East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-12-16

Through the issuance OF patent 10
the state of 10000 acres of land IN
Crook county which is being reclaim
ed by the Deschutes Irrigation q
Power company, the department OF
the interior has set the government
stamp of approval on the largest pri-
vate irrigation project in the United
States, says the oregon Sunday Jour-
nal.
The list of lands were approved by
the government officials In wash
ington the last of the week. Wlthln
a short time deeds to this area Will
be conveyed to the state OF oregon.
Immediately afterwards settlers VINO
have compiled with the rules ana
regulations of the state land board
and paid off the lien against the land
which the company holds for provid-
ing the tracts with water, will secure
title to their acreage.
The action of the department Is
looked upon both by the company and
the many settlers in western Crook
county as exceedingly favorable. The
10000 acres will within a short time
be In the hands of actual settlers who
have transformed a wilderness into
an immensely productive region.
Add Vast Wealth TO County.
This. vast acreage will add at the
present price per acre, $1,00Q,OOO
to the wealth of Crook county and
will become taxable property imme-
diately upon the Issuance of deeds
from the state TO the settlers
The list OF lands approved and
passed to patent by the department
In Washington include two applica-
tions made by the state. In Novem-
Der. 1905. the Deschutes Irrigation
& Power company completed the
reclamation OF $4,000 acres and ap-
piled for patent. Ten months later
an additional acreage OF $4,000 acres
had been reclaimed and patent APP
piled for,
owing to the unfounded rumors
regarding the operations of the COM
pany, no action was taken towards
patentlng the lands and some un-
easiness was felt by hundreds OF set
tiers who had purchased tracts un-
der the canals and were making
homes in the district. Finally Secre-
tary Garfield visited the coast and
soon afterwards United States Dis
trict Attorney Bristol and Inspector
Neuhausen visited Crook county on
tour OF special investigation.
Evidently the reports Of the latter
two were OF the most favorable ma
.ture. Neohausesn's report was for
warded to the department the first OF
last month and almost Immediately
afterwards the tracts were approved
District OF Great PrOductiveness.
The lands to which settlers will,
now receive undisputed title lie in
the vicinity of Bend and Redmond
and are among the most fertile in the
whole Deschutes region Immense
crops have been harvested from areas
which few years ago furnished poor
food for range stock. Now the coun-
try is an uninterrupted field of grain
and other produce, and hundreds of
new people are finding homes and
profitable areas of development un-
der the company's irrigation system.
In addition 10 the 10000 acres ap-
proved for patent, the company is
engaged in reclaimlng an additional
acreage Of nearly 100000 acres.
Nearly $1,OOo,oO has been expended
in the construction of canals and
laterals which wind for miles over
tho valley and to the remotest cor
ners of the segregation. Approx |
mately 275 miles OF canal work has
been completed and Is In active ope-
ration. The company began its work
in the spring of 1904. since which |
time It has maintained heavy forces
of engineers and construction crews
to hasten the work.