The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-09

TINS range lower than 5000 feet. while
Green river, II damned by the Tin
tahs, could have flowed into the great
basin without rising over 5000 feet.
similarly, the San Rafael river butts
INTO the great cliffs on the west flank
OF the Swell and gashes through its
nigh mesas when it would be much
easier to have traversed a lower and
smoother country around it,
Rivers Antedate Mountains.
Major Powell was the first to solve
this problem. He decided that the
rivers were older than the mountains.
through which they had carved their
courses as rapidly as the ranges were
uplifted- In no other way can the
queer conduct of the San Rafael ana
other rivers OF the plateau region be
explained.
The san Rafael is d tributary of the
Green and has its origin in the Wa
satch plateau. which rises to its great
est height Of 1896 feet between SAM
pete and Castle valleys. II has two
flood seasons. one i'm the spring from
melting SHOWS. the other i'm August
from clOudbUrsts. 1t has a capacity to
irrigate 100000 acres OF land. and the
beautiful stretches of fertile country
of that extent and more now lie SHIN
swell and Green river. but every drop
Of the bOUnteOus flood of the San
Rafael runs unchecked to the ocean.
Will Utilize Water.
To remedy this woeful waste. a
strong reclamation company has been
formed with well known Salt Lake
people at its head. 1t is called the
Green River Valley Land K Water
company. They propose to furnish ir-
rBating water to four fine valleys.
main valley of the san Rafael. by con-
structing a dam to hold the river
within the swell thus forming the
Mexican Bend reservoir: then tunnel
ling a water way through the cliffs To
a system of canals that will lead and
traverse the rich valleys named.
This is the most extensive reClama-
ton project yet attempted in the state
and will involve the employment of
many men and the expenditure OF
much money for several years. But
the outcome will be a large increase III
the taxable property of the state, the
furnishing Of farms and orchards to
many new settlers, a prosperous COM
munity in fact where now no hablta-
ton can be discovered as far across
those plains as the eye can see
Ii will all come about in very few
years. just as it has done in Grand
Junction and the Uucompahgre valley
Colorado in several parts OF Idaho anu
elsewhere. Hitherto Utah has not Kept
mace with modern reclamation develop
ments. but here. at least. is one that
will rank with the greatest OF any, tor
the ultimate conceptions of this com
many involve the irrigation Of over half
a million acres.
-Tbe soil Of this land is rich and deep
enough. I took photographs where II
had been cut into gullies, showing the
alluvium to be at least fourteen feet
in depth How gladly such ground VIII
respOnd to the husbandman when wa
ter IS turned upon it every settler Ill
the valleys Of Utah knows
A Great Arabic Tract.
There is very little rain or snowfall
over this district whose area is at
least twenty by sixty miles, stretching
from the Denver & Rio Grande rali-
wav. which runs through the northern
part of the tract southwark 10 re
mont river
Put to the experienced eye Of Pres
idcrt " ID. Candland Of the state land
hoard who has just returned from a
.-aref11I review Of the tract, II prom
5sas tn be one of the most attractive
l5fs+ricte IN the state when the water
projects under way are completed.
was at Mexican bend Of the san
PafaeI on April 29-30 when SHOWS and
I-iiIs-1 froefs did million dollars
worth of damage to the fruit interests
- 'tle state but there was no SNOWFALL
tbere and no storm except rather
cbiIiv wind. No harm was done Oy
srosf TO the young orchards around
Green River. 1 found on inquiry tnat
no bearing orchards at that place car
be bought for less than Sl-UVV per acIe.
T,-,i5srfaIlv. l found that / could not
- hailed lUcern hay for less than 50
7,e,. ron Also that peaches last year
brougbt the fancy price Of over 81
hoy in car lots With 100 trees to the
- ana an average yield of seven
boxes 10 the tree. it is no wonder thas