Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1916-04-03
! Farmers Strong for
Irrigation Plans

At meeting held Thursday even.
ing under the auspices of the Talent
Farmers Club, and largely attended
by the farmers from ali the south
end of the valley and business men
of Ashland and Medford, the farmers
enthusiastically voted to organize the
district known as the Ashland Talent
district into an irrigation unit at
once, to elect trustees and INCORPORATE
for the purpose of transacting busi-
ness in legal form. j. w. Miner of
Ashland, R. e. Robson and A. l..
Manning of Talent were proposed as
trustees by the meeting.
The petition for the organization of
that district has been filed with the
county court and the exemptions
made. That is the first important
step toward organization. The cleo
tion of trustees will be the next step,
that feature of business being in
itiated Thursday night.
Two tentative propositions were
offered for the consideration of the
people of the district. The Beaver
creek project, submitted by V. T. Nc
Cray of Medford, offering a supply
of water that would command 20, 900
acres on the most conservative esti-
mate by competent engineers, appear
ed to attract special consideration.
Thomas w. Osgood offered the
Hyatt Prairie proposition, estimated
to cover 5000 acres. That and the
Beaver creek project would enter the
Bear creek arm of the Rogue River
valley through the same pass and by
practically the same general route.
Vice-President C. NJ. Thomas, in
he absence of the president, presid-
I'd at the meeting. He made a semi '
historical congratulatory talk on what
he Talent Farmers Club has done to
ring about the definite attention of
he federal and state reclamation I
ervice to the matter of irrigation in |
his valley and finally to their assist I
nee in the matter of preliminary sur /
eys, location of water sources and S
osts of installation of a system of c
irrigation by the use of one or more a
t the sources surveyed. The report S
I Engineer Whistler, together with
he accompanying recommendations Z
'as discussed. ]
In summing up the sentiment ex-
ressed by the several speakers. it
lay be said that no attention was
lven to the question as to whether
not water is needed for irrigation, .,
lie main problem being that of OBJ -
lining it at the earliest possible date. :,
ot discouraging word was spoken :.
the entire discussion. rea =,
While Mr.. Osgod made a plain =
nd sensible talk on the merits of the : :
yatt Prairie project, the assembled .
tizens interested recognized that 1t :,
as too small to warrant their giving !.
serious consideration. While in =
alling a system for permanent irri- A,
itlon, 1t was decided to make it suf- =
GENTLY extensive to cover the limit
territory eager for it at the be-
inning. No patchwork would be n
'cessary at later date, therefore. q
The area of the Beaver creek wa
rshed, it was explained, is not less
an Sc square miles, in places at
ming an elevation of $500 feet,
d in a region of almost perpetual er
ow. A permit for the storage of A
is water has been obtained from o.
state. Should additional water VI
needed in future, it may be easily ia
d from the waters of Big Drew and &c
adwood creeks, which would in tic