The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-07-11

4 Hamilton, July 10.--Ille story OF the
Bitter Root is identical with
the story of irrigation in the valley
and today countess ditches and my
/, riads of laterals maize fruitful land
that, but for the enlivening influence
Connected prominently with the his
tory of irrigation in the Bitter Root
is George Ward and. at his summer
home in Wards Cove, he has related
| especially for The Missouian the
story Of the introduction of ARTIFICIAL
rain onto the broad acres of the val
4 ley that he loves so we'll:
w The First bitches.
"The Surprise ditch was the first
to be taken, out of the river and it
was built in the early 7G's, but in
1858 John LaFountaine took out a
ditch from Willow creek and in the
early SOS Jim Tolan and Joe Blod-
gett ran ditch out of Sllalkaho creek
/ near Grantsdale.
| lone of the earliest bitches in the
valley was taken out by Father Ra-
valli near Stevensville but have yet
to find anybody who remembers the
exact date. Stevensville, then Fort
Owens, is the oldest town in the val
ley and so it is likely that this ditch
dates before most Of the others, if
not all Of them.
'Since then / have seen irrigation
bitches built on every hand until now
I they are almost innunerable I my
self have built the Ward ditch out OF
the Skalkaho, helped build the Repub-
lican ditch and am now engaged in
constructing another and larger ca
nal, taken out of Lost Horse creek
and the Bitter Root river to water
what we call Wards Cove. I can say
truthfully that Of all the bitches I
have. built or helped to build none
will water such land as this last one.
The bitches Of Now.
"Among the principal bitches of to-
day is to be named the largest of
them all, although still in course of
construction, the big canal of the Bit
ter Root Valley Irrigation company
This ditch, which is to be more than
half hundred miles long and will
carry more than 10000 inches of wa
ter, is taken out Of Lake Como and
the ditch company has spent a great
amount of money in construction
work.
'Second in size comes the Ward
ditch, surveyed to be 20 miles long
and to carry at least 10000 inches of
tor is tn will a
Cove and extend way past Hamilton.
The most difficult and expensive por-
tions of this ditch have been con-
structed and work is going on stead
lily.
"The next largest bitches are owned
by the Daily estate, the Republican,
the Hedge ditch and the old Ward
ditch Altogether there three carry
approximately $4,000 inches of water
The Supply ditch, situated between
Stevensville and Corvallis, carries
5000 inches and the Surprise ditch,
one of the Oldest and at one time the
biggest of it's kind in the valley, car
ries from 5000 to 1000 inches. The
Burrell ditch, taken out close to Riv-
erside, near Hamilton, carries from
$500 to 5000 inches. The Orr Bald
win ditch is also of considerable i'm
portance 1t is taken out of the West
Fork to irrigate land at the inter-
section of the East and West Fork
and is owned by Will Ward.
There are many other ditches-too
many, almost to count. There are
20 creeks that are tributary to the
ABitter Root and out of each and ev-
cry one of these is taken from one
to four or five bitches, to serve the
more immediate ranches and orchards.
The value of land in the valley and
the general success of it's farmers and
fruit growers is due to irrigation, the
most interesting, sure and profitable
methods of agriculture. We are all
the time learning more about irriga-
tion-by experience and experiment
and / believe that the real growth OF
the valley is but begun. Surely. it
is interesting work"
n. How Ward Came.
Mr.. Ward loves the Bitter Root and
how he came to locate in the valley
is another story, also of interest. In
July, 1881, he came over the noun
tains into the most beautiful valley he
had seen in a trip by wagon halfway
across the continent: it was a case
of love at first sight. There Mr..
Ward stopped and there he brought
his family, Whom he Lad left back in
Missouri. In the valley he prospered /
and in the valley he will spend the
remainder of his days. The year 1881
doesn't seem SO very long ago: at
that time the civil war was on the
way to being forgotten, the throes of