The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1909-05-07
: s::, i !: $
NATIONAL
ILLEGAL BRIDGES ATTACKED.
Major Skunk Hears Evidence for
and Against Their Removal

Major Skunk Hears Evidence for
and Against Their Removal.
Fargo. y April ~. MAJOR Shnm!s, o: 81,
Pau, acting for the war Department. presid-
ed at a nrotlns held here yesterday 10
secu expressions on the removal OF obstruc.
ton III the Red river from Belmont to Fargo.
Boa,> now run from BE mont 10 Winuepeg,
Mauy speakers favored the removal OF pile
bridges which have been constructed in viola
tion .f federal laws. which hold the stream
navigable to Fargo. An opposing petition was
presented from certain residents along both
sides OF the river They objected to the re-
moval OF the bridges for social and other
reasons one OF which was the fact that many
rural routes used them.
Major Skunk will report the proceedings to
the war department and may recommend the
removal OF all illegal bridges polls
Journal, May ]. 1909
What does the above dispatch
sent out from Fargo mean? On
December g. 1897 R. A. Alger,
Secretary Of War sent to the
speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives at Washington, D. c.,
a letter as follows:
War Departm ent, Washington. d. c..
December s. 1897
Sir: have the honor to inclose here h
IA letter from the Chief Of Engineers daLed
December t. 1897. together with copy OF a re-
port from Lieut.. Col. W. A. Jones, Corps OF
Engineers, dated November Ii. 1897, OF 81 sur.
vcy made by him in compliance with the pro-
visions OF the river and harbor act OF June },
1896 OF Big Stone Lake and Lake Traverse
Minnesota.
Very Respectfully.
r. A. A,.GER. Sect of War
On December 6, 1907 John M.
Wilson, Brig. Gen., Chief of
Engineers, U. S. Army, s@.a-
mitted to Hon. r. A. Alger,
Secretary of War in part as fol-
lows: Lieut.. Colonel Jones
modifes these plans and submits
estimates Of costs amounting to
$3.50, OOO."
Much has been written and
said regarding Big Stone Lake
and Lake Traverse reservoir
systems. There are two objects
in view in connection with these
two lakes. In the first place Big
Stone Lake has 66S miles of
drainage for every mile of lake
and Lake Traverse 73 miles Of
drainage territory for every mile
of lake and it is proposed to keep
this enormous water stored in
these lakes in the place Of going
down the Minnesota river and
flooding the lands as it passes on
its march to the Mississippi
river, for which the Minnesota
Legislature appropriated $25000
at its last session to divert the
Milestone river waters into Big
Stone Lake and then to construct
a dam at the foot of Big Stone
Lake to hold the waters there,
so the farmers living along the
Minnesota river will better be
enabled to cultivate their lands
and stop this ver-fowing and
make the lands wet in the spring
and further benefit by holding
back the waters Of heavy rains
during crop growing season and
eventually making the Mime
scta river navigable from the
Mississippi river to Big Stone
Lake. Lake Traverse causes
still more destruction to the
farmers residing in the Red
River Valley for the reason that
the SHOWS first melt in the south
end of Lake Traverse and then
the water runs out north and as
the Red River is filled with ice,
these waters pass over the top
of this ice and spreads out over
the banks and in years of heavy
SHOWS or heavy rails it covers
thousands upon l., sands Of
acres of tillable land In he Red
River Valley with water, there
by rendering good fertile pillow
land valueless for that season.
If these waters could be stored
in Lake Traverse and then in tae
summer and fall months if the
lake was too high to retain
average water Of another season,
locks could be placed so as =
draw the water off and also tc
regulate navigation from Lake
Traverse to the Hudson Bay.
4 From the clipping of the Min
neapolis Journal it begins to lool
as if the government was goint
to open up navigation on the Rex
River of the north. There SEEM
to be greater activity then eve
before to open up waterways o