Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1908-05-28
LARGE TRACT RECLAIMED.
Waters Of Belle Fourche to BE Turned
into 100000 Acres Near Deadwood.


Into 100000 Acres Near Deadwood.
The engineers of the government
reclamation service are about to turn
the water into the irrigation bitches
in the Belle Fourche valley. Just north
Of the Black Hill district in South
Dakota, not far from Deadwood, and
the famous mining town OF Lead.
1t is the greatest irrigation project
the government has ever undertaken
near a large center of population. for
1t is only thirty miles from the gold
mining district of the Black Hills
country and is within an easy drive
OF large communities In every direc-
ton. When completed the canals will
supply 100000 acres OF land that has
hitherto been unfit for cultivation be-
cause it could not be watered. OF
this area $4,000 acres are public land.
$4,000 acres belong to private individu.
ais, and 5000 acres to the State of
South Dakota.
A large part Of the land has already
been taken up. There are at least 500
families already settled on the tract
reached by the irrigation bitches, but
1 900 more farms can be opened when
the distributing system is completed
and ready for operation in 1909 and
1910 The first section of the south
canal is completed, and water will be
furnished to about 5000 acres OF land
from 1t in few days.
The first section of the north canal
has also been completed and will fur.
nish water for the irrigation of
similar area within few weeks.
This water comes from the Belle
Fonrche river, where one Of the high
est earthen dams in the world has
been built twelve miles northeast of
the town of Belle Fourche to create
reservoir with water area Of about
5000 acres. The cubic contents OF
the dam are about one-half the size OF
the pyramid of Cheops, and the reser-
voir is the largest body OF water in
South Dakota. The dam is lis feet
high and $500 feet long at the top,
and supplies two conduits, called the
north and south canals. These main
canals will feed system OF about 1875
miles of lateral canals and about a
thousand miles of bitches, which will
reach the Belle Fourche valley, on
both sides of the river for about thir-
teen miles, extending eastward from
the town about forty miles.
The project was authorized in 1904;
the surveys were made the same year,
and contracts for construction were
signed in April, 1905. Work has been
carried on very rapidly and without
interruption, and the record is one of
the most gratifying in the history of
the reclamation service. Settlers be-
gan to take up land as soon as the
plans Of the government became
known, and in 1904, even before the
surveys were made, the private land
owners in the valley organized in the
Belle Fourche water users association
and subscribed $3,400,000 for the
stock.
The government found itself hap.
PLY situated as to water supply. 1t Is
entirely what engineers call a gray
ity" proposition. There IL an abun-
dance Of water for even more land
than is available, and the cost to set
tiers is only $50 an acre for perpetual
water rights and clear title. The
land itself costs only the filing fee.
and the payments are arranged in an
nual installments Of So each without
interest. Private land owners are
selling their farms for from $40 to
$25 per acre above the government
price.