The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-08
Special to The Tribune

Special to The Tribune.
BOISE, Ida, Aug. $50 prominently
does the reclamation OF the arid lands
figure in the present history OF Idaho
that it has been practically impossible for
the last few weeks TO pick up a local
paper which does not contain some In
teresting news concerning either a vast
eXpanse being brought into cultivation
or the development OF one of the older
projects. Following are some Of the most
important events in connection with tho
reclamation of desert lands which have
occurred recently.
The Black canyon irrigation district has
filed in the United States land office an
system. the main canal of which Will be
forty miles in length. The tract to be
irrigated covers about Si,0or acres and
Hes twenty miles west of this city, be-
tween the Boise and Payette rivers. This
land was originally intended to be includ-
ed In the Boise Payette project, coming
was abandoned by the government on
account of the expense. The settlers
then organized the Black canyon irriga-
tion district and on August 3 were voced
such by the county commissioners. The
water to he used on the rand Will be
taken from the Payette river, near
Horseshoe bend, diverting it to the lands
by means of canal. Already $4,000 has
been expended by the new company In
surveys and securing rights of way, and
under the present plan II is estimated
that the water rights will sch at from $50
TO 500 per share.
Notiicatio has been received in the
state land office from the secretary OF the
Interior that the application or the Thou
sand Springs Land & Irrigation company
for segregation under the Carey act has
been approved and the contract exc
cuted. The proposed project is located In
Custer county and has an acreage Of
6370 acres.
A large irrigation project will he in
stalled In Blaine county If the state land
board acts favoraoly upon the applica-
tion of the Little Lost River Land &
lands under the provisions Of the Carey
act. The selection asked for contains
40. 475 acres, all in Blaine county. Propo-
stions for the construction of the neces-
sary irrigation works subject to the in
speetion OF the state engineer are also
filed. II the application is granted It
is planned TO begin work within six
months and to have the reservoir and
canals completed within years time.
The Little Lost river VIII furnish the
water. and the cost of wat"" rights are
estimated not to exceed $40 J. acre.
The project which has been engineered
by the Weiscr Land G. Water company,
and which represents an expenditure or
100000, has just been completed within
this week and Will furnish water for the
Council Mesa orchard. twenty-five miles
north of Council. This new system is
also of inestlmable value TO the sur
rounding country, as the city Of Welser
which has been suffering for water, has
bought 5000 inches OF water from the
company. which was turned in TO the
city on Tuesday. So welcome is II that
the advent OF the mountain water was
the occasion OF city jubilee. The water
was let out OF the company's reservoir
| through a 4s-inch valve and increased
the gow Of the river five fold when II
had mingled with It The flune line of
this system is seven miles m length.
arising from the middle fork OF the
Weiser river and carries the water across