Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-03-31
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ture in connection with this project,
work has been going on at the same
time. Many miles below the big dam
another structure OF concrete was
quilt across the river to turn the
stream flow into two huge canals
which with their laterals have a total
length Of more than $50 miles This
dam is 20 feet in height and 1000 feet
long. The canals will cover 10000
acres Of fine land in the valley and by
pumping with electric power an addi.
tional $4,000 acres will be irrigated.
Especial interest attaches to this
project not alone because of the mag
nltude Of it's structures but especially
because Of the reason that it will re-
store to agriculture a vast area of
desert which was densely populated
IN an age forgotten by a race which
has vanished utterly. Some of the
prehistoric canals are utilized today
in this modern system.
The total investment of the govern.
ment in Salt River valley will exceed
S9,000,000, yet this investment does
not entail the permanent loss of a
single dollar from the United States
treasury. The government holds a
mortgage on all the land which will
be watered which obligated the own
ers to repay in not less than ten years
the entire sum expended by the Unit
ed States. Salt River valley is semi.
tropical in climate. It's products are
singularly like those OF Egypt Here
the orange, lemon, lime, pomel fig
and date trees flourish, also almonds,
peaches, cherries and other fruits in
abundance. Alfalfa, corn, oats, barley
and wheat yield enormous crops. All
kinds Of vegetables and small fruits
ere grown here and by reason Of early
ripening command fancy prices in
eastern and western markets. The
livestock industry is a permanent one
and Thousands Of horses, cattle. sheep
and hogs are annually marketed here.
Ostrich farming has grown rapidly IN
til today there are $500 Of these birds
in the valley, producing several hun
dred thousand dollars worth of feath.
ers each year.
For many years parts Of the desert
around Phoenix have been irrigated.
But the Salt river which supplied the
water, at flood times brought more
than the farmers could use and in dry
times much less. To save the water
for use is the purpose of the Roose-
welt dam, from behind whose solid
masonry the water will be sent down
to the valley as the needs Of the land
demand. From the reservoir the wa
ter flows down the Salt river bed I'M
til it energies from the foothills. There
the Granite Reef dam, long concrete
wall across the river bed-36 feet
high-turns the water into the canals,
in which it flows as far as 80 miles
on it's way to the farthest fields be-
yond Phoenix.
Vast potentialities for the produc
ton Of foodstuff await the coming Of
the water No richer land is found
anywhere 1t produces all the crops
of the temperate zone and some OF
the subtropical ones as well. Already
the oranges of Phoenix are famed for
their 'toothsomeness, and the time
probably will not be long till the dates
of the temple and the olives of Mesa
will be spoken Of.
The works at the Roosevelt dam
will develop $4,000 horsepower. Part
of this will be used to irrigate $4,000
acres which are above the level of the
gravity canal, requiring that the wa
ter shall be lifted. Another portion OF
the available energy will be utilized
to pump water from the wells for the
Pima reservation. In addition, there
is a surplus, which has already been
leased under contract to light the city
of Phoenix; and more power will soon
be available from the same source for
supplying light and power to farm
houses throughout the valley.