Arizona republican., 1919-11-26
VIRGIN EMPIRE
 WITHIN ARIZONA
 FULL IF WEALTH
State Official Describes
 Trip Through Northwest
 Corner of State and Won ders of Riches It Contains

Official accounts of distant and po- tentially wealthy empire, almost un- touched and lying within the boundar- ies of Arizona, were brought here yes terday by State Water Commissioner w. $. Norviel and reported by him to Governor Thomas E. Campbell. Ap- proximately 50,000 acres of fine agri- cultural land is available there for ulti- mate reclamation projects by the gov-- ernment.
 The land lies contiguous to the Vir- gin river that flows diagonally across the northwest corner of the state, the river rising in Utah and passing through Arizona into Nevada It was called to Commissioner NorvieFs at tention recently by Commissioner Scrugham of Nevada. who desired to move headgate into Arizona terri tory. Norviel made a personal inves- tigation, found that the Nevada farm CTS contemplated taking no more wa ter than has been their established custom, and that they merely desired a more suitable site for diversion of their canal from the Virgin river.
 An Arduous Trip
 Commissioner Norviel left here No vember 15 and reached the river after an arduous trip by motor, going first to Kingman, where he was joined by the Mohave county highway commis- sion, Supervisor A H. Smith of that county, and others, who were going the same way with the purpose of locating a highway to Kingman from the state line near St. George, Utah, via the Vir- gin river country.
 From Kingman the party travelled to Las Vegas, New, and thence to St. Thomas, Nev- and Littlefield, Ariz., the party breaking up en route. From Littlefield, Commissioner Norviel con- tinued to St. George, Utah, then by stage 90 miles to Lund, Utah, and then by train to Salt Lake City where he attended the reclamation conference. Returning, the commissioner came via the Salt Lake line to Barstow. and thence via auto tram to St. Thomas on the Virgin river, but that route offers no guarantee of getting anywhere be- yond St. Thomas.
 Dam Is Proposed
 Littlefield. Arizona, has a population of about 75 farmers, and embraces about 150 acres now under irrigation from a tributary of the Virgin river known as the Muddy river because it is clear The Virgin river is muddy. Nor viel met Joseph Reber, whom he men, - tions as the principal citizen there.
 The Virgin river according to Nor viel, approaches Littlefield from mar row gorge where there is a large dam. site. claimed by the O'Brien brothers o Salt Lake City. The O'Brien brothers have paid taxes thereon in Mohavt = county for years, but Commissions Mp(,nnipal nf hai S claim of doubtful value, and consider. - the damsite of equally doubtful value O According tosome existing plans for tn, e dam, it was proposed to erect a dan d 300 feet high between the vertical wall r 200 feet apart to irrigate 100000 acre \. of mesa and bench land, of whicl
 300O0 te 50,O00 acres would be in Ari e zona.
 ' Water in Abundance Below the damsite several hundred 2 feet is a second and smaller but nor U practical damsite which would provid ', water for from 1000 to 10000 acres 0 ' Arizona land by dam from 65 to ' D feet in height. In earlier days a com Il pany undertook to build a dam ther
 and did construct miles of cana
 which was considered the most diff
 cult part of the work That compan
 went defunct
 The proposition for building a roa
 south from St. George Norviel says i d intended to encourage auto travel be 1t tween Salt Lake City and Arizona d points. Approximately 25 machine IS come over that route daily accordin
 to what he was told and the Mohav = people hope to quadruple that number