The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-08-23
CLAIM CAUSE OF THE FLOODS
LOWlands Overlooked and
Soil Unit For Tilling.
THIS TROUBLE OCCURS OFTEN
Move Is Now Made to Get the Law :
Makers to Enact Suitable Leg
islation.

lie Sueur, Aug. l6.-A strongly word
ed petition to the legislature, prepared
under the advice and supervision of
Congressman Charles r. Davis, is being
circulated for signatures among farm
ers owning property in the low lands
along the valley of the Minnesota
river.
County damage systems are held
largely responsible for frequent mum
dations of the low lands bordering the
Minnesota, and in the petition is set
forth the complaint of the signers that
they are made to suffer because OF
the benefits derived from the bitches
constructed in the upland regions.
Among the hackers of the petition
there is no doubt as to the extreme
gravity of the situation that now con-
fronts the Minnesota valley farmers
nor as to the cause thereof-the extern
sive drainage ditches-but there is very
grave doubts as to the ability of the
legislature or any other power to give
the sufferers any aid.
The petition:
The Petition as Filed.
$40 the Legislature of the State OF
Minnesota: Your petitioners respect
fully represent that the Minnesota riv-
er is navigable stream, beginning at
the southern end of Big Stone lake, in
the county of Big Stone, Minnesota,
and extending thence in a southerly
direction to the city of Mankato, in
the county of Blue Earth, Minnesota,
and thence in a northeasterly direction
to Fort Smelling, Minnesota, where the
same flows into the Mississippi river
'That the length of the Minnesota
river is miles and that it lies
wholly within the borders of the state
of Minnesota. That said river, from
its source to its outlet, passes through
immense tracts of very valuable and
productive agricultural lands, owned
occupied and cultivated in a large part
by your petitioners.
THAT on either side of said river,
from its source to its outlet, are ranges
of hills varying from one to four or
five miles apart, and between which lie
the agricultural lands mentioned. That
ever since the organization and settle
ment of the state at certain rare intervals
varying from five to ten years apart,
certain of said agricultural lands were,
during the early springtime, overlooked
in consequence of spring freshets, oc-
casioned by heavy rains and the rapid
melting of the snow along the course
of the said river.
"That until within the last five or
ten years such freshets were confined
to only one each year and the waters
would soon pass away, leaving the
lands along and adjacent to said river
susceptible of cultivation thereafter
during that same season.
Floods Occur Often.
"That during more recent times, and
particularly within the last five or ten
wears. said freshets have occurred al
most every year and many times dur
ing each year, thereby rendering such
lands wholly unfit for cultivation and
almost valueless, and thus causing loss
and damage to the owners of said
lands i'm the sum of many hundreds OF
thousands of dollars annually.
'.rhat tributary to said rivers are
numerous other rivers, none of them
navigable. and the chief of which are
the Blue Earth, Cottonwood, Walton
wan, Redwood, Lac qui Parle and Vel
low Medicine.
'That for many years past, under
and pursuant to the drainage laws Of
the state of Minnesota, large mum
Der of public bitches have been con
structed upon the uplands adjacent tt
said Minnesota river for the purpose o.
draining the waters from off said up
lands and into said river, thereby pre-
cipitating at various seasons of TIT
year larger quantities of water int
said river than would otherwise natur
ally flow therein, and thus keeping
said bottom lands more largely ant
more continuously overilowed and dam
aged, all of which conditions also appl.
to the said tributary rivers.
'.That during the last five years, ow
ing to change in the drainage law
of the state, the authorities of thu
different counties are authorized t.
cause public bitches to be constructed
draining the water off from certain me
andered lakes containing large quaint
ties of water, and that large mum
Der of such bitches have been con
structed during said five years, whlcl
are continually conveying the water
said meandered lakes into the Mime
sofa river, causing additional overflow
of the bottom lands along the same
bitches Held Responsible.
sThat in consequence of the con
struction, operation and MAINTENANCE
of all of the aforesaid bitches larg
volume of water which would other
Ia nd nd