Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1909-03-18

An event of far reaching Importance
and marking the partial contamination
of a plan to transform to agricultural
uses the largest body of sage-brush
land embraced in one project in the
United States has just occurred at
Boise, Idaho.
In the presence of a large number
of settlers and residents of the val
ley, the big headgates of the newly
constructed government dam in the
Boise river were opened and the pent-
up waters gushed into the broad canal
For months the settlers on the south
side of the project have been watch
ing with deep interest the progress OF
the work on this structure, for upon
its completion rested their hopes OF
an early and abundant supply of wa
ter. The dam Is located eight miles
| southeast of Boise where the river
energies from its canyon. 1t is OF
cyclopean concrete founded on COM
pact gravel The spillway, or dam
proper, is 216 feet long, so feet wide
at the base and 81 feet high. Along
tu6 uOW Cdui iOC VI thS doAi t@hH
securely fastened to it is timber
apron This apron is 80 feet wide
and 13 feet deep on the lower side. 1t
Is built up of 12x12 timbers bolted to-
gether and the spaces between the
timbers filled with rock and gravel.
At the west end Of the spillway is a
logway four feet lower than the spill
way crest, and just west Of the log
way and forming the west abutment
4 of the dam is the fish-ladder. This Is
of concrete, as are the tunnels, which
ing the river during the construction
Of the dam proper. These tunnels are
closed by two 6x8foot cast iron gates
and will be used when need arises fol
sluicing the silt from the reservoir
The main canal with capacity of /,
500 second feet, heads at the extreme
west end of the DAM and the watel
is taken through eight 5x9-foot cas-
iron controlling gates supported by
concrete piers and abutments.
AS the big headgates were opened
and the Iife-g giving waters gushed int
the canal. the scene was viewed Will
varying emotion by the throngs gath
cred there. The engineers gazed witt
satisfaction at the beautifully finishes
structure; the farmers saw an abun
| dance of water in their canals, OF
chards laden with fruit. and enol
: nous yields of grain and alfalfa. Blu
to the statesmen came visions of
new Idaho, an Idaho with POSSIBLE
| ties unsurpassed by any state in al
| the golden west They saw home o
every 40 acres of the project, rurs
population of not less than 5000
people, and $4,000 more people Twin
in the cities and towns which hav
been growing by leaps and bound
since the initiation of the governmer
system gave assurance of an ampl
water supply From conservative est
mates of a decade ago on the valu
| of irrigated land and crops it took n
complicated calculation TO figure OF
that more than s1S,000,0 900 worth {
] taxable property in land values alon
will be added to the wealth of til
state upon the completion of I'll
project. and that crops worth not les
than 100000 viii be grown annual
Already new railroad lines are bein
built through the agricultural are
new mines are being opened, and II
stock raising industry increased.
But let us follow the progress
the water taken from the Boise dar
The canal extends for "a miles to
point on Indian creek above Kun
This creek then carries the water f
eight miles, when another canal
miles long carries 1t to the Deer FL
reservoir. Occasionally along tn
route a smaller ditch diverts wat
to supplement the supply from 9th