day q number
of old water wheels, modelled almost
exactly like those long since gone
down to dust, can be see operating
in Arabia, Egypt, Mexico and in the
Philippine Islands.
The irrigation systems OF India and
Egypt are now controlled by the gov
eminent, and for the most part mod.
ern machinery is used. Across the
Nile, at Assouan, a great dam has
been built to store water against the
dry season. In Europe irrigation has
been widely adopted in northern Italy,
southern France and throughout
Spain. The British holdings in South
Africa and Australia are also greatly
benefited by irrigation.
In America irrigation was practiced
thousands of years ago by the pre-.
historic BODYBUILDING Pueblo Indians
in New Mexico and Arizona. The de.
scendents OF these Indians still culti-
vate lands which we're titled by irri-
CATION when the treasure.seeking
Spaniards came up from the south,
and ever now practice many Of the
customs of their ancestors. High
along the steep cliffs in the canons OF
the southwest still cling the ruins OF
the former homes Of the extinct race
of cliff dwellers, ruins of their stone
dams and irrigation canals-all that
is left to tell the story of Americas
fret agriculturists.
The first Systematic application OF
irrig alton to be made by the whites in
the United States was inaugurated by
the Mormons on the shores OF the
Great Salt Lake in lS41. The Nor
mons found Utah anything but the
promised land for which they had
hoped. From necessity they resortel
20 irrigation and soon made the bar
rem site OF Salt Lake City one OF tht
most prosperous communities in thu
west. A few years later he placer
miners in California utilized theil
placer washing streams for irri2 atiol
purposes and raised large crops o
vegetables and grain. However, ir
rigation did not make any extensive
Roadway until after the civil war an.
during the early '70's when the grea
tide of immigration turned toward tn
west.
In the modern history OF irrig atiol
the great desert lands engineering
feats have been accomplished whic|
are the wonder of the world. To &C
complish these feats mountains hav
been tunueled, streams carried hun
dreds of miles out Of their natura
courses: lakes have been tapped
whole rivers diverted and huge sto,
age reservoirs constructed.
Irrigation has grown with such Leaf
and bounds that natural gravity alou
cannot be depended upon to suppl
the water where needed, and electricit
is now being used to drive the man
moth centrifugal pumps raising tn
water to unusual heights.
From the old hand wheel Of prehi
toric nan to the modern motor drive
centrifugal is q long cry, but 1t full
demonstrates the progress OF pow
and complicated machinery from tt
start to the present. Who knows VIII
the future will be?