Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1911-08-03
TO MOVE FROM
RESERVOIR SITE
INDIANS WILL ABANDON THEIR
LANDS IN FAVOR OF THE
BRUNEAU PROJECT
One Of the Chief Obstacles in Way
Of Construction OF Great Irriga-
tion Project Is Finally Removed
Indians Paid $50 Per Acre.

Probably the most difficult STUN
bling block to sumount in connection
with the working out Of the dtails OF
the gigantic irrigation project of 500,
600 acres of rich desert land To-
Gated in southern idaho south of the.
Snake river, and which will be fl
nanced by Kuhn. Loeg & Co.. the
greatest financial firm in the I'm
tied States, which proposes to spend
millions of dollars on the work, as ex-
clusively announced by the Capital
News last Sunday morning, was re-
moved this week through the agree
ment reached with the Indian land
owners Of the Fort Hall reservation.
who have been in possession of the
rich bottom lands located on the
shores Of the Snake river east of
American Falls. and which Will be
Included in the site of the gigantic
reservoirs, probably the largest in
the world, to be created thereto hold
water for the irrigation of the big
project.
Negotiations for possession Of the
lands were opened with the govern
ment by Kuhn. Loab & Co. through
their" agents with Superintendent
Caldwell, in charge of the reserva-
ton He absolutely refused. It is
claimed, to give his consent to the
Indians parting with the bottom
land, for the country owned by the
red skins is very valuable and ad-
apted to the pasture of stock as well.
as the raising of rich crops. Lit
tie progress could be made with SUI
perintendent Caldwell, but when Su-
perintendent Estep took charge Of
the reservation he consented to the
taking over Of the lands for the res
ervoir site and an agreement was
reached by the financing company
with the government agents for the
payment OF $50 per acre for the
land. the money to go to the Indians
but to be held in trust by the gov
ernment. and the Indians given ad-
ditional lands located higher up
from the river bottem.
The removal of this obstacle from
the path of the promoters of the big
project assures the construction of a
great reservoir which will virtual
ly become a big inland lake. starting
at American Falls flooding the chan
mel of the river and the canyon at
that point and stretching miles to
the east back to what is known as
Swanson's ranch and almost to Ida
no Falls. The amount Of water that
will be impounded through the rails
ing of the big dam thrown across the
Snake river will be sujcient to abb
solutely guarantee irrigation Of the
500, 900 acres of land.
The news of the advent Of the
Kuhn, Loeb & Co. money into ir-
rigated southern Idaho through the
investment OF millions of dollars in
financing Of the big irrigation pro-
ject was received as a stimulant to
the money market of the west and
generally greeter with aptimism by
the promoters Of irrigation projects,
for it is believed that the tract Of
land to be irrigated will be one Of
the richest agricultural sections Of
the west.
The same financial concern is hint
ed at as having hand in the con-
struction OF the present short rail-
road line from Caldwell to Home
dale and other railroad activity in
that section fthe state It is claim
ed the result will be the construc-
tion of a railroad, east from Nyssia
20 Bull through the big project.