The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-09-27
State RECLAIM lion Commission
Makes BIZ nes County Report

MQACC UO~ 1(
The State Reclamation Commission
has just completed its preliminary
work on the Sheyenne river in Barnes
county. Engineer Hard addressed the
Valley City Commercial club on the
commissions program last week, and
the work was started at once. In
Barnes county the work was done in
cooperation with the Valley City Com.
mercial club and County Agent James.
Much credit is also due Major Amasa
Peake and Mayor Moe for aiding In
making the work possible.
These and many other citizens of
Barnes, Nelson, Wells, Benson and
Eddy counties readily see the numer-
GUS advantages to be found in form.
ing large and fairly permanent water
bodies along the river where the dam
age is not excessive. While not di-
rectly interested in flood control in
the Red River valley, they are inter-
ested in the construction of dams that
will afford relief to from three to eight
million acres in that section, and Incl
dentally produce much water power.
General Peake. who had much ex-
perience in various reclamation pro.
jects, accompanied Engineer Hard in
locating two possible high dam sites
in northern Barnes County. Here the
valley contour affords excellent oppor-
tunity for storage with relatively
small damage to any rich farm land.
Further north, in Griggs county, and
In the southern two-thirds Of Barnes
county the valley broadens into rich
agricultural land.
The river channel through Ransom
county and as far north as Valley City
affords chance about every six miles
for small dams Is to 20 feet high. The
channel becomes gradually shallower
towards the north and beyond Valley
City the depth is 10 to IL feet. In
Eddy county the channel it six to
eight feet deep and the river often
overfows the narrow valley which is
one-half to three fourths of mile
wide, consisting largely of hay land.
At one time or another four mills
have been operated in southern Bar
mes county. The dam at the Russell
Miller Co. plant at Valley City devel-
ops about Is horse power. A higher
dam could be built and If located a
little distance from town where use
Of the water would not interfere with
the city water supply, the pOyer out
put would be more than doubled.
Mills were once operated at small
dams at Marsh's and at Kathryn, and
the Daley dam is still intact four
miles north of Kathryn, where Walk
er's mill was burned some years ago.
This was asuccessful country mill,
and would shave been rsbaiit but for
the peculiar circumstances attending
its burning. ~, 5
While the past seasons drought has
relieved the water logged soil in Cass,
.Richland and Trail counties, dulling
the interest in flood, control to some
extent, Sargent county has not yet
dried out. Further, the vast acreage
of cat.tail marshes which have always
been fine farms in Richland, Roberts,
Is. d., Wilkin, Traverse and other
counties is never failing spur to con-
tinue vigorous action ON the part Of
the citizens in these stricken dis
tricts. Those men are still impatient
with the complacent and false asser-
tiOn by men in more favored spots
that "oh' there isn't much need now of
flood control and drainage, and II
guess everybody has forgotten about
floods"
That these statements are far
from the truth is vigorously attested
by the definite progress now being
made in the upper counties in the Red
River Valley, about Lake Traverse in
all three states. For instance the Rob-
erts district" has Just had its final
organization established in spite of all
opposition of any unprOgressive par
ties. Great credit is due the business
men Of White Rock, S. D., for their
untiring efforts to get through their
district court, final Incorporation or
ders SO that contracts for dam and
canal construction may soon follow
II work is prosecuted early in the
spring, as is now believed possible, re-
lief to several million acres will soon
be a reality in spite of any possible
heavy. rains, or rapid drainage of the
high lands by new bitches.
: North Dakota Commissioner Hard,
who has acted in capacity of consult
ing engineer for the other two7 states,
has been called to the Wheaton,
MINI, hearing on Sept 20, where the
final steps in organizing the Traverse
county district will be made. Mr..
Hard's official duties prevented his ac-
cepting the invitation to be at the
Milbank, 5. D., meeting yesterday,
where still another "district" was
made under the new state law.
The usual obstacles met in forward
ing so gigantic movement as the re-
clamation. of eight to ten million acres
of land lying in three states, are grad
ually being overcome, and the work of
taking shape in the uppermost coun.
ties of the Red Valley. It behooves
every citizen of the valley to boost
this enterprise which can't fail to be
one of the biggest means yet found to
increase grain production in the Unit
ed States. Aiding in this work is just
as patriotic pursuit as boosting Red
Cross work, bond subscription or tax
levy. If the state administration will
MONEY