The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-05-19
THREE HUNDRED
FARMS OPENED
The Last Of the Present Month in wyom-
g-ReclmatiOn Service Besieged
With Request for Infoma-

Washington, May la.--Three hundred
farms 81 from 40 10 so acres each and
a town site under Uncle Sans new reela.
nation project in Wyoming are TO be
thrown open to settlement the latter
part Of this month. Letters are already
pouring into the reclamation service at
Washington asking for information AZ
to this latest beneyolence Of the govern
ment
The opening Of this piece Of ground,
the second unit in the new Shoshone
project. will be the first to take place
this year and will mark another stage
iii the Transforming Of the wilds Of the
West from the hnunts Of the buffalo into
the habitation Of civilized man. The
town Of Powell, Wyoming, and the coun-
try Immediately surrounding it Is one Of
the most historic places among all those
in which government engineers have been
at work FOR the past five years. II Is
In the Big Horn basin, once the home OF
the American bison and the old stamping
ground Of Col Buffalo Billp Cody.
The FIRST unit Of $4,000 acres Of this
country was opened up last June and
already is well settled. In that time
farms have sprung up and now dot what
was formerly 4 broad expanse Of sage
brush and pairie grass. Dairy cattle
have taken The place Of the bleaching
bones Of the steer and buffalo that were
once compelled to battle for life against
snow and drought, and we're dependent
upon the caprice Of the season for
sustenance Ia the old days Of cattle
raising on the plains Of Wyoming, the
cattle raiser counted on a loss Of 40 per
cent from death in his herd each year
Farm houses on well kept roads occur
at intervals Of eight miles. Trees that
seem 10 be twenty wears old have sprung
like magic from the watered soil. and
crops Of an kinds have prospered as
though brought up from the desert by
the wand Of the Hindu magician. Wheat
yielded from 40 to As bushels and oats
from 81 10 70 bushels 10 the acre last
year Potatoes, apples and all kinds Of
berries have done well and sugar beets
grow amazingly. II the cultivation o.
the sugar beet develops further, a sugar
factory viii be established at an early
date, and another industry win have been
added to the community.
Powell Is the town for the first two
units, and Is already a thriving commun-
ity, the government allowing the lana
70 be used until it can be disposed Of
There are two sehoolhouses there, both
graded, one drug store, one granite state
bank, a hotel, a lumber yard, a general
store and a church.
The roads leading out from Powell are
served with rural free delivery route,
and there is cheap local and long distanee
telephone service.
The town itself IL the FIRST stopping
place on the new route to Yellowstone
Park on the Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy railroad, about a day and a half
ride from Omaha Ii can be reached
easily from Helena, Butte or Denver, and
Is in the center Of a district Of a half
million acres that eventually viii be irri
gated when the Shoshone dam Is com
Dleted.
The unit to be opened this month is
he second Of three that viii be made
AVAILABLE for the irrigation before the
monster dam in Box Canyon Is COM
lleted The water at present Is supplied
iirectly from the Sh0shone river A
small diyerting dam has been thrown
lcross the river by government engineers
ind the water IL taken out behind it ana
conducted, in a tunnel three and one
luarter miles long blasted through
ranite mountain, TO The lands under
he ditch" IL Is estimated that there
yill be enough water TO irrigate 1000
lcres without storing the food waters
n the canyon back Of the Shoshone
Iams as contemplated,
The dam that Is to impound The waters
or the immense tract that viii later be