The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1910-01-21
AN IMPORTANT PROJECT
If Carried Out VIII Make
Many Barren Acres Bios
som AS the Rose.
IRRIGATION THE TRANSFORMED R
The Promoters Receiving Every
Encouragement From Resident
Property Owners.

Property Owners.
NJ. d. Winder. who represents, end
indeed is the father of. the Okanopan
irrigation and Improvement company.
with headquarters in Spokane stopped
over in Orovlle Friday last on h, way
home, after having spent several days
engaged in missionary work among ne
land owners living within reach Of he
system of bitches and fumes the com
pany proposes putting in. The ter
ritory that he has been working. and
which Us Il kind OF after thought the
company contemplates taking into the
scheme so far as supplying water neces-
sary for irrigation, is known in local
parlance as Horse Spring coulce. and
adds large number of acres to the
total aera that the company proposed
covering when the project was first
taYen under consideration. The peo-
pie of the coulee understand and fullv
appreciate the benefit that would ac-
crue to them through the means of re-
clamation, and are promptly meeting
the company half way in granting con
cessions asked in exchange for sup
ply of water. Mr.. Winder found the
settlers readily responsive when ap-
preached and the proposition of The
company explained. He went out Of
here with n bundle of contracts as large
as bale of hay, and naturally he was
in very cheerful mood.
The aim of the Okanogan Irrigation
and improvement company is to re-
claim large eXpanse of country that
is almost wholly unproductive in its
natural state. In the process of select
ing school lands to round out the acre
age so literally granted by the govern
ment when the territory became a
state, large body of public and unoc-
cupied land about Spectacle lake, and
on Whitestone fiat, and almost extend
ing to the Okanogan river in township
3S north, range - east, was listed by
the cruisers sent out for that purpose.
The only possible reason why the cru
siers should have picked upon this par
ticular tract is that it is comparatively
level, for it was not worth, at the time
of selection, tenth of the price fixed by
the constitution as the minimum price
for which it could be sold. The irri-
cation fad developed, it changed en-
tirely the value of lands situated so
that water can be placed upon them
and when at last this specific land was
put up for sale it was recognized that
if water could be conveyed upon it it
would become of great value, as with
adequate moisture it is a choice orch
ard land as any in the state
Mr.. Winder, who as superintendent
of the Q. S. mine had passed over the
land frequently, realized the opportun-
ity for investment, providing the nee
essary water could he secured. Then
he conceived lhe idea of creating Blue
lake storage reservoir, diverting the
food waters of the Sinlahekin creek
into the lake, and fluming the water to
Whitestone flat. He presented the
proposition to men of means who took
kindly to it, by application the school
lands were put up at auction and the
syndicate bid in several hundred acres.
After surveying and formulating plans
for conducting the water to the land
land purchased it was discovered that
the system of bitches could be so eN-
tended as to cover much more land
than that bid in, hence the efforts of
Mr.. Winder to reach an amicabe and
mutually beneficial understanding with
land owners in Horse Spring coulee.
Mr.. Windor says the project is sure
go, and that preliminary work will
commence in the spring as early as
work is practicable. In the meantime
the mere prospect of water has created
a boom in Horse Spring cOulee lands,
and they have doubled in value within
the past two or three months at least
holders are placing value on them
double what was asked last fall All
of which goes to show that great is ir-
rigation, and blessed is the man, or
group of men, who inaugurate irriga-
tion projects.
THE BAND TO REORGANIZE