Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1909-10-22

concrete ana elght feet nigh, and IS
being built by machinery, and is now
nearly half way across. The thirty
feet fall Of the river here gives abun-
dance Of power for the purpose of this
company, but in time of high water, the
river will flow nearly level and the
power would be lost. 10 obviate this
difficulty, this wing or Golfer dam is
being built, and as soon as completed,
the power plant will be installed. which
will probably be about the 1st of
January. This Golfer dam will be all
sufficient until greater demand for
power exists.
When the new demand arises then a
dam will be thrown across the river be-
tween the Golfer dam and the falls, of
solid concrete, thirty feet high. This
with the drop of the river will give a
double head of from 80 to so feet, and
from it will be developed one of the
finest power plants on the Snake river
By the way, there is no blasting
going on there to divert the current of
the river, the only blasting found neces-
sary is for the location of the power
plant in the bed of the river. The
Golfer dam is being built without
diverting the current of theriver at all, /
excepting just above the point where
cement is being laid, and when the
construction of the big dam is started,
this eight foot dam will act as q Golfer
dam and will be all that is necessary
for the construction of the larger dam.
The first irrigation system crossed in
this trip was the Twin Falls North Side
project, which viii water totalof 200,
000 acres when the State lands and de-
sert claims are included in the system.
This will make an empire itself, and
Jerome and Wendell and Hartman, the
new town at the crossing of the Malad
near the o. S. L. cut off, will make
cities, how large no one knows.
The next irrigation system that was
seen was the Hagerman Valley, which
is SIMPLY system of companies and in
diyidual owners but it is one of the
best and most complete to be found in
any irrigated country in the world.
The water is obtained from creeks and
springs, flowing out of the rim rock
and is part of the subterranean (
drainage of the Saw Tooth range to the
north. When an individual or company
desires more water for irrigation pur-
poses and he does not have a natural
flow to tap, he simply strikes a tunnel
into the clay or rock forming the can
yon wall, and takes an underhow
farther in the mountain. This source
of supply is never failing, the tunnell +.
being sunk and carried into the noun /
tain from three to five hundred feet, /
and they always strike an everlasting
supply of water which maintains an .
even temperature throughout the year,
soft, pure and cool
The Hagerman Valley is one of the
most remarkable canyon valleys to be
found anywhere. The lands lie there
on different levels. Some farms are
on benches just below the top of the
others on benches half way
down the canyon wall. Others again
lie in the bottom of the canyon, and
some of those rise above the general
level and in driving up and down the
valley, streams of water flow every
where. Ponds, creeks and irrigating
1itches are in view all over the valley.
Canals are built up along the road side,
some above and some below the road
evel. Streams cross the road every
now and then, some large and some
small. Flowing day and night, sum-
ner and winter, never freezing, cease
ess in their activity and ready for use
1t any and all timesl The irrigator
,ould not stop them if he wanted to.
The flow is endless.
1t is this, combined with the rich
ralley land and the low altitude that
yives the wealth to the Hagerman
Valley. The ranchers have found out ,
What pays there now, ard two machines
ire constantly at work thrashing
ilfalfa seed, which sells from the
Machine at about $3.50 per bushel
The average yield is about ten bushels
'er acre, and with the first crop of hay
viii give an average of $4,000 per acre
OK the ranehers OF the Hagerman
ALLEY
The town Of Hagerman is on the
oom, substantial, modern buildings Of ,
rick are being erected. and the hum Of ,
ldustry is heard on every hand. r
The new town at the crossing at the t
Ialad, named Hartman, is only feur Q
nd one-hah miles from the town of t
Iagerman and viii give it railroad v
aipping point with only short haul. e
The next system OF irrigation crossed a
as that of the South Gooding tract of q