East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-01-19

Irrigation is the golden key whicl
alone can unlock the door of civiliza
ton to wide areas in Oregon. Thi
applies particularly to that portion
of the state east of the Cascade noun
tains.
Irrigation may be said to antedat,
the white man, as much of the lane
in oregon now classed under irriga
tion is that which yields a crop of wilC
hay after having been watered in the
primitive way by the natural over
flow of streams. From this crude be.
ginning the present system of irriga'
tion has developed, first by the con-
struction Of temporary dikes to force
this natural overflow over a greater
area: later by bitches TO divert ever
the low water of the streams, some
times causing them to go almost dry
during the summer months as in the
case of the Umatilla; now by the con-
servation Of winter flood water by
storage to be used during the hot
summer months.
The first irrigation by the con-
sruction OF canals began about so
years ago along the walla walla river.
Since that time the land in that VAL
ley has become highly developed
through irrigation. In the Malheur
valley irrigation began about thirty
years ago, and about $4,000 acres
have been reclaimed. In Harvey
county the land is irrigated at the
present time by the natural overflow
of streams aided by primitive diver
sion works.
The cost Of the first irrigation in
the state was only about five dollars
per acre, because II was employed
where easiest to divert the water from
streams. Now portion Of the irri-
cation development of the state is car.
ried on by the government, and as
expensive canals and structures have
been built it has resulted in the cost
of water on some projects being rais-
ed to sixty dollars an acre.
In 1899 Irrigation was regarded as
the most important factor in the fu-
ture development Of the state. Now,
in some of the southwestern coun-
ties, it is even considered necessary
for the proper cultivation OF the soil.
In 1902 there was an area of 439, 9S1
acres in the state irrigated by private
corporations.
Investigations were first begun in
Oregon by the United States recla-
nation service in 1908, and work
commenced in 1904 on the Umatilla
and klamath projects. The Umatilla
project consists of $4,000 acres of
comparatively level land lying east
of the junction of the Umatilla river
and the Columbia river.
The soil in its original state is COW
cred with sagebrush, but being of
basaltic origin it will, when irrigated,
be we'll adapted to the production of
alfalfa, fruit and vegetables.
Under this project there are pub
lie and private lands on which the
construction cost of sixty dollars per
acre must be paid in ten annual in
sallments. Where private lands are
purchased residence within the vicin-
ity must be established before water
can be secured.
All the structures on the project
have been built OF, permanent mate
rial. The diversion dam near Echo
is of concrete, and much of the %
mile feed canal of 800 cubic feet per
second capacity is concrete lined A
storage reservoir of $4,000 acre-feet
has been provided by the construction
of an earth embankment SO feet in
height with top length of $500 feet.
In the distribution system there will
be eight miles of canals Of from so
TO 225 cubic feet per second capacity,
30 miles with from 10 to so cubic
feet per second capaciy and 100
miles with less than 10 cubic feet per
second capacity. Instead Of construct
ing wooden fumes across deprcssions,
reinforced concrete pipe, some as
large as forty-six inches in diameter,
has been constructed and imbedded
in the ground, forming an inverted
siphon.
The klamath project, which is di-
vided into two projects, the upper .,,
io"tr coh'eiipi- leg the reclamation
of i72,0OQ acres OF fertiis land To-
Gated largely in Klamath county, Ore
gon, and partly in Modoc and Slski-
you counties California.
Construction work was authorized
on May II, 1905, and by June, 1903,
thirty-one per cent Of the entire pro-
ject was completed, and water was
delivered TO about 1000 acres.
The water supply Of the lower pro-
ject is derived from Upper klamath
lake, which has an area of 10000
acres and serves as a natural reser-
voir. The plan Of the upper project
provided a sorage dam 35 feet high
and $40 feet long at the outlet Of
Clear lake; a diversion dam on Lost
river about twelve miles below the
storage dam; and canals on either
BAD DREAMS.