Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-16

taken yesterday when the final reports
were filed by the government commission,
which made a tour Of the project three
weeks ago The plans have been approved
and the appropriations passed. From now
on to the end the problems are those OF
construction for contractors to master.
The engineers are through the profiles are
made, and nothing remains but the physi-
cal labor Of building bitches, laterals and
acequias. Already tens of thousands of
young peach trees are planted and growing
on these new orchard lands the annual
rainfall Of eighteen inches being quite suf-
ficient to noursh the young stock. Thus.
when the water is at last turhed on, II
Will take its course down It's laterals to
finished orchards, which have been making
their wood and getting ready for the bear
Ing while the government has been building
its fumes and reservoirs and getting ready
to furnish the necessary water.
At this altitude-almost mile above sea-
level-apples grow to an amazing firm
ness for transportation over long distances,
and peaches attain an astounding size. The
markets are on every hand Salt Lake City.
with a population of 10000 people is but
one and one-half hours distant over the
lines of any one Of the three transcontinen-
tai railways. Mining camps are scattered
every which way in the hills and the
farmer on this government project can drive
his produce over some of the finest noun
tain roads on earth. direct to the consumer
the miner who wants the best and pays
the highest price. Or, If he seeks a more
distant market he has three railways
through the heart of the project and from
any part of the 5000 acres the whistle Of
"a
The men who began this stupendous I'M
dertaldng are all farmers and sons or
farmers. No eastern promoter has ever set
foot on the land. There Is not a single
faint OF Wall Street method on the entire
60 900 acres. The sturdy company, which
bore the brunt; who held fast to the ideals
Of those first days: the infancy OF the
Strawberry Valley Irrigation project, was
composed OF men who themselves had made
their start nom the Identical fertile farm
lands OF this section with nothing more TO
depend on than eighteen inches OF rain
per year They had raised their half crops
sold them to the nearby markets; had
prospered
With more water, sure OF moisture when
we want II and az much OF n as we want
we can develop our lands into orchards,
work less and gain more" These were the
practical words, the practical reason for
the dream that has now borne such wonder
ful fruit. Il was a reason OF reality; a def
mite need; an open opportunity faced them
and they hoped 20 it, with a vigorous
haste that swept every obstacle before IT,
They estimated the cost. hired the engineers
10 run the preliminary lines, secured the
pledges OF the lands, had old irrigation
rights waived, called meetings, organized
clubs among themselves. farmer clubs
where every suggestion would be practical
where every man who rose TO his feet
would have an idea, That's the kind OF men
they were. And they won
1t was Heber c. Jex. al that time the
mayor OF Spanish Fork, Utah, the most
| central town on the project, who located
the water in the Uintah hills. state Sena-
tor Henry NJ Gardiner. James $. McBeth
A 7. Money Theodore DedHckson. f. b.
X Ferguson and Fred Matey guided by
Engineer Frank c. Kelsey, were the men
who explored the strawberry valley and
organized their efforts and the efforts OF
their communities into a concrete plan for
the raising Of the productivity OF the 5000
acres Of fertile farm lands. Filled with the
determination Of the west these men or
ganized a company known as the Straw
berry Valley Water Users association and
worked on the plan until 1886. Then Il had
grOWn 50 vast as 20 be beyond their finan-
cial ability 10 carry Il on and an appeal
was made 10 the United States govern