The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-02-18
HoltvilIe, CAL, Feb. S. 100!

Editor Pioneer:
We left Deming, New Mexico, Feb.
Bird at noon went to Tucson, stopped
until the next train came along and
boarded it and came to Yuma, Ari-
zona, and only stopped there a few
hours, but long enough to learn about
the gigantic work the government is
doing there in regard to reclaiming
the desert and to see the great Color
ado river pouring its torrents of silt
laden waters down on to the barren
and thirsty soil that is being reclaim
ed and made into the most beautiful
farms that have yet laid my eyes up
on and I believe that 1 have seen as
good as there are in America. When
you can see cattle and hogs wading in
alfalfa two feet high in midwinter and
barley heading out, and can plant a
crop of corn in August and have a
certainty of it making from forty to
fifty bushels to the acre, and where
you can grow the best oranges on
earth and anything else for that
matter, and where you can have all
the water you want at a nominal price,
and control your moisture so that
your crops are certain. The soil is
one hundred feet deep or perhaps a
great deal more than that Il know
what I am talking about for I have
seen where it was cut down by water
nearly that deep and it was the same
thing all the way DOWN. 1t is good
enough for me. They tell me there is
a half million acres in this valley that
can be put under ditch and in a high
state of cultivation. The land is all
alike except there is more sand in
some places than others and it works
easier and better and irrigates better.
Around this town of Holtville is that
kind of land, and my favorite spot in
the valley. Through the generosity
of Messrs. White and Holt, two busi-
ness men here, we got to see the valley
to good advantage, for they drove us
over goodly number of miles. We
saw cottonwood trees six inches in
diameter and forty feet high only
three years old and orange trees three
years old loaded with oranges. Now
remember my friends that this is only
a new country, four years ago was
about the first work and the first settle.
ment in this part of the valley. Over
about Calexico, about sixteen miles
from here the first settlers commenced
seven or eight years ago. There is nc
doubt whatever but this valley is the
best large body of land in America
and when you consider the climate anC
all natural advantages there is no 9th
er to compare with it. I'll bet if yor
. northern farmers ever get down hert
this time of the year or any time il
the winter and if you ever had an!
notion of changing your residence OF
buying land for investment you would
never go back without buying. Tall
about rich soil never saw anything
like this desert soil when water il
turned on it. When you start out o
this town you would think you were il
anything but an irrigated country TO
it looks in the distance like you wer
ina timbered country, you can Sc
trees everywhere, and think OF tn
j short time since man began here
The castor beans grow here and max
shade trees they never stop growing
The gardens are continuous. The
plant eucalyptus trees and in tw
years they have all the fence post
and wood they want from them.
surely saw COWS and they were lyin
contented in the alfalfa fields and fa
Cream did I hear cream mentioned
8 Yes, we had cream at the hotel th
second time we had had the pleasur
of having our palates treated to sue
luxury on over four thousand mile
of travel and beef as fat and tende
and juicy as ever was produced an!
where. People have garden veg
tables all the time. Right in the edg
OF this town stands an electrlc pla1
that furnishes electricity for the who
valley and the power is derived fro
the water out of the irrigation cana
They have Dakota people here tt
landlady at the Hotel Alamo here
from Dakota, a young woman and ST
told me that herself and her husband
sister stopped out on homestead in
shack in Dakota two years ago. 81
said their was no pleasure connecte
with it and the next summer they can
down here and rented the hotel; the
her father came down to visit here al
fell in love with the country and we
back home sold his farm in Dako
came back and bought nice pla
i here q mile from town and has bu1