Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1909-07-23
rvoir can be used for irrigation.

of 43, COO acres is conveyed into big
canal Leading in a general southeastern
direction.
Several miles below the diversion
dam a second diversion dam is located
and big canal leads from this in a
westerly direction to water the North
Shoshone tract of 10000 acres and the
North Gooding tract of 10000 acres.
The Little Wood river. like the Big
Wood, drains a portion of the Saw
tooth range, flowing first in south
erly direction and then bending sharply
to the west In their western course
the two streams run nearly parallel and
only few miles apart.
Three of the Idaho Irrigation segre-
cations, the Richfeld, North Shoshone
and North Gooding tracts, lie between
the Big and Little Wood rivers, while
two of their segregations are on the
south side of the latter stream and
water from the big reservoir can only
reach them by crossing the Little Wood
river.
The big canal from the first diversion
dam terminates just above Richfield on
the Little Wood river and water for
the Dietrich canal is fumed across the
river and emptied into the head of the
canal.
A few miles below the first diversion
Il fc fha Of hA CAff ond
Slough which is an ancient water
course through which the flood waters
OF the Big Wood river find their way
into the Little Wood river at the John
son ranch four miles below Richheid.
The low water shed separating the
head of the slough from the channel
of the river has been cut through and
slight diversion dam thrown across
the river. This allows a part of the
rivers current to flow into the slough
and on down into the Little Wood
river, and another diversion dam many
miles down the river at Tunupa throws
water into a canal for irrigating the
South Gooding tract of Is, 900 acres.
In 1903 the Idaho Irrigation company
filed a flood water right on the
Little Wood river of 800 second feet
and the same can be taken out at the
Tunupa or Richfeld dam, or both.
Every one of these five segregations
can be enlarged in future years by
high line canals and pumping stations,
that will increase the total area to be
irrigated to 200, 900 acres.
The flow of the Big Wood river alone
is sufficient in dry seasons to cover
800, 600 acres of land one foot deep
with water. and in wet seasons it
would amount to ], 600, 900 acre feet.
So it will be seen that with only
200, 900 acres to be irrigated with
food water and reservoir proposition
and with total drainage area of 1000
square miles to gather water from, the
Idaho Irrigation system looks good.
There are al few ranches scattered
along the two river valleys that own
water rights prior to that of the big
company, but many of them are trad
ing their decreed rights with the big
company and thus becoming part and
parcel of the Carey project.
But with these old rights there is
not one with reservoir proposition.
The Idaho Irrigation company has the
entire flood water flow of the Big Wood |
river up to the limit of their sneeds. |
And to this can be added the 300 second |
feet of the Little Wood river.
If there is a better Carey Act water
right in Southern Idahos or elsewhere
than that of the Idaho Irrigation COM
pany the writer is not aware of it.
In the work of construction machin-
cry is in evidence everywhere. The
only teams employed are mules for
hauling empty cars and freighting
teams to haul material from the rail
road at Richfeld q miles away. Three
hundred men are in constant employ,
Spanards and Japs predominating. A
SAW IIllll near IitC dSCl tCNCA saws Up
all the material needed from logs
fioated down the river. A machine shop
occupies the same building. Two
steam shovels scoop up earth from the
banks and load it onto dump cars which
two or three dinkey engines push out
On trestle over the river where they
are dumped onto the upper wall of the
lam. Three stationary engines load
lump cars with rock and gravity rolls I
hem out over the river where they
,re dumped on the upper and lower |
;aces of the walls of the dam and mules s
,aul them back. Three railway tracks |
cad out over the upper wall and two t
It the lower wall These tracts thread c
he sides of the canyon on both sides '
# the river and are located on differ '
mt levels. "a
A big engine and cement machine I
re living idle most of the time since P