Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-06-01
WHY NEW MEX
|CO FL0UR|SHEs
Immense SumSpent
For lrriga-
TOWN OF FRENCH PROsPERs
Because in Position to Secure
Water in Abund-
ance.

For the past few days Santa Fe has
entertained two visitors who repre.
sent company that really does
things. The gentlemen are Sophus
Richard, the general manager OF the
French Land and Irrigation Company
and Harry Goldstine, the Chicago
manager. The purpose of their visit
to Santa Fe was to become acquaint-
ed with the city and territorial Of
ficials and in particular to visit Gov
, ernor George Curry. Mr.. Richard
served in the Philippines for sixteen
months as steward and doctor in the
regiment under Curry's command.
During the service he became warm
personal friend of the Governor and
while here was royalty entertained at
the Executive Mansion
! The French Land and Irrigation
Company, of which Mr. Richard is the
general manager, is undertaking a
project that is bound to be of great
and lasting benefit to New Mexico.
Organized about year and half
ago. the company secured possession
of $4,000 acres of land in Colfax coun-
| ty and Immediately set to work ex-
pending large sums of money for the
purpose of irrigating the land and
selling it to persons who wished to
come to New Mexico and establish
home The irrigation project which
is still under way contemplates total
expenditure of one and quarter mil
!. lion dollars. Already over three hun
dred thousand dollars has been spent
for irrigation purposes and from
twelve to fourteen thousand acres
have been placed under irrigation.
This year seven thousand acres OF the
I land are under cultivation which Is
extremely remarkable. as less than
year ago the district consisted OF
nothing but arid land. Seven months
ago, at the point where the Santa
Fe is crossed by the Ell Paso South
western, there was nothing in sight
save a small depot. Today. owing to
| the wonderful work done by the
French Company, the town of French
exists, with a population or two hun
dred and forty people, and is daily be-
coming more prosperous. The town
already contains lumber yard, a
planning mill. two cement block fac
tories, a livery stable, blacksmith
shop. a bank, a hotel now under con-
struction, a general store, a grocery
store. a hardware store, a drug store
and number of other places of busi-
ness. French also has its water works
and is we'll supplied with pure drink
ing water. a.
| Twice month special car of peo-
pie from outside points is brought by
the French Company to inspect the
land offered for sale. Only the very
best class of people is brought in and
as a result, the territory around the
town of French is settled by a thrifty
and Industrious population.
In the past year, nearly 10000 acres
of land have been disposed of by
the company, involving a sum of over
100000. In addition, many town lots
| have been sold. Heretofore the land
has been sold on the strength of a
promise to supply water. Now, that
the company has built large reser-
voir and actually can supply water, 1t
is anticipated, in fact taken as an as
sured matter, that the sales from now
on will be far greater than ever be-
fore.
The reservoir already built lies
about fourteen miles west of the town
of French. 1t covers an area of 39S
acres and is forty-two feet deep, be-
ing of concrete construction. The ca
pacity of the reservoir is 10000.
acre feet. Six more reservoirs will be
built shortly and will have combined
capacity, including that of the ex-
listing reservoir, of eighty thousand
acre feet. Provision has been made
to carry the water to all points desir-
ed and the project when completed
will be the means of making the land
in that part of the Territory fit for
cultivation such as was never dream
ed Of in former years.
! CnrnsA ExnlodAs on Train-ThA