Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1915-06-18
WRITES OF TRIP
TO SOUTH IDAHO
Senator Elliott, as a Member of a State
Commission, Visits Irrigation Prof.
ects in Sagebrush Country
SOME SYSTEMS IN BAD SHAPE
Others Are More Fortunate and Some
Are Prosperous

Senator E. E. Elliott returned
Monday from preliminary tour of
parts of southern Idaho, as mem
Der of the commission recently
created by the legislature to inves-
tigate Carey Act projects and to re-
wise the irrigation and drainage
laws of the state. As many of our
readers may be interested in this
part of the state, we give them the
benefit of an interview on his
southern trip:
This commission was created to
see if something could be done on
the part of the state to relieve the
serious condition into which the
settlers on several of the Carey Act
irrigation projects have fallen by
reason Of failure on the part of
some of the companies promoting
these systems. The commission is
also empowered to draft new legis-
lation for both irrigation and drain
age purposes, if such should be
deemed necessary. In accordance
with its duties the commission is
investigating the condition of all
Carey Act projects in the state, in
terviewing the settlers, examining
the irrigation works and holding
meetings at various places. We
started our tour at Arco in Blaine
county and have visited the Big
Lost River, Little Lost River,
Blaine County, South Side and
North Side Twin Falls, Little Sal
mon River, Oakley and King Hill
irrigation systems. Most of this
tour was made by auto, using high
power machines and making runs
averaging from rs to 80 miles an
hour through the sagebrush coun-
try. Three of the projects visited
are at an elevation of 5000 feet
and the season is fully month be-
hind the Kootenai Valley, but 9TH
er sections like that of King Hill
on the Snake river were ahead of
us. Around Twin Falls they are
Just beginning to cut the first crop
of alfalfa. This county is rapidly
developing as a seed producing
region. Thousands of acres are
being used for the culture of seed
peas, alsike and red clover and al
falfa seed. Some of the farmers
are also growing garden seeds.
This is not as good a stock country
as the North Twin Falls tract al
though large numbers of hogs are
raised. We found on some of the
projects visited that they were up
against serious shortage of water
and had it not been for the heavy
rains during May their condition
would have been still worse. The
rainy spring and cool weather have
saved southern Idaho this year.
I'VE had a fine chance to see the
great development of the past two
years in dry farming. Immense
tracts of sagebrush land, much o
it on the mountain slopes, have
been plowed and seeded to wheat
Some of this is leased state land
but many are taking up deser
homesteads and growing whea
and on some of the broken dowi
irrigation projects the settlers ar
making a success in this way.
I'VE had opportunity to Sc
some of the natural wonders of Ida
no. One was the sinks of both tn
Big and Little Lost Rivers, tn
streams which come out of tn
Sawtooth Range on t. the Law
beds and then disappear only t
come to the surface a hundre
miles lower down on the bluffs c
Snake River where they are Gale
The Thousand Springs. I hav
always considered these spring