The daily tribune., 1907-06-21
IRRIGATION SCHEMES IN
PROGRESS EVERYWHERE

| ASa8oVAon kU0Jooe ~ W UoHAu ~ ouoot
and the thing which promises =
much 70. the prosperity Of Pueblo u
anything that has bean under con.
sidsfation will become q verify vita,
In the present year, At least the work
which will cost millions will be we'll
under way before the year is closed.
| Ed. S,Snell, one Of the leading ir.
rigation engineers Of the state, has
been selected as chief engineer for
the great enterprise, and, with a
strong corps Of engineers, is in the
field, and the preliminary work is
being pushed as fast as is possible,
with view to getting at the work of
practical construction at the earliest
possible date. Mr.. Smell came down
from Denver last night, and tomorrow
will personally go over the ground
of the great canal, and will check up
pio WoIh VI HiS hSslstdutS upon Une
several reservoirs.
Speaking of reservoirs, one of the
greatest propositions looking toward
the conservation of waters, both the
natural flow Of streams and the flood
waters, either in process of construc-
tion or about to be constructed in the
West outside of some of the huge res
ervoir schemes of the reclamation di-
vision of the federal government, is a
portion of the scheme which is des-
tined to transform the vast reaches of
desert land in Northern Pueblo and
Fremont counties into garden tracts
Grape creek, which enters the Ar
kansas river just below the Royal
| Gorge. drains the vast section of coun.
| try known as the Wet Mountain val
| ley. Near the mouth of what is
known as Grape creek canon is an
opening in the walls, or rather, n
small valley containing approxi-
mately /, 800 acres. Through the con-
struction of great dam across this
canon, just below the widened por-
tion referred to, this 1 300 acres can
be flooded to a depth of from thirty
to forty feet deep, storing enough
water to irrigate an immense tract of
land.
| The North Mesa Irrigation COM
pany, composed of some of the most
substantial capitalists of the country,
not only controls the Oil creek and
Beaver creek sources of supply, but
has acquired the great Grape creek
supply rs we'll, and as soon as possi-
BILE will enter upon the constr action
of huge reservoir referred to.
| The waters of the Wet Mountain re-
gion, conveyed down Grape creek to
the reservoir, and from thence to the
Arkansas. wilt be turned from the
river into the canal of the company
at point just above Canon City. At
several places along the line of the
canal reservoirs will be constructed
which will catch and store tho flood
waters from the numerous streams and
gulches crossed. and this supply will
be available to reinforce the flow from
the greater supply on the south side
Of the Arkansas river.
1t is understood that the owners of
the great Teller ranch,. lying north
west of the city, are identified with
the vast irrigation enterprise, and
that the same is true OF Maxel abor,
the owner Of the big Tabor ranch.
The canal completely travesing
Pueblo county, will cross the Foun-
tain river near the Ell Paso county
line, and will then make detour to
the southwark, bearing off In the
ditection of the Chico and covering
an immense tract of land.
| While the vast enterprise will cost
approximately $1,000, 600, those con-
versant with the subject of irrigation
declare that the project contains all
the elements of a successful invest
ment and that vast profits will be
realized by those entering into the
proposition. To one who knows the
difference between Colorado irrigated
lands and n barren waste, the con-
struction Of the great irrigation enter.
prise means an increase Of millions Of
1 4 a