The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1910-12-01
TRANSFORMATION OF DESEST
Scene Now Contrasted With
That of Few Decades Ago.
Sage Brush Gives Way.

A quarter of century ago any men,
ton of the Great American desert
called up visions of region of limitless
extent, baked, parched and desolate
A country associated always with tales
of suffering and death, of unfriendly
savages, and deadly reptiles, for years
it was passed over by Congress as
worthless. The marvellous transforma-
tion which has been wrought in two
decades in this land Of silence and sun
shine furnishes one of the most interest
ing and inspiring pages in the annals
of our republics development. The
Great American desert is vanishing
from the map. Its boundaries have
shrunken and it no longer presents for
midable barrier to the growth and prog
ress of the West. Twelve million acres
of this rainless country have been SUBJ
dued by means of agriculture and irri-
cation and are producing bountiful and
assured harvests every year. A
quarter of million families are residing
on farms and as many more have
found homes and occupations in the
cities, towns and villages of the agricul-
tural areas. Great dams have been con-
structed to impound the floods and
through 70, 900 miles of canals and bitches
lifegiving water has been turned upon
the dusty desert. The streams have
been harnessed for power and an era of
manufacturing is near in which all
the raw products Of the farm, the
forests and the mines will be prepared
for the markets of the world. The
comforts and luxuries heretofore un-
known in agricultural regions already
are obtainable in many Of the western
valleys. The farmer lights and heats
his home with electricity and his heavy
work 10 done cheaply by the same
potent force. Trolley lines bring the
farm and town close together. In =
majority of the irrigated districts the
farms are small-not more than forty
acres each. With 16 to 60 farm families
to the square mile, isolation is eliminated
and life IN the country becomes more
nearly urban than rural. While pion-
eering in this new country calls for a
good deal of grit and not little hard
work. the compensation is sure and
abundant. Carving out home in the
desert is no child's play. 1t is mans
work, but there are few places where
nature responds more quickly to intelli-
gent industry than the irrigated coun-
try. On the Government projects the
past year has been a conspicuously
prosperous one. The success of the
average farmer In many instances has
been remarkable. On several Of the
projects the crops on individual farms
this year have yielded enough to enable
the owners to repay to the Gov
ernment every dollar of their OBJ
legations if they were so inclined.
As the payments to the govern.
ment extend over period of ten years
without interest there is no object in
meeting the same in advance ana most
of the farmers therefore are devoting
their revenues to improving their
homes and in purchasing live stock and
implements. One of the most inter-
esting features of the upbuilding OF
these new communities is the large
number of settlers who have come
from the cities and towns. Their sue.
cess is all the more notable because
they had little or no previous expert
ence in farming, especially farming by
irrigation. Under these circumstances
the call of the open country is likely
to appeal to others who have grown
tired of the stress and fume of city
life and the never ending struggle tc
make income and out go balance.
The west is filling up SO rapidly and
the really choice locations are SO few
that it is only question of time now
when the increase of land values there
will make it as difficult for the poor
man to get a foothold as it is today in
the East. Letters are pouring in tc