Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1911-07-18

were made, and about six weeks ago,
the big grading outfit of ID. ]. Burke,
comprising some fifty teams and a
full complement OF scrapers, went to
work on the ditch This ditch is
now almost completed. 1t is one and
one fourth miles long, 20 feet wide at
the bottom and deep enough to carry
all of the food waters OF Flatwillow
creek into the big reservoir which is
now being constructed.
This reservoir is being made by
means Of dam across a narrow neck
of the basin and its completion will
necessitate the handling of 100000
yards of dirt. When the dam is
finished, a reservoir will have been
formed, which will cover one thou
sand acres Of land and which, when
filled from the flood waters of Flat
willow, will hold 10000 acre feet OF
water or sufficient to irrigate 10000
acres of land The immense lake thus
formed will have an average depth OF
IS feet
1t is expected that the work on
the project will be completed within
fifteen months from now. This will
establish a record for Carey land pro-
iccts in this country and will speak
highly for the energy, enterprise and
good faith of the men who are back
Of the project
The company expect to irrigatc not
only the ten thousand acres Of land
comprised in their own project but
will also Be in position to sell sui
hcicnt water to irrigate an additional
ten thousand acres belonging TO
ranchers in the Pike creek basin, II
is safe to say that this project will
add one million dollars to the value
Of the land which will be so irrigated
David Hilger, Of this city, is presi-
dent of the company; John Mac
Ginniss, of Butte, vice president, and
| II. T. Lyon, sccrctary-treasurer The
Butte gentlemen were highly elatcd
at the progress made and to the Dem
ocrat, Mr.. -MacGinniss ventured the
prediction that within FIVE years, the
Pike creek basin, which is now a
wide stretch Of sage brush, fit only
for the grazing Of sheep and cattle,
will be one of the most thickly set
| tied and prosperous sections of Fer
gus county Experience elsewhere
| has shown that 80 acres of such land
under ditch and with good railroad
|conncctions such as that section Of
the country will have with the COM
pletion of the Milwaukee and Great
Northern lines through eastern Fer
gus county, is ample to support a
family with ease.
Mr.. MacGinniss expressed astonish-
ment also at the wonderful agricul-
tural development OF the Judith Basin
and said that never in his life has he
seen finer grain than is now grow
ing in the Inland Empire of-Montana
II knew that you people over here
were doing things but did not dream
OF the extent of your Development
said the Butte banker to the Demo
crat at is really marvellous and 1t
makes one almost dizzy to attempt
to figure the future which is in store
for this especially favored section OF
] Montana Lewistown ! have always
considered an ideally located city, and
with its surrounding agricultural
country, its coal and gold mines. Its
water power, the railroad connections
which the city will have within two
or three years at the longest, and its
| stock interests, | cannot see wha,
shall keep this from being one OF the
two or three largest, if not the largest
city. in Montana ten years from now