Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-02-20
.COLFAX COUNTY IS
SCENE Of ACTIVITY
Many Private IrYi.
cation Projects
Being Built
MAKING DESERT BLOSSOM
Springer Civil Engineer Tells
of Development of Section
in Interesting Interview.

That New MeXico's star is in the
ascendency and may within a year
| be part Of the constellation In the
| field Of blue of Old Glory Is a fact
that is being generally admitted now
throughout the United States. A won.
dcrful transformation has come about
within the past few years which has
given the territory an impetus that
IS sending ii forward at an amazing
rate and one that is doubly astound
ing to It's old time inhabitants.
Frank A. Hainbaugh of Springer.
civil engineer and surveyor who is
connected with the french Land and
Irrigation company, and who is spend.
ing few days in the Capital. is ex,
tremely sanguine of the future of New
Mexico. He believes il Is destined
TO become one of the greatest states
in the Union. One Of its principal
industries in years to come will be
farming by means OF irrigation.
He cites the number of large irri,
cation enterprises finished and in
course Of construction and projected
| In different parts of the territory, and
particularly by private capital In Col
fax county. The French Land and
Irrigation company with which he Is
identified is rushing work on Its pro
1ect as fast as possible. A steam
dredge IS cutting out the reservoirs
and canals much quicker than 1t can
be done by hand and hundred men
with teams are also busily engaged
Mr.. Haimbaugh tells Of what Is be-
ing done along irrigation in an in
terview as follows:
New Mexico Attracting Investors and
Homeseekers.
1T Is beginning TO dawn upon the
people OF the effete eastern states that
New Mexico has resources and posi-.
bilities OF which they little dreamed
a half decade ago. There Is no section
of the country at this time that Is en-.
gaglng more serious attention OF the
settler or the investor. Every west
bound train from the East brings
scores Of persons who are seeking
within our territory homes and invest.
ments. Our climatic conditions to-
gether with the richest soil on earth
soil that Will produce such varieties
| of crops in lavishness--is the load
stone that is drawing the people hith
Ter.
"The result of this constantly grow
| Ing stream of homeseekers has been
the promotion Of extensive undertak.
lngs In the way Of Irrigation. Lands
that have hitherto been held in large
tracts are being transferred to the IT.
rigation farmer. The waters, that.
| from time to time immemorlal, have
been permitted to run down the noun
tain side and unmolested, flow to the
ocean, are now all sought by the irri-
gatlonists to promote the growth OF
crops. Vast sums are being expended
both by the federal government and
private enterprise In installing perm
anent irrigation works The character
of permanency that characterlzes most
of these enterprises is but an evidence
of the faith the promoters have in the
future of the territory.
Many irrigation Projects in colfax
County.
perhaps In no other part of the
territory Is there more active con-
struction than in Colfax county. II
has been my fortune to assist in
number of these enterprises. Before
another year fully one hundred thous.
and acres will be under irrigation In
the county. The French Land and IT.
rigation company, the Farmers De-
velopment company,the Springer Land
and Irrigation company, the Horton
stein and Hartley Irrigation company,
the Springer Ditch company which has
just been reorganlzed, the Maxwell
Farm Ditch system, besides numerous
smaller enterprises are all contrlbut'
ing their portion toward the reclama'
tion of the fertile lands Of the county
The unanimlty of feeling between the
various companies in working for the
common welfare of the county cannot
but be productive of satlsfac
tory results.
"The most extensive of these irri
cation projects and with which I am
connected in the capacity Of chief en-
gneer, is that of the French Land
and Irrigation company. This company
Is composed of Illinois capitalists, with
C. E. Hartley, of Springer, as the loc'
al representative. The land which the
company seeks to reclaim consists Of
fifty thousand acres purchased from
Captain William French last year, and