New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-05-23
SWAN LAKE DITCH
STRONGLY OPPOSED
HEARING AT ST. PETER NEXT
MONDAY ATTRACTING MUCH
ATTENTION
SPoRTSMEN OBJECT TO REMov-
AL OF BEST DUCK HUNTING
IN STATE

that has aroused the most attention of
any ever held in this part of the state,
if not in the entire state, will be held at
St. Peter next Monday, May %. It
is the proposition to drain or at least
lower Swan Lake, which it is claimed,
will reclaim several thousand acres of
land surrounding that body of water.
The lake itself, if the petition is granted,
will be lowered about four feet, according
to the estimates made by the engineers.
There are 107 signatures attached to
the petition.
Hunters Object To Plan
; The opposition to the drainage plan
comes from two sources, the most ag-
gressive of which are the sportsmen of
practically all of southern Minnesota.
Swan lake is the mecca for duck hunters
from far and wide.
It is commended that Swan lake is
practically the only hunting ground left
in this part of the state, and it would be
a crime to spoil it; in fact according to the
sportsmen interested the land is more
valuable as hunting ground than it
will ever be for the raising of crops.
The other opposition comes from the
people of Mankato, st. Peter and other
cities and towns along the Minnesota
valley, below the outlet of the lake,
claiming the extra flood damage from
the draining of that body of water would
be far greater than the gain to be de-
rived from carrying out the project,
The proposed ditch will traverse the
townships of CORTLAND, Cranky and
Nicollet in Nicollet county. The
petitioners make several claims for the
proposition. The first is that it will re-
claim large area of land owned BY them,
which now is of no use it being wet and
marshy and completely overlooked
during the wet seasons of the year;
that at present there is no ade-
quate drainage or outlet for said
lands. As result large quantities Of
water gather and remain there during
the wet seasons, and become foul and
and injurious and a menace
to 1.-THE public health Of aslarge numb OF
people living in the vicinity.
Only Marsh Now
It is also claimed that the lake has be-
come abnormally shallow, grassy and of a
marshy character, and is no longer of
sufficient depth or volume to be of any
substantial use for fishing, boating or
water supply; that it does not adjoin
any city or village and no such cor
poration owns any riparian rights upon
the lake; that it is now nothing but large
slough and in dry seasons it is practi-
cally dry and grown up to noxious
weeds and grasses. The proposed ditch
will lower the water about four feet,
and will not entirely drain the lake.
Is Rich Agricultural Land
The signers of the petition are all
owners of land affected by the present
conditions, who claim that if the ditch
is established that several thousand
acres of rich agricultural land will be
reclaimed. Several New Ulm attorneys
have been retained by those favoring,
as well as by those opposing the project.
The outcome Of the hearing will be
watched with considerable interest, by a
large number of people in this city and
vicinity, as well as all over southern
Minnesota.