The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-07-04
POCatelIo Prosperity.

fifty acres of ground apart by the government
in 1898 as a TOWNSHIP Pocatelo being in the center
of the Fort Hall reservation The Oregon Short
Line railroad in this act granted plenty of
ground for railroad purposes and erected extensive
shops and railroad facilities there.
The city, by its position will always be the chief
railroad center of the state.
Later on by an act of congress, all the land
within five miles of Pocatello was released from the
Indian reserve and taken up by settlers Still later
the government appropriated $35O,OOO to water
the land within the five mile radius
There is no better land in the state in the semi
arid west
A great reservoir is now being built 80 miles
from Pocatelo the upper Blacl1foot river. There
is a fine drainage territory and than sufficient
water be stored to irrigate all the available
land
This water will be turned in to the splendid Black
foot river and brought down in it to within Is miles
Of the area to be watrered. The Indian bureau is
very much interested in the entire project and it
largely owing to the broad views and craftsmanship
of the accomplished head of the Indian department.
Commissioner Leupp, that the $35OOOO appropriation
was secured
There are some 100000 acres of Indian lands
the Fort Hall reserve Under the provisions of the
bill making the Appropriation, the Lemhi Indian
reserve abandoned and the Lemhi Indians, some
four numbered in number, brought down to
Fort Hail. and the 100000 acres are to be divided
between them and the Fort Hall Indians, some
1000 in number, each Indian being allotted share,
and the remainder to be thrown open to settlement
There is already large canal on the Fort Hall re-
serve and the additional water from the Blackfoot
reservoir will be ample to supply all the Indian
lands
Commissioner Leupp recognized, not only that tie
Indians would be made independent farmers, but he
also designed the close proximity to white men with
irrigated farms stimulus and constant object
lesson to his wards.
Work has been going on by the government
for nearly two years. and the prospect has ougrown
its original splendid proportions Some of the en-
terprising citizens outside the five mile belt have
called attention other possibilities in connection
with the initial project and preliminary nvestiga-
tons have been completed by competent engineers of
of the irrigation possibilities of Portneuf valley in
the vicinity of American Falls and of the feasibility
of divertng the waters of the B1ackfoot river into
the Portneuf drainage.
There about 10000 acres south of the Port
neuf and east of the Snake river, some of it out
side of the Indian reserve and some of it on the re-
serve but outside of the five mile limit which can
be served with water from the Portneuf There is
also considerable tract of land north of Pocatello
which lies above the reservation ditch which can be
reached by canal out of the Portneuf diverted
few miles above Pocatello. This land under the
original plan, would have been supplied by pumping
There is another tract of 10000 acres of magni-
cent rrigable land in the vicinity of Chesterfield
some 40 miles from Pocaello which could be irriga-
ted by diverting the waters of the Backoot river in
% the Portneuf drainage. All of these 10000 acres
lie well up the stream and all the drainage would
-evert back to the Portneuf for use below
The work now under waV bv t1e Government
t is within the knowledge of the Scimtar that if