The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-08-15
IRRIGATION PROJECTS
ANCIENT HISTORY

In America irrigation was practiced
thousands of years ago by the pre-his-
toric town building Pueblo Indians
in New Mexico and Arizona. The de-
scendants of these Indians still cult
vate lands which we're titled by irIigs-
tion when the treasure seeking Span
iards came up from the south, and
even now practice many OF the Gus
toms of their ancestors.
High along the steep cliffs in the
canons of the southwest still cling the
ruins of the former homes OF the ex-
tinct race OF cliil dwellers, and in the
broad valleys below can be seen today
the ruins OF their stone dams and ir-
rigation canals-a that is left to tell
the story of Americas first agricul'
turists.
The first systematic application Of
irrigation to Ee made by the whites
in the United States was inauguIated
by the Mormons on the shores OF the
Great Salt lake in 1857. The Mormons
found Utah anything but the prom
ised land for which they bad hoped.
From necessity they resorted to iriga-
tion and soon made the barren site OF
Salt Lake City one of the most pros
porous communities in the west.
few years later the placer miners OF
California utilized their placer wash
ing streams for irrigation purposes
and raised large crops OF vegetables
and grain.
However, irrigation did not make
any extensive headway until after the
civil war and during the early '70s,
when the great tide of immigration
turned toward the west. In 1870 only
about 20, 900 acres of land were Guilt
vatei by irrigation 10 the United
States. In the next ten years the
number was increased to 1000, 0O0
acres.
During the years lSS0-90 irrigation
experienced great boom, and the
number of acres increased to nearly
1900, 600. in 1902, the last census,
the acrease was 9,03i. .526, and each
month sees thousands of acres added
until the total is nearly 10, 600, 900
acres today.
In the modern history OF irrigation
the great desert land engineering feats
have been accomplished which are the
wonder of the world. 10 accomplish
these feats mountains have been tun-
neled, streams carried hundreds of
miles out of the natural courses, lakes
have been tapped. whole rivers di-
verted and huge storage reservoirs
constructed.
Irrigation has grown with such
leaps and bounds that natural gravity
alone cannot be depended upon to
supply the water where needed, and
electricity is now being used to drive
the mammoth centrifugal pumps Iais-
ing The water to unusual heights.
Among the great irrigation engi-
neering feats Of this country is the
wonderful Strawberry Valley project
ut Vernal, Utah, now under way,
where storage reservoir will be buili
to hold five billion gallons of water,
and a tunnel three and one-half miles
long is being cut through mountain.
The work is being done by eleotri-
oally driven tools, and when comEdet
ed the water will be used to generate
electricity for lighting and power puI-
poses, and then Tor irrigation. The
entire electrical equipment for this
plant was furnished by the General
Electric company.
The Williston, N. D., project and
the Buford. Trenton project in the
same state are operated entirely by
electricity. The current is generated
by Curtis steam purbo generators and
Is used to drive the lsrge motors con-
nected with the centrifugal pumps.
Another system has been installed
at Garden City, Kansas, aud still an
a. l..
last named place the vertical shaft
electric generators are direct connect
ed to large water wheels for generat-
ing the current.
From the old hand wheel of pre-
historic man to the modern motor
driven centrifugal Is long cry, but
it fully demonstrates the progress of
powerand complicated machinery from
the stat to the present. Who knows
what the future will be?