Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-23
BIC HORN Has BIC CROHTH
Wonderful Changes Wrought in Basin
by Railroad.
SETTLED IT IN THREE YEARS
valley In vicinity Of Powell, WyO.,
was Inhabited BY Prairie DOGS
and Coyotes n short
Time AGo,

Wonderful changes have been wrought
IN the Big Horn basin since the advent
u the Burlington railroad and especially
during the last few years since the several
Irrigation projects have begun to bear fruit.
The discovery Of oil at several points has
also acted az a stimulus to immigrants,
who have flocked to the basin by thou
sands.
The progress made In the Big Horn basin
during the last three years is remarkable
when the present condition Is compared
with the unsettled condition OF that coun-
try three years ago. In 1907 the valley
IN the vicinity Of Powell, Wyo., the head
quarters for the government project, was
simply barren valley with little salt
sage and a good many cactuses here and
there and occasionally cheap shack
with no one living In t. In fact, the only |
Inhabitants at that time were the gov
eminent engineers and those working on /
the government project together with the
prairie dogs and coyotes. Today with the !
advent Of water running through the gov
eminent ditch, the best crops growing /
along the entire Burlington system are
now being grown and harvested In the Vi |
entity Of Powell, on this same land that |
was 70 barren such a short time ago.
The postmaster az Powell Wyo. who |
last year homesteaded a forty-Rcre tract /
adjoining the townEite. has the entire tract
except about one-haif OF an acre In alfalfa !
this year The second crop Is in stack and
the third crop Is now growing, and he can
cell his two cuttings Of alfalfa that are
now IN stack for enough TO more than
pay the total cost OF his water right and
win have the third crop and pasturage until
Christmas in addition thereto. AS mat
ter OF fact, about 1900 acres OF this great
valley OF $4,000 acres that IL being irri-
gated by the government, Is q garden spot,
20 to speak, today and the same condition
exists around Garland Lowell, Greybull,
Basin and woriand, as regards changed
conditions during the past three years.
OIL Industry Thrives.
At Cowley, where the new oil refinery
IL now in operation, and fine Oil is being
marketed along the Burlington lines in the
northwest. there was nobody except the
most venturesome prospeotorh that believed
there was any oil In the country three
years ago. Three years ago there were
only a few people that believed the lands
IN the Big Horn basin could be safely con-
Eidered as apple lands, but the faith Of
the local people has been shown in the
fact that hundreds OF acres OF commercial
orchards are already being set out and
fruit tres agents are TO be met in every
town in the Basin.
d. Glenn Deaver Of the Burlington home
seelSars' information bureau said recently:
''on the occasion OF my last trip TO the
Big Horn Basin visited the farm of ]. NJ.
Grant two miles east Of Lowell, where
saw the best field Of sugar beets that
have seen growing this year or any other
year, without exception. And this is the
fourth crop that Mr. Grant has grown on
the same land. which shows the strength
Of the soil. Mr.. Grant has 1856 acres in
sugar hests, all in one field, and he tells
me that he expects hts ret profits from this
field wiil be between 500 ana SO per acre,
and four years ago Mr.. Grant wanted me
60 sell this land for him az eS5 per acre.
This in itself shows the progress to some
extent that IL being made IN that locality
As GrOybuii. wyo, the division point on
fhs BuFlington's new main line through
the Big Horn Basin. there was nothing but
a section house three years ago and few
boxcars Get alongside OF the track that
thu workers lived in. Today Greybuli is
= 1--we. growing town, has fine two-story
stcne buildings has cement sidewalks, i'm
proved streets, natural gas, hsh grade oil
and q tremendous country surrounding 81
ehM is partly irrigated. The remainder
soon viii be irrigated.
OIL Operators Active.
The Sisterville, w. Va, crowd OF oil
operators have spent no less than $3.50, GOV
IN this locality In developing natural gas
and oil. and this company now controls
sufficient land to give them a working
basis for extensive operations About one
half way between Basin and Greybull the
burlington recently put in 6 sidetraolS
Tor q utrified brick manufacturing concern
and the plant was started in full blast last
week. The officers OF this brick manufac.
turing company report they have suffi
eisnt orders already taken to keep then
running for more than six months, and they
have put in a very large plant, especially
for q new country. The town of Basin
which three years ago was struggling along
for existence has today grown so fas
that people who were there even six month,
ago are amazed az the progress that hal
been made during the last six months
In fact, nearly as many new building
have gone up since the first OF Januar,
IN the town OF Basin as were there before
that time. The growth Of this new grow
ing city Is simply remarkable. but Il cal
be accounted fer when we take into con
alteration the fact that the city is sup
piled with natural gas, has oil wells In tn
Immediate vicinity, has as rich farm land
as the sun shines upon. with good waite
rights. has a FIGURING mill, electric lights
sewer and q water system. The people 0
Basin are also greatly interested ia or
charding and are setting out several com
mercial orchards on all sides Of the town
Good Chance for Orchards.
There Is no reason why these peopl
should not be encouraged In setting ou
fruit trees" said Mr.. Deaver. THE Basl
country Is practically the only country o
the entire Burlington system where theF
are any apples to amount 10 anythin
this year Last winter was as hard a win
ter Rs they may ever expect to thav,
but trees in the Big Horn Basin cam
through In good shape and are bearin
heavily this year. They were fortunate
not getting the late frosts that we had
this locality.
The same general Improvement IL ais
shown az Henderson and Worland, wheI
hat III ia