Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1915-06-29
nE|GHBORS AT LAW
AFTER HALF CENTURY
Dry Year Following Light Snow Fall
Makes Glover Valley Farmers
Want Water Rights Fixed

There is now occupying the atten-
ton of Judge Taber a suit over wat
er rights in Glover Valley. 1t is the
Weeks faction versus the Gibbs COM
bine.
And it is all the result of the dry
year. Only once before in nearly half
a century has there been a dry year.
That was preceding the hard winter in
the late SOS.
All this time these farmers have
lived neighbors and had no quarrel
about water. Each one had his own
little creek flowing down out of the
Ruby mountains. But now they have
gone to law to have their respective
water rights established.
This water fight among old timers
is inclined to make one reminiscent.
AT least Seneca Weeks seemed to feel
that way last evening as he watched
one of the huge mogul engines on the
Southern Pacific pulling a freight
train into the yard. They didn't have
engines like that when Mr.. Weeks ar
rived here in 1872
But his brother, Samuel Weeks,
beats that record by three years.
Samuel Weeks arrived in Elko county
in 1869 on the first train over the
Central Pacific. He had already been
resident of the state for five years,
having gone to Virginia City in 1864,
then young man OF 81.
Samuel Weeks and the Gibbs broth
ers all settled in Clover valley in 1869.
Mr.. Weeks was the first, but the 9th.
ers were perhaps not ten days behind
him. AS stated each one had his own
mountain stream and there was never
any trouble about water rights until
this present season.
When Seneca Weeks arrived in 1872
practically all the settled part of Clo-
yer valley was then taken up. Mr..
Weeks bought three forties from the
state as the desirable land had all
been entered.
~AAhA OioNS1 NaliSJ HASH SEOWn
much since that time. Now there are
twenty-five families in the valley in
length of 45 years
But great changes have taken place
since those early days. Now the stage
driver on. his route from Wells to
Ruby leaves mail at each farm three
times a week.
And every farmer has his own au-
tomobile, and some two. Seneca
Weeks has two boys and so has Sam
uel Weeks, and each boy has his own
automobile.
But the surprising thing to Seneca
Weeks is to see the number of peo.
pie that have come into that section
to try dry farming. He remarked last
evening that he wouldn't give ten
| acres of his irrigated land for a thous-
and of the dry farm country.
Still there are perhaps a hundred
settlers around Tobar on the Western
Pacific that are making the effort to
dry farm. Their white concrete hous.
es dot the land in all directions. To
bar Is. only eight iiiles from the
Weeks ranch, and the ranch is fifteen
miles out from Wells.
Last fall colony of settlers came
in from Tennessee and bought several
sections of land ii independence val.
ley just east of Clover They seemed
to have plenty OF money and put UP
expensive buildings. They are trying
dry farming and have yet to prove its
success. This has been q bad season
for them, The cold spring rains pre-.
vented their putting in much of a
crop.
The Weeks families settled on Bas.
sic creek. Their neighbors, the Gibbs
families and Steel, live on Cedar and
Steel creeks. Then came the time
when these neighbors began the di.
version of water from Bassic creek in.
to Steel creek. Hence the application
on the part of the Weeks brothers for
a restraining order to stop this di.
version.
The one solution of the problem in
Glover valley seems to be artesian
wells. Mr.. Weeks thinks there is no
| chance to store water. The streams
have no outlet. At times of high wat
er the streams collect in the sloughs
and overflow into Independence valley
The valley itself is ten or twelve miles
wide, but there is only water enough
to irrlgate Q strip two or three milef
In width.
Mr.. Weeks says his taxes this year
are just double what they were last
year, The rate, 157, is just about
the same, but the assessments have