Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-05-04
Thrifty Mormon Settlement on
The San Juan River,
New Mexico.
IMMENSE ACCOMPLISHMENT.
Largo Canyon Northumberland
Inducements Oiicrcd to Home
seekers and Investors.
Special Correspondence.

Special Correspondence.
Bloomfield. n. NJ, May Ten miles
south of Aztec on the san Juan river
New Mexico, is as beautiful a strip OIL
fertile land as can be found in the
great west. Tho land is nf loamy char
acter and very productive. seven
years ago Bishop John l.. Tenney ana
n number of other Mormons coloni2ed
on this land, which is mile broad ana
nine miles long. They did not reap
much of this worlds goods because
they lacked the dissideratum to make
crops I'm an arid country--water. Near
1y all of the Mormons had TO leave
their homes and seek work elsewhere
in order to exist. This condition OF
affairs became intolerable and Bishop
Tenney set his brain 70 work and con-
ceived a plan to build canal. lie
formed company known as the Ham
mond Irrigation company and con-
structon on the ditch was commenced.
AN UNRULY RIVER.
The ditch work was easy enough. but
there was one great obstruction nature
had placed in the way of getting wa
ter high enough above this plateau To
gain the necessary fall, and this was
Canon Largo, which flows Il great
volume of water in rainy seasons, COM
ing down the canyon at great velocity.
sweeping everything before II ana
bringing down trees and huge rocks,
and emptying into the SAN Juan river.
There are few distractions that can
not be overcome i'm this western coun-
try by engineering skill and the pluck,
t,A M 20 NJ c,tHh
as Tenney. He called his company to-
gether and discussed plans Tor under
ground fluming of this canyon, an UNI
deriaking which seems gigantic when
the immense country this canyon
drains Is considered. The canyon is
so miles In length and has two con-
fluent canyons that empty into II.
the Blanco and Carrizo. To get togeth-
er funds sufficient TO complete the un-
dertaking was the next step and this
being accomplished, work was inaugu-
rated, the fume built and water was
turned into the great ditch on the
22nd inst.
LENGTH OF DITCH.
The hammond ditch is 1l& miles
long and covers 5000 acres of land as
far as it is now built and by extend
ing 1t four miles further 1t will cover
1000 acres more. This ditch is 80 feet
higher than the old Model ditch, which
washed away There has been no
water on the plateau foG IL years, the
Model ditch, before being washed
away, covering bur small acreage OF
this vast tract
There are now q ranches under the
ditch. ranging from 90 to 100 acres,
which, now that water Is assured. will
turn this arid region into the garden
spot OF the sunny San Juan Ham
mond, the Mormon settlement. will. in
few years. become Il thriving village;
in fact 1t is attracting outside atten-
ton now and several people are con-
templating building residences there
and moving in with their families.
A BARREL FLUME.
The barrel hume under the Largo is
81 inches in diameter, 2,322 feet Inches
IN length and the water where 1t enters
the fiume has a fall OF 6A feet. The
barrel, SO to speak, is n very substan
tial affair the slaves being three inch
es thick and securely iron bound at
short intervals. The work was done
by Bishop Tenney and his co-wOrlers
at a cost of $500, a saving of $1,000
had the work been done by contract,
RICH SAN JUAN.
San Juan county is attracting more
ton of New Mexico, on account OF its
rich agricultural and fruit lands that
are within the reach of the poor man.
The land on the south side of the San
Juan river is conceded to be the best
IN the county, At the present writing
land under the Hammond ditch can
be secured at $3.50 an acre, which
could not be had in other localities
for less than 500. This plateau is
surrounded by high hills, and SEMI
tropical fruits and vegetables reach
their highest perfection. Free from
blighting frosts. rigid weather and
SHOWS, fruits are never a failure. The
APPLES pears peaches. aprcots, plums.
cherries and the smaller fruits OF this
section are world-famed and command
higher prices IN the north and east than
those grown I'm any other section OF
the country. Alfalfa viii grow five
tons TO the acre. and here 1t may be
stated that there is ready market