The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1910-01-05
worlds Greatest Irrigation System.

the Fort Lyon canal is taken from
a special article in last weeks La
4unta Tribune, written by one OF
the farmers under the ditch:
was asked to write the past his
tory of the Fort Lyon Canal and
will give it as best | can from the
first of its organization.
In 1888 there was a company
formed by two uncles of r. G. Dal-
ton. our present postmaster. This
company appointed Mr.. Haskell gen
eral manager. He had charge un-
til this company sold out. The ditch
was first built to Horse Creek, be-
ing completed during the summer
of 1884, and water was turned into
it on the 4th of July. or course
this was great deal more import
ant than celebrating the declara--
ton of independence
The original charter was for q
sixty-five foot ditch. but as the gov
ernor of Colorado at that time wa.
interested in the northern part OF
the state, he blocked the compans
on every turn, so it was first bull
twenty feet on the bottom. TIL,
first decree from the river was 10
900 feet, but on account of tn,
delay of the work that chart ar wa
withdrawn and decree taken 10
164 feet. To show that the inter
tions of the company were all riga
the first headgate was sixty feet
| would like to mention right her,
that the company was offered 50
500 for their charter before they di,
any work. This was offered throug
a man named Emery. These pee
pie had all sorts of trouble wit
their little ditch. ! remember al
old timer telling of the dam goinl
out. OF course they blamed Mr.
Haskell and were going to mob him
but he had had a little more sane
piled up and got the water turne,
fhlo Tue tNti wa
all right. r. G. Dalton was super
visor at the time, but | never heart
where he was at this time unit
after the farmers had thrown theii
rope away and gone home.
In 1887 the Haskell COMPANY
sold out to T. C. Henry. Am sorry
to say we are not quite rid OF him
yet. Mr.. Henry widened the ditch
to thirty feet on the bottom and
113 miles long and would have been
selling water yet II the farmers had
not stopped him. Mr.. Henry tool
out a second decree of 597 cubi
feet dating March /. 1887, maxim
at that time 761 feet. We ais
have a later decree. but these two
old charters is what makes tn
Fort Lyon shine. The ditch wa
widened later on to a capacity o
1900 feet and 1t is now fifty fec
wide on the bottom. We have MOI
had a break SO as to have to shut
the water out for fourteen years.
Still we were not satisfied witt
the best ditch in the country and a
good supply of early water. We
wanted an everlasting and never
failing supply. The only way to
get that was to build reservoirs
first. We got a good site toward
the lower end that we could fill
with flood and winter water. This
had capacity of 5.4s3 acre feet.
Then we discovered fine site near
Horse Creek. We took an immens'
ditch out to catch the flood water
from the creek. This reservoir
present holds $4,000 acre feet and
can be developed to hold $4,000. 1t
now has $4,000 acre feet of watei
in ready for spring use. We die
not stop at that, however. We fount
another splendid site toward tho
lower end which has a capacity o.
5000 acre feet. We fill it witt
winter and flood water through tn
main ditch, then take a ditch out
on a less grade and drop in lower
down; but, not being content viii
that we sent an engineer out or
another hunt for something bigger
1t was discovered. He found a nat
ural site near Adobe Creek with an
available capacity of $1,000 acre
feet, and also discovered that by
going five miles up Adobe Creek he
could take a ditch out that would
empty into It So we put dam
across the entire basin and made ar
immense ditch to the reservoir.
would like to say now that the
Adobe reservoir can be developed
to 10000 acre feet. which will be
done soon.
Our last, but not least scheme
was to take another ditch out ot
the river to fill these big reservoirs
when the creeks could not suppl,
the water. We have a fine dan
across the river, concrete head
gate and a ditch of $40 cubic fee
per second that will fill both the
Horse Creek and Adobe Creek res
ervoirs; but. thinking there wa
one more link missing, we conclud
.-.sAa~ All, c,nnI,