Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-06
FOR SALE
Country Property


On April 81, 1904, congress authorized
the reclamation service to divert and use
| the waters of the Colorado river in carry
| ing out general irrigation enterprises. This
| act was of prominent and permanent in
terest because of the interstate and naviga-
| bic character of the river The Colorado
| is our American Nile, though but one-tenth
the size of the famous Egyptian waterway
! 1t rises in high, ow-coVered mountains,
| and discharges into an inland sea, the cur
| of California, a part of the Pacihc ocean,
| 1t has great annual rise during the perlod
| of melting snow; its erosion from the pa
| teaus of Utah and Arizona hll the river
with large quantities of silt, containing ter-
| tillzing properties. The climatic condltlohs
along the lower river are such as TO permit
the production of a great variety Of crops
| of every description, and especially OF semi
| tropical fruits. our agricultural explorers
state that this region Is suitable 10 tS9 tn9
| Arabia. The character of the water anu
| the fertility OF the SOIL coupled ',,, Win eme
climatic conditions. produce conI,huUos n, Jus
growing season, and make the naturai i'
| sources of this region unique. - ~
The Colorado river drains 225,ooo SQUARE square
miles above Yuma, all within the ohlsoo a.
| States; its drainage basin extends 10 "Ne
states and two territories; the Voiuihe Vi
water dscharging past Yuma Is IN excess, ,'ss
even in low water of the combined uses
on tho lower river, where this stream po
| comes international in character - .ho
For a distance of 500 miles below ,lo
Grand canyon are stretches OF AiuiH"
Vations and other pubic lahus' , oot
| There are lrrgable lands In Arizona @ sSt,-
| ma acres and in California, 4lb4Oo acioS, acionc,
| In Mexico il is estimated there are ,I oVo,O0
acres of irrigable land but not YET nm Iii
| In an ordinary dry year the Colorauo vi, ,oi,,
! serve without regulation approximately
| 400 900 acres. In an ordinary uty 80
| therefore with complete regulauon,' ms
| river will serve 100000 acres. Al ALL 80
| sar,,o7 water suppIv held over from wet TO
! dry wear will be an additional gam x,a
| with the successful completion OIL @ tho ,,,tid
! project It will probably eau " 80 1,' where
| inp of other systems up the river W. W. y
/ several available dam sites are receIFHe
! consideration. ,, h,,
The Yuma Project recommended pS
a board of seven engineers on Apru q. -. 49,
and adopted by the secretary OF the lnteliot lnl.oi
| MAY TO- 1904. and an allotment oI nlon1' ns
| for the construction of the work was @ lilau, /;
! since that time the work has pruglesseu
| "ndor the jurisdiction of the United states
! reclamation service until we ma at w w
| present this great government ~ ,rri
water works, intended and plahheu hroad
| gate the richest land in all OF tnIs ms, "a 0'iN
| continent nearing successful eoinplet'oi.
Land coming within the benehelat opvi
| alton OF this act, it Is provided tnas bai
| water right for more tnan 100 acres 1t shal
| no Granted to any proprietor of land Wllhli,
! reach of this irrigation project 4h,s ia
| guards against not only mohopoly VI - -
| lands I'm the future. but destroys any "a,
| mnaeo,,t otvnership. It gradually dlslhte-
| crates any large holdings without lhJulS ~ ~
| Inc proprietors and with beneht TO .le 81 ~
| tfra country The present pihhS - -
| FOR the future extensions TO the ne me-
| Itah1e1 land south of Yuma, and the cana -.
| and head works have suIncl&ehr EN- ga ~ Went
! serve this area, some 4o'VVV 49, - reach
| which the government proposes 10 49,
| ,,itb the aid of pumps operated py P93MS
generated by the flow of water at sne - the
The water for irrigation Is taken rom II ,, uoS
| colorado river at point about htteeh 1e n1lles
| LII 81 The town of Yuma, Arizona, WneIe
| The Iaguna dam has been co.sei .i river
| This dam raises the water "l ~ aa,is
| ahont ten feet and diverts 1t INTO c cal",9
apout ut,ro. eiao which will deliver by gray
Sfv to practically all of the not nottoIh s"Ies re-
| - 4be nrotect Most of the bottoIl - 81
| -, tbo Oood levels of the river, anu 81 W, ~
| Nv Io" a. nrotected by substantial, permanent
| iayees over fifty miles OF protectlns en- ~
| banlfment having been accomplsHeu UP ~
date. ,.,-otos the valleys
| ,lane the lower Colorado river delta ~, ~
| weir popularly known as the Lasu"@S t,,re u,
| which forms the main enslneerIns tbc
| - mo Yuma Project, eNtends acrVss -, A.
