Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-05-31
.PRAIRIET0 BLOOM.
WILL FLOOD 5000 ACRES IN
NORTHERN COLORADO.
1000, 100000 CUBIC FEET
The Spirit Of "oreatsr Colorado" 10
Spreading and Thousands Of Acres
Of Arid Land VIII Become Fertile

Spreading and Thousands Of Acres
Of Arid Land VIII Become Fertile
Farms.
Fort Collins. Coio.-The most impor-
tant real estate deal ever closed In Lar
inner county was consummated when
+. c. Cradle sold $50 acres nine miles
northeast OF this city to the Cobb Lake
Reservoir Company for $4,000. The
size Of the tract and the price paid are
commonplace events. but the accept
ance Of $4,000 by Cradle for land
worth double that figure rather than
delay the construction OF = reservoir
that will hold 1000. .OO0. 900 cubic feet
Of water, a sufiicient amount To Hood
81. 900 acres Of raw prairie land two
feet deep. reveals greater Colorado"
spirit that marks the beginning Of
new era In the state.
| The construction OF dam that will
make Cobb lake useful as reservoir
is received by the people here with
about the same degree Of enthusiasm
that most towns welcome the buiidin.
OF a new railroad or sugar factory.
This reservoir. when completed. will
be tho greatest In the state In point Of
capacity and at the same time II will
cost less to construct II than many
| holding Q quarter that amount II II
located nine miles northeast of Fort
| Collins and covers i,t0O acres. The
natural capacity Of Cobb lake before
] any work IL done upon II, II 1000. .OO0..
| 900 feet. he remarkable character OF
the land surroundin. the proposed res.
cryoir makes II possible TO double It's
capacity by the construction Of 500
| foot dam.
Tho water stored In Cobb lake will
be used largely In this capacity
through the exchange system. The
North Poudre Irrigation Company
owns forty-one per cent. OF the water
and the Mountain Supply Ditch Com
The remainder OF the water probably
will be sent down past Ault to the
Crow Creek country. where . large
area In to be under ditch.
Construction work has begun ON the
Haliigan reservoir twenty miles north
west Of this city. the total cost being
| estimated At 100000. TIE reservoir
will have dam 200 feet wide at the
bottom and 400 feet Rt the top. which
will bc 40 feet above the. base. The
dam. when completed, will back water
| for mile and half. The site Of what
Is now known ax Jack Bells resort will
have ten feet OF water over II. This
will be the greatest flood reservoir In
tho state, ax Il IL located In the edge
Of the mountains and drains an area
extending 10 and beyond the Wyoming
line. region where heavy rain storms
are frequent.
Commissioner Armstrong stated that
there II an abundance Of water to MI
tho projected reservoirs and that
though Cobb lake will hold 2.000.O .OOo..
900 feet, Il will be possible TO more
than NIL II with the regular fow from
the river three years out Of four Mt
the least calculation. With the addi.
tionnl water that Ia to be brought over
from the Grand and Laramie rivers
there will he more than enough to NIL
all the projected reservoirs.
The exchange Of water. system Of
section Of the state. under which a
farmer may store water hundred feet
lower than his farm and yet avail HIM
self Of It's benefit by taking water from
some reservoir located above his land,
not only makes II possible to get the
greatest benefit out Of every drop Of
water that comes down the Poudre
river. but It also enables the farmers
here to turn the recent storm that de-
stroyed millions upon millions OF dol.
lars worth Of fruit from coast to coast.
into dividend.payer OF the gold mine
class.