The Owyhee nugget. ([Silver City], Idaho) 1905-1984, 1909-09-30

And vet this extensive district, covering
an area quite as great as that of Connecti
cut, must not beoverlooked in making up
an estimate of Owyhee's industries. The
CATTLE horses, sheep and wool shipped or
driven out from these splendid ranges pro
vide living for a hardy and energetic class
Of people and have been the foundations for
many comfortable fortunes.
The mountains are drained toward the
north into Snake River by, naming them in
their order from the east, Bruneau River,
Birch, Castle Picket, Sinker, Reynolds and
Sucker Creeks, and to the west by Cow,
Sinker, Boulder and Battle Greeks. Along
each of these streams are valleys of more
or less agricultural and horticultural i'm
portance, producing fine crops of alfalfa and
timothy hay and vegetables and fruits in
great variety and abundance. These valleys
furnish homes for prosperous ranchers, who
find a ready market for their hay among
. the stock growers, and for their fruits and
vegetables, poultry and dairy products in
the mining camps in the mountains, at
prices beyond the reach of the greater fruit
districts in the State.
The Bruneau River rises in the Elk
Mountains in Nevada, and crossing the State
line flows through the prosperous grazing
and stock section known as Big Flat or
Three Greek, whence it enters one of the
most picturesque and deepest canyons IN
the entire West through which it flows for
20 miles between precipitous lava walls. ris
ing in places fully 1000 feet above the cur
rent. Leaving this great canyon, it runs
through the famous Bruneau Valley for fit.
teen miles, the valley being an average of
about three miles in width and prolific in its
production Of hay, grain and fruit.
Leaving the beautiful Bruneau Valley,
the river makes its course through another
canyon, for three miles, at the mouth of
which dam has been constructed to turn
portion of the waters into a canai to irri
gate a fine stretch of lands bordering Snake
River for several miles down that stream.
Castle, Sinker and Reynolds Creeks each
have fine valleys, small in area but extreme
ly productive, the crops, consisting mainly
of alfalfa, vegetables and great variety of
fine fruits, the farmers usually being stock
growers who make their ranches an adjunct
to their greater industries of live stock and
wool growing, their herds and fiocks graz
ing on the great ranges during the greater
part of the year. The fruits and vegetables
raised by these ranchers find ready market
in the mining towns.
regard to the mountains. On the north side
of the range the snowfall is very light for
this latitude and the rainfall during the
summer months is so inconsiderable that ir
rigation is entirely depended upon for rails
ing crops. But irrigation, where the water
supply in sufficient is SO much superior to an
uncertain rainfall that a failure of crops
is never looked for. Here the moisture is
supplied when required and the harvesting
done in almost certain sunshine. High up
in the mountains the snow gets very deep,
and the great drifted banks seldom disap
pear during the summer, and as they melt
they supply the water required in the valley
| for irrigation.
The cold is seldom severe, even in the
mountains The nights during the summer
are delightfully."- cool. One rests and sleeps
comfortably here during the hottest time
of the year, under blankets.
Bordering on the Snake River nearly the
entire north side of the county are exten
sive- tracts of rich lands, wanting only wa
ter for irrigation to make them equal to
any agricultural lands in the State The
greater portion of these are subject to home
stead entry. They would provide many
prosperous homes if irrigation we're practi
cable. Within the past two years a number
of artesian wells have been drilled on these
plains and in every instance a supply of wa
ter has been the result. The average depth
of the wells is about 600 feet Each one
supplies a flow of water, which, &c conserved
and used only as required on the lands, is
sufficient to supply a ranch of considerable
size. The cost of drilling these wells is not
great and thus lands that may be had for
the entry can be made valuable. This pre-
sents the opportunity for home making
which is not to be overlooked
There are numerous springs in Owyhee
worthy of note. Some of the hot springs
have acquired more than a local fame fo1