Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-18

holdings was sold at the town OF Miner
acres was sold.
On Oct /. 1907. the second segrega
rnrcc following days s2.O4o,o0o worth of
on June l. 1905 the Salmon River
the date of sale.
On Feb S, 1909, the Glover Creek
and on Sept. 20, 1909. the Oakley project
In every one of these openings there
was evidenced by the purchasers of
water rights an abiding confidence not
only In the Messrs. Kuhn as flnancicrs.
constructors and operators. but IN the
soil, climate and yielding capacity OF
the splendid acres OF the Snake River
valley
The total acreage of the several seq
resltions amounts to $4,000 acres OF
which 90 per cent has been sold.
PRICES OF WATER RIGHTS.
The price of the water rights of the
acres of the first segregation was $50;
of the second. s25; of the Salmon River.
$40; of the Glover Creek. si5, and Of
the Oakley project. S65.
1t is we'll for those who are uninitiat-
cd in these great irrigation projects to
understand that these openings were
the result of the great Carey act and
arc known as Carey act openings.
which means that an act of Congress
granted to the arid states unimproved
thnds providing they were reclaimed.
An of this work has been done under
the supervision of the state land board
of Idaho. This board fixes the prices
that the company may charge for wa
ter rights. which is governed by the
cost OF construction OF canals and dis
tribution systems.
The water rights have been sold upon
small payment down., namely. 50 per
acre, and the balance distributed over a |
period OF 10 years at per cent interest. |
The land was purchased from the state |
of Idaho at price of 80 cents per acre.
the entryman being required to pay 20 |
cents per acre when making entry and |
- cents per acre at time of making final |
proof on his land. The payments were |
small on the start for the reason that |
1t was thought wise and best 10 give
The people who were buying these
Carey act lands and water rights an
opportunity to establish themselves and
place their acres under cultivation be-
fore the larger payments became due.
The magnitude of these enterprises
only really dawns on the human mind |
after they have been seen. The pay
rolls in the different departments of this
great work aggregate over quarter
million dollars month. 1t was a
stupendous undertaking, For many
years men who We're conversant and
experienced IN the art of Irrigation felt
that some day the thousands and hun
oreds of thousands of acres of the VAL
ley of the Snake would be reclaimed |
and converted into veritabe garden,
which is being rapidly done, but the |
enormous cost OF everything was too
big even for the men who dreamed of
the future greatness and OF the Won
derful possibilities connected with the
Valley sf the Snake.
IN LESS THAN THREE YEARS.
1t remained for men who were cap
tains of finance. who had behind them
the endorsement of thousands of in
vestors. to take the step that converted
the valley of the Snake from the desert
to profitable farm. and yet when
the reader refers to the dates OF these
respective openings and sees that Ii
only extends back a period of two and
a half years 1t is little short Of the
marvellous that so gigantic a WORK
II Is safe to say that upon the COM
pletion of the various irrigation enter
priSeS which the MeSsrs Kuhn have |
constructed and are completing in |
Idaho the length of the main canals,
laterals and sub-laterals will repre- |
sent distance almost rs far as from |
san Francisco TO Pittsburg in actual |
miles. and the great dams that are be- |
ing constructed, the mighty canals that |
have been built mile upon mile across |
the somber and unlnvlting desert, will !
mean an enormous work well done Few
know the difficulties of handling great |
forces of men and animals under such |
conditions. Water stations had TO be |
provided. wells had to be drilled In
the first place the water was hauled |
from the Snake river in tanks drawn |
py four and six mule teams, then the
wells were completed and the water
taken from these wells to various parts
OF the tract. where the work was in
progress.
EVERY PROMISE KEPT.
At every one of these land openings |
n promise was made to the purchasers |
OF water rights as to the time when |
they could depend on the water and |
when the canals would be ready and |
inc distribution system in operation. |
Every promise was kept to the letter |
To be sure the first year of a great
reclamation project is a hard one There
are many adverse conditions to meet. |
You have the people who are In most |
instances. unacquainted with the prac- |
Use OF Irrigation; the untested dltches |
preak, there are a hundred things that |
nave, 10 be met and overcome. and yet |
l think IT can be conseryatively stated !
tnat for the trst year in the operation
OF a great canal system, such as there |
IS on the north side tract, that n re-
markaole record has been made not
only by the company but by the set