The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-11-22
Blackfoot in Danger
Of Flooding Waters
Continued from page one

IuS is having heck OI tlue, Dul
he isn't going to stand for that
always.
Inasmuch as you are going to hear
a great deal about this flood water
and drainage system for the next
four or five years you might as well
get some information now and get ii
right.
Wind Blows the Water
AS we said before, the wind blew
the water out of Willow creek and
started Sand creek, and Sand creek
has been raising the dickens ever
since. The wind did not blow SO
very hard, but the way it kept at ii
was what turned the. waters of Will
low creek cut upon the sage plains
In certain parts of Western America
are sand hills. Some of these are
called sand balls because they travel.
The prevailing wind hitting sand
hill on the same side all the while
keeps the sand moving around on to
the other side and lodging, and in
that way sand hill will travel
slowly in the direction Of the prevail
ing WlHu.
Way back in the eighties we had a
very dry season one summer and
Willow creek was just about dry.
On the southern bank of Willow
creek was a sand hill of that travel
ing kind we have been telling you
about. There was great deal OF
wind that summer and particles of
O. nd 1uin OF Of hn
sand hill were driven around on the
northern side. In the course of the
summer, that little sand hill drifted
squarely IS Willow creek and sat
there. When the cool weather came
on and there was no water used
above for irrigation it came on down
the creek and made mill pond
above the sand hill. The easiest way
out was on the south side and it
flowed down across the sage plain
travelling in southwesterly direc-
ton. For quarter of century it
has been coming on farther and
farther and raising the dickens with
more settlers. When the govern
ment canal was built to conduct
water from the Snake river across
to the Indian reservation, it cut
across Sand creek nearly at right
angles and as the water did not be-
long to anybody and nobody cared
what became of it, they did not build
a syphon to conduct it under their
canal nor flume to conduct it over,
but merely drained it into their canal
and conducted it down the country
and dumped it into Blackfoot river
along with the rest of their water.
How Good Things Change
You may wonder why the water
continued to flow in these channels
for SO long without remedy. There
were several reasons. The early set
tiers were ambitious to get as much
water turned loose on the sage plains
as possible to soak them up. 1t made
better range; the grass grew more
and it was more conven-
lent for watering stock running
loose on the range. When cattle
have to travel six or eight or ten
miles in hot weather to get drink
they do not do so well as when they
can get their water near the grass.
Cattle men and horse men, therefore,
were glad that Sand creek was
formed. The people at Idaho Falls
were glad there was an outlet for
the surplus water without coming
down thru the edge of their town so
they were pleased. Some of the
farmers who were getting water out
of Willow creek below this sand hill
we have been telling you about, cut
a little channel around the sand hill
and got enough down to supply their
needs. Then there came a washout
and enlarged that little channel and
a good deal of the flow of Willow
creek for the year passed on down to
Snake river as it had done in the
olden times. But the flood waters of
Willow creek were divided at the
sand hill and the bulk of it went !
down Sand creek, meandering along
thru the sand hills for a great dis
lance to southwestward in the di-
rection of Blackfoot. A good many |
people settled along Sand creek and |
made such use of the waste waters
as they could. Willow creek heads
IN the low mountains and conse-
luently the freshet runs off rather
early in the spring. 1t is pretty we'll
trained off by the time the irrigat-
ng begins and the original settlers
who appropriated the waters of Will
ow creek in the country to the east
ward of Idaho Falls claimed and
lsed for irrigation all the summer
low of Willow creek. SO the new
settlers down along Sand creek had
he flood waters in the spring when
hey did not wish to irrigate and
when they got ready to water their
,rops there was nothing for them.
+ they went up the creek to try to
ret some water down, it was all in
lse, being taken out by the men it
belonged to- The settlers along
sand creek had to plan water for ir-
igation from some other source and
hey got it in various ways. Sand
reek cut out trench of it's own,
arying in width from few feet to
few rods. If it got out of its banks
n the winter time and spread over
he lands belonging to the settlers,
hey had to control it as best they
ould. If it got out of it's banks in
he springtime and spread over their
arms 1T was up to them to build a
ike to keep it back and control it.
n vain they went up stream and
Sked the owners of that water to