Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-05-27
SUNSHINE VALLEY
TO Be RECLAIMED
Water Will Be Di.
ver;ed From Red
River
PROJECT An EXTENSIVE ONE
All Details Consummated and
Work Will Begin at an
Early Date.

Thirty thousand acres of as rich
land as is to be found in the Sun.
shine Territory will be converted from
an arid waste to garden spot by the
spring of 1910 when the Red River
Land and Water company expects to
turn water into the Sunshine valley
north of the Red River and east of the
Rio Grande in Taos county. Nearly a
million dollars will be expended in
building dam, canal and laterals.
A contract has been entered into be.
tween the territory of New Mexico
and the Red River Land and Water
company, which when sanctioned by
the Interior Department, and from
what is considered unquestionable au.
thorty it will be, will give this com,
valley from the never.failing Red riv.
er.
This company was organized De-
cember 29, 1906, with capital stock
of $9,00O.00O. Judge o, B. Liddell of
Denver. is president; George H
Scheer, of Denver, secretary and
treasurer, and George B. Paxton. of
Red River, Taos county. manager and
engineer.
Mr.. Paxton, who has worked with
untiring energy for the success of this
enterprise and who conceived it stat
ed, while in Santa Fe yesterday after
having closed the contract with the
territory which will insure the sue
cess of the project, that within two
weeks engineers would be put to work
surveying for tunnels, bitches and
aqueducts and that as soon thereafter
as possible actual work in construct
ing the dam, fumes, canals and lat
erals would begin.
Being a resident of that section OF
the territory, Mr.. Paxton is familiar
with every phase of the work to be
done and the results that are bound
to follow the turning of water into the
beautiful valley.
He gave out the following inter
view detailing the feats of engineer
ing that must be accomplished, the
character Of the land, the manner in
which it will be opened for settlement
and other salient features of the en-
terprise:
Details Of the Project.
"The main canal will be thirty-five
miles long, the first seven miles o
which will be one of the most difficult
engineering feats ever attempted ir
the West. The plans contemplate five
miles of wooden fume work beddet
on rock. which most of the distance
will be hewn from cliffs many hun
dreds of feet high. There will also bt
little over two thousand feet Q
tunnel work.
I'm addition to the main cana
there will be about one hundred miles
of laterals. The headgate of the ditcl
is to be located IN the rocky canol
of the Red river, seven miles from
the land to be irrigated. In bringing
the water from the river to sufficien
elevation to reach the land to be re
claimed, 1t is necessary to lead tn
water to an elevation of three hun
dred feet above the bed of the rive
at the mouth of the canon, distance
of less than five miles.
AFTER leaving the main canon o
the Red River the main canal goe
through an aqueduct half mile lont
and sixty feet high over the Caberest'
river. The termination of the mail
canal is on the brink of the Rio Grand'
canon.
"The elevation of the Sunshine Val
lev is the same as the Santa Fe ant
Taos valleys, being 1000 feet, and tn
climate is about the same. The trac
is known as one of the most beautl
full in the territory. The land contains
no rock, no sand or no alkali. The sol
is from five to thirty feet deep and
OF the we'll known chocolate nature
Good water can be reached any plac
in the valley at depth of from thirt'
to sixty feet, very valuable adjunc
for stock and domestic purposes.
1T is estimated that the land vii
support population of about ten thor
sand people in addition to whateve
population may be attracted to one Q
more of the towns which will sprin
up.
"The Sunshine valley is abou
twelve miles long and seven wide
containing an estimated area whic
will be reclaimed by the ditch, Of eigl
ty square miles. 1t is level, slopin
gradually and every 160-acre tract !
this eighty square miles, can be wate1
ed.
Water Supply More Than Ample.
"The water supply Is adequate to Il
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