The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-05-15

lev. IS miles southeast of Mountain
Home. is to have an irrigation system
under the protection and provisions of
the Carey act. G. w. Thompson,
Lewiston banker, and his associates
have taken the first steps toward ask
ing for the segregation of the lands
in the valley which are susceptible OF
irrigation; their engineers are now
at work estimating reservoir capacity,
running main ditch lines and gather
ing data, after which the application
to the state land board for segrega-
ton of the lands proposed to be lrrl-
gated will be asked for.
Within one week after the proposal
was laid before the newly organized
Medbury Valley Development Assocl-
alton the settlers of the valley had
placed in the hands of the committee
composed of the officers of the asso-
citation ACCOMPLISHMENTS for the entire
acreage required together with the
contracts for the transfer OF their
lands to the state to be taken sub
sequently under the provisions or the
Carey act. L. G. Bradley, who is
representing Mr.. Thompson and MS
associates, laid the proposition before
the settlers at their meeting on FEB.
27 and at the meeting of March 3, one
week later, 5000 acres had been
signed for and placed in the hands OF
the committee which has been en-
powered to act for the landholders OF
the valley in all negotiations both
with the irrigation company and the
state land board relative to the seq
regation of the lands and the price
of the water rights. Action ON the
matter will be taken by the board
after the state engineer has examined
the project.
The water supply for the new pro-
iect is based on the heavy spring
flood run off of Bennett, Cold Springs,
Alkali and Little Canyon creeks.
The filings on flood water in these
creeks by the irrigation company ag-
gregate $4,000 miners inches, which is
sufficient even in dry seasons to fill
the proposed reservoir several times
The site for this reservoir is on Cold
Spring Creek at an elevation of about
45O feet above the lands proposed to
be watered. Just before the creek be-
gins it's precipitous tumble to the
Snake river form the lofty plains 1t
enters deep and narrow canyon. AT
the upper mouth nature has provided
an ideal place for the building of
dam. Raised to a height of 81 feet
it is estimated that il will impound
between $4,000 and $4,000 acre feet
of water. 1t is possible that the en-
gineers may recommend the building
of the dam to height OF 70 feet,
thereby greatly increasing the capa-
city of the reservoir.
Considering the capacity, certainty
of water supply and nearness to the
lands to be watered, this is by all
odds the best reservoir site in Gilmore
county. At the 62 foot level 1t
reaches back a distance of three miles
and has an average width of one and
one-uuarter miles. Within its contour
lines lie the upper McGinniss, Cal
Scheff and Sam Blackwell ranches,
which will have to be purchased to
form part of the reservoir site. With
these ranches will be included right
to $50 inches of the natural summer
flow of the creek. In diverting the
flood waters of the other creeks to the
reservoir on Cold Springs there are
no engineering problems, and indeed,
but little canal work to be done, as
already there is a small ditch from
Bennett Creek to Cold Springs which
can be widened at small cost. There
is also a small diversion ditch from
Alkali to Cold Springs, and a supply
canal from Canyon creek to Alkali
can easily be made. No one familiar
with the run off of these creeks Will
dispute the fact that there is each
year flood water sufficient to fill the
proposed reservoir many times.
One feature of the proposed system
which finds great favor is the extreme
shortness of the main distributing
canal which will carry water to the
lands. A large portion OF the seq
regation lies almost directly under the