The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1918-02-12

a. A. Darknell, T.. L. sweeney
and c.. w. Craney, who were ap-
pointed by Judge r. n. Dunn as
commissioners of Drainage Dis
trict 4 of Benewah county, will
meet the latter part Of the week
to tame heir oah of Office and file
bonds. After taking the oath the
commissioners will organize by
the election of a chairman and
secretary and will proceed i'm
mediately with the preliminary
steps necessary before the active
work of the district can be
started.
With the appointment of the
commissioners and the Organi-
zation Of the district the settlers
of this section are beginning to
look forward to the end of the
struggle to free their lands from
overflow water, which has lasted
for nearly twenty years. In 1899
Mr.. Darknell, who is one of those
appointed as a member Of the
board of commissioners, made
application to the secretary of
the interior for permission to
clear the brush and logs out of
what was known as the south
channel of the Spokane river,
with the idea of permitting the
water to flow unObstructed and
prevent it from backing up and
overflOwing the lands along the
\St r.Toe and st. Maries rivers.
1shis permit was granted by the
secretary of the interior on July
5, 1899.
In the same year a meeting
was called at Harrison to protest
against the proposed raising Of
the old Post dam at Post Falls,
which was owned at that time by
Campbell & Finch. w. w. Ferrell
was appointed a committee Of
one to interview the owners Of
the dam and succeeded in obtain
ing a promise from them that it
would not be raised. Later they
disposed Of their interests to the
WASHINGTON Water Power Co.,
who constructed a new dam with
q bear-traD. which could be
raised to hold the water back and
form a reservoir.
In 1909 a bill was introduced
in Congress by Congressman
Burton L. French to sell TO the
Washington Water Power Co.
G.4OO acres of land on the reser-
vation. which they proposed to
overflow. The settlers, in protest
against this sale, took the matter
up with Congressman French and
he withdrew the bill. The sec
retary of the interior then
granted the power company an
easement to overflow the lands,
over the protests of the settlers.
In 1913 a mass meeting of the
settlers was called at Harrison
for the purpose of forming a
drainage district TO free the
lands from the water. Everything
was placed i'm readiness for the
formation OF the district when it
was found that the law permit
ting such districts to be organ
lied had been irregularly passed
hy the legislature and the work
could not be carried on. A. A
Darknell and w. d. Doty, who
had been appointed as a COM
mittee to organize the district
took the matter up with Cover
nor John NJ. Haines in AN at
tempt to have a special session
Of The legislature called to rem
edy the defect in the law bu
were unsuccessful.
At the next session of the leg
islatV' tGe law was remedie'
and Il ..afs6 another meeting wa
c2lled committee appointe'
10 cfcuf5te petitions and form
the district. The petition, whicl
called for only one district Il
embrace the lands i'm the tw
counties, was circulated an
numerously signed but early i
1917 it was discovered such
procedure was illegal and