The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1915-01-13
FALLoN. NEVADA. WEDNESDAY. JANUARY I. 1915
NEVADA IRRIGATION HISTORY
l.. II. Taylor, Former Project Engi-
neer Gives Excellent Review of Ne
yada's Irrigation Development.

vada's irrigation DeyeiOpment.
/, L. II. Taylor, Consulting Engineer,
in the Reno Gazette.)
The history of irrigation In Ne
vada is the history of agriculture in
the state, since all agriculture, ex-
cept in very limited areas here and
there, where the precipitation is
greatest. in the northern portion, is
absolutely dependent on irrigation.
While the average annual rainfall
In many localities is sufficient for
the production of fair crops of ce-
reals If it were distributed through
the growing season, the fact that
nearly all of it occurs during the
winter months when the tempera-
ture is too low for plant growth and
even for seed termination, and the
further fact that very rarely does
sufficient water fall to penetrate to
depth beyond the influence of ca
pillary action, insures the loss of
nearly all of this moisture by evap-
Grafton in our extremely dry atmos-
phere before the growing season be-
gins, and limits dry farming" in
Nevada to an almost negligible
quantity.
The earliest irrigation in this
state of which we have any record
was in the valley of Carson river
near Genoa in the year 1852, where
a few individuals settled and en-
gagged in raising hay and grain to
sell to the emigrants bound for the
gold mines of California.
Mormons Begin Using Stream.
About the SAME time a Mormon
settlement was established on the
Muddy river in Clark county and
tegan to use the waters of that
stream for irrigation. This settle
ment was abandoned, however, after
a few years. the Mormons being re-
called to Utah, and it was not until
about 1870 that other settlers be-
gan to come in and again apply the
water to the land
About 1860 farmers began to es-
tablish themselves in the Lovelock
valley, then called big Meadows, :"
and at other points along the Hum
boldt river, III the Carson Sink dis
trict and in the valleys of the
Truckee river. In the mean time
the area under irrigation in Carson
valley had increased to several
thousand acres.
During the year following the dis
coyery and development of numer-
Gus mines in the state induced q
sreat influx of population, creating
demand for agricultural produce,
stimulating the farming industry
and causing a great increase In the
area of irrigated land. The growth
of the livestock industry also con-
tributed to this increase, inducing
the irrigation of large areas for
pasturage purposes and for the pro-
duetion of hay for fattening beef
and mutton as well as for winter
feeding.
Irrigation Stimulated.
The building of the Central Pa
cific railroad across the state gave
an added stimulus to the irrigation
industry, affording transportation
for its products, but its policy of
high local freight rates, often for
Eauls of less than 200 miles exceed
ing the rates on many farm pro-
ducts from California points, tend
ed to prevent the greater develop
ment which should have followed.
The irrigation enterprises insti-
tuted by outside capital-to wit, the
old French ditch" planned to ex-
tend from Goleonda to Mill City in
Humboldt county, and the "Hum-
boldt canal heading at Oreana and
designed to command the entire
Lovelock valley, owe their failure
in part, at least, to this policy of the
railroad during the early period
With the exception of the two ir-
rigation projects mentioned, which
were never finished, no outside cap
ital had been employed in the con-
struction of the canals and other ir-
rigation works of Nevada up to the
year 1902, and in this respect there
is a difference from every other
western state. Here these works
have been constructed by the indi-
yidual irrigators, acting singly or In
cooperation. Thus the ownership
was in the hands of farmers, and
the administration. if the general
lack of system could be called such,
was within the control of the men
directly benefited.
During all of this period, from
1852 to 1902, no organized effort
was made to develop the irrigation
possibilities of the state. and no
movement to induce immigration
such as had been inaugurated in
every neighboring state, was made,
though there were not lacking indi-
s~~~~~s~ses-se~~-~s-s~~~
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