White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-05
TRANSFORMATION
OF THE DESERT
SAM T.. DAVIS TELLS SOME OF
THE THINGS NEVADA HAS
DONE, Is DOING AND WILL DO
IN THE FUTURE.

A quarter of a century ago any
mention of the Great American des-
ert called up visions of a region of
limitless extent, baked, parched and
desolate. A country associated al
ways with tales of suffering and
death of unfriendly savages and
deadly reptiles. for years il was
passed over by congress as worthless
The marvellous transformation which
has peer wrought in two decades in
this land of silence and sunshine fur
nishes one of the most interesting
and inspiring pages in the annals of
our republics development.
The Great American desert is van
ishing from the map. Its boundaries
have shrunken and ii no longer pre-
sents a formidable barrier to the
growth and progress of the west.
Twelve million acres OF this rainless
country have been subdued by means
of agriculture and irrigation. and are
producing bountiful and assured har-
vests every year.
A quarter of a million families are
residing on farms and as many more
have found homes and occupations in
the cities, towns and villages of the
agricultural areas. Great dams have
been constructed to impound the
floods and through 10000 miles of
canals and bitches life giving water
has been turned upon the dusty
desert.
The streams have peer harnessed
for power and an era of manufaetur-
ing 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 unknown In
agricultural regions already are OBJ
tainable In many of the western val
legs. The farmer lights and heats
his home with electricity. and his
heavy work is done cheaply by the
same potent force. Trolley lines bring
the farm and town close together.
In a majority of the irrigated dis
triets the farms are small-not more
than 40 acres each. With Is TO 60
farm families TO a square mile. isola-
ton Is eliminated and life in the
country becomes more nearly urban
than rural. While pioneering in this
country calls for a good deal of grit
and not a little hard work, the com
pensation Is sure and abundant.
Carving out a home In the desert
is no child's play. 1t is a mans work
but there are few places where ma
ture responds more quickly 10 in
telligent industry than the irrigated
country. On the government pro-
jeets the past year has been a con-
tinuous prosperous one. The success
Of the average farmer In many in
stances has been remarkable.
On several of the projects the
crops on individual farms this year
have yielded enough TO enable the
owners TO repay 10 the government
every dollar OF their obligations II
they were so inclined. As the pay
ments 10 the government extends
over a period of 10 years. without
interest. there Is no object In meeting
the same In advance. and most of the
farmers therefore are devoting their
TO improving their homes
and in purchasing live stock and inn
plements.
One of the most interesting
features of the upbuilding of these
new communities - Nht 81 "hh
Der of settlers who have come from
the cities and towns. Their success
is all the more notable because they
had little or no previous experience
in farming, especially farming by ir-
rigation. 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
TO make income and outgo balance.
The west is filling up rapidly,
and the really choice locations are so
few that 1t Is only a question of time
when land values there will make IL
as difficult for the poor man to get a
foothold as Il Is today In the east.
Letters are pouring in to the statisti-