The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1909-06-03
VISIT TO THE ISLAND RANCH
Many HomebuiIders Are Doing
Excellent Work in Develop
ing This Section.

Last sunday we had the pleasure OF
visiting the Island ranch district. 1t
would be an exceedingly easy task for
anyone to deliver an apostrophe to the
matchless Island ranch from where its
northern line runs east and west near
st. Clair to the southern line which in
some instances extends right down to
the waters edge of Carson Lake; from
the western line which runs along the
silhouetted hills in the distance to the
eastern line, which meets the ranches
of some of the eounty's oldest settlers,
comprising in all a little more than
twelve thousand acres. A good deal
of ranch is the Island tract and an
attempt to sean it's expanses in the
face of glimmering sun will likely re-
veal to you myriads of cattle standing
on stills or somewhere out of the de-
sert landscape will be thrown an image
of a city or forest or any one of a
thousand eccentric settings which for
the moment dazzle the unsuspecting
Aut.lNluudl WIZ ODStiNco tuc Hfot
time this desert panorama.
The Island ranch, which less than a
decade ago was the scene of the round
up and branding time, and supported
maximum of Six thousand head of cat
tie the year round, is today the scene
of rapidly shifting conditions where
the homes of the new fettlers dot the
landscape in every direction. The
magical soil of the Carson Lake region,
where decayed tules contributed a
growing element that is fertile almost
beyond description is responding read
lily 20 the efforts of the new settlers
who 80 about their work intelligently,
and wonderful impetus is being lend
ed TO the work of making success of
this five million dollar irrigation pro-
ject.
1t was the privilege of the Standard
scribe and his wife to partake on this
day of the hospitality of Senator Doug
lass and Mrs. Douglass and the day
spent on the ranch came to us In the
nature of revelation of what can be
accomplished by intelligent brains
coupled with industry. A record of
the progress of the Island ranch dis
tr;ct should be of interest to those who
are watching the trenl of this pro-
jeet and they are many. Of the orig
inal twelve thousand acres, more than
four thousand acres have already
passed from Senator Douglass to small
land holders. This acreage has for the
most part been divided into subdivisions
of from eighty to one hundred and sixty
acres in extent and the work that is
being prosecuted by individual home
builders is doing more to demonstrate
the resources of the Island ranch sec
tion than would an experimental farm
with a corps of soil experts. The first
ranch house that meets the eye after
entering the ranch on the north is that
of County Clerk j. w. Sitton who
more than year ago purchased of
Senator Douglass a quarter section
tract which carried with it riparian
water right. Mr.. Sitton has erected
handsome improvements on his place
which is entirely in crop either of grain
or natural meadow. An hour spent on
his place shows lot of work out of
office hours and commendable fancy
for fine stock. Directly across the
road from Mr.. Sitton's place is the
quarter section ranch of S. Clark Jr.
who is affecting transformation on
his place.
South of Mr.. Clark's place is tract
of garden land, under lease to Alex
Rose, an expert gardener who is show
ing us how potatoes should be raised.
Mr.. Rose owns quarter section of
land several miles south of his garden
site, which he expects to put in crop
next year. With few exceptions, no
land has been sold from these places
for distance of several miles south,
where the most of the land sold is To-
Gated
Midday was spent on that portion of
Senator Douglass ranch which is re-
served by him for his own future use.
This acreage amounts in all to around
three thousand acres, which carries a
water right for every foot of it. Mr..
Douglass is rapidly bringing the ranch
up to a state of perfection hitherto un-
known. He is now working a force of
from eight to ten men and considerable
time is being devoted to the breeding
and raising of fine stock. Around thirty
young colts were added to his band of
horses this spring and in the alfalfa fields
something like four hundred head of
hogs were being pastured, where they
were busily engaged in roofing for liv-