| 0,arodo ~ river from the Granite mus III
! Arizona to those in California. at pom i
| about fourteen miles above hulilaG' l., In
sjr,ilar In construction to dams pullt III af.. 80"
sil'i'%i , a. ~ i5rpIish government some hity
| ,ears ago stu in good cohdltloh,, n' "a 90 4a~
| yyitbstood all floods; also those ouiI' ,ads
| across the Nile to irrisate the ue''"
IN rhe bs' I,ar,na dam Is over $500 feet. OF OF
| nearlv a mile in length. II Is conlpo9,u po9,a ~
| a rock filled between pata"e, a,rrss the
concrete eAsenutS rocL abutments on the one
side 70 those on the other side OF tho tn ri,er
! Thesc walls extend from DeloW, ~, nitro
| hed ia the top of the rock MI anu a tn0 strnan
oep t ,,rface Of the dam on Its down SUI SUI .
| side Is covered with concrete pay p.'l ~ the
| inebos thick on the down srediI' 5rrtclr
| inT.or wall is an ample apron OF at''~e ueltrS,e
| lower va ,asod as to protect the structure
s sson9 aDy tendency Of the river 10 pach .f,
| cnt THE dam has a width OF -oV i'''
| of height of 10 rect 1900 bava been
| 10 nf
| o,,strrotod TO protect the valley @ @ialu
against overflow in high water s,o, seasJn, ana
| enbanknents are OF sate u.T ba,e
! their construction and fouhdauons Ices
| taor ovnlored and reinforced. Ihese leNTes ~
are similar to those constructed a.ons ~ ind ,la
Lever Mississippi river and experiences sritod
has furnished valuable illo'''''
in TINS pr0IgaIE TIE YUMA PROJECT
| vt,as established under tho reclamation act
in 1904. and is now SO per cehI en- oon os
| viii he irrigated under 1t as orlg4nailgS y
| MANNED and further extensions OF SUI
| are probable. Water Is taken I'm noint
| Coiorad do river at the Laguna dam at pom
| S,urteen miles below the townste OF lNafnak
| and will he carried in canals through ,Ir0 tnu0
| Yuma Indian reservation, under inc '.oaVI -,
ado river by a siphon now uhder conso, o,,ai uJs
| aau ~ onnectinp with thirty miles OF canals
! tbrough Yuma valley on the Arizona slde'
| WATER SUPPLY-The drainage erouh1s vi
the Colorado river are about eVo iimes .g,,
/
| Tho rivers receive their main supply from
the melting SHOWS on the high mountains ans
| of wyoming Utah and Colorado me
| settler on the Yuma project IS assured "
| water supply that is never failing'
| SOII-All the valley lands under the iurli@
| project are of sedimentary origin beisn an
| accumulation of deposits by the Glla anu
| Colorado rivers during the periods or
| -overaow In this respect its origin Is SIM
| liar to the famous valley of the Mic
| which has been cropped Tor centuries
| without depicting its fertility ,o,,s
| CLIMATE-The combination OF eh,t.n.t eietivl.
| watch makes the climate of the southwest
is unusual and cannot be duplicated else
where. There Is more sunshine : CO..,
aridity, more rapid eNapordtloh' nv+sido
| levs under the Yuma Project lie outslue
The regular winds and are theretore
| never visited by severe storms me even
| ino vyinds from the Gulf of California ap-
preciably lessen the hgat ,t rho win
| and make the nights pleasant inc .. wiz.
| ters are fun of charm. The temperature
averages about 81 degrees from Noveilloel Iio',l
| TO April inclusive, the lowest pelhg seluoh
below 36 degrees
RISINESS OPPORTUNITIES-Th are op-
portunites in every line OF business Inc
| valley is practically virgin held; inc
mercantile pursuits are NOT oVercro"ue,u ,
| manufacturing is yet to be developed Inc
| reclamation of 1870, 900 acres of land, with
! a family on every forty acres, will neces-
state the establishment of many new
towns and will add greatly TO tne toWns
| now in existence These new towns must
have their stores, the existing towns must
have more stores and there are opportuni-
ties in all lines.
ALFALFA-The backbone OF agriculture
under the Yuma Project is alfalfa. Alfalfa
will give a successful cutting of hay in
less than three months after planting
seed. Seven or eight cuttings, or a total
average of ten tons per acre, are har-
vested annually During the past six
years baled alfalfa averaged $l3 per ton
on the local market, demand exceeding