Morris tribune., 1921-01-28
SCOFIELD REPORTS
ON DRAINAGE HEARING
Attorney for Grant County Land
Owners Obtains Stipulation Of
No Benefits No Tax

AlthO nearly all OF Stevens county
is included in the Minnesota Valley
Conservancy District project while
only half of Grant county is includ-
ed, yet in the latter county, land
owners became so concerned that they
held a meeting of protest and en-
gagged E. J. Scoield, the we'll known
Elbow Lake attorney to appear for
them in the hearing recently held in
Mankato.
Mr.. Scofeld submitted report
which was published in the Grant
County Herald, and this report con-
tains so much of interest to land
owners in Stevens county as we'll os
in Grant county that it is here pub
lished in full:
IAN adjourned hearing of the pc
tition for the establishment of the
Minnesota Valley Drainage and Con-
servancy District was held at Man
kato on January 5th, 1921, before
District Judges, Catherwood, Child
ress, Comstock, Converse, Daley,
Dean, Flaherty, Nelson, Olson and
originally intended to include all the
land that drain waters into the Min
nesota River and included the east
half of Grant county.
''The Minnesota Valley, extending
from the foot of Big Stone lake to
the mouth of the Minnesota River
at Fort Smelling, is a broad and fer
tile valley and before the settlement,
drainage and cultivation of the lands
along the streams draining waters in
to the Minnesota River, the farms
along the Minnesota river bottom
were seldom overflowed, except in
spring time, and these farms we're
among the most productive in the
state. After the settlement drain
age and cultivation of the lands tri-
butary to the Pomme de Terre, Chip
pewa and other streams flowing into
sWamps and small lakes have been
tiled and drained so that now after
every heavy rain during the sum-
smers all the surplus waters are with
in few days taken into the Min
nesota river, causing it to overflow
its banks and inundate all the farms
on the river bottoms between the
bluffs, so that during the past years
the farms along the Minnesota river
have produced no crops. The farm
ers along the river have long asked
the state for some relief, and at the
extra session of the legislature in
1919, a law was enacted which auth
orized the Judges of District Courts,
in the territory affected, to establish
a drainage and conservancy board
consisting of not less than three nor
more than five members resident in
the district. This board is to be
vested with power to make the i'm
provements contemplated by the law
under the direction of the District
Court, the method of procedure being
similar to that in Judicial Ditch pro-
ceedings.
'"The project petitioned for is in
tended to include the construction of
at least two dams in the Minnesota
river, one at New Ulm and the other
at the foot of Lac Qui Parle, the
changing of the Chippewa river at
Montevideo, so that the surplus wat
er may run into Lac Qui Parle,
diverting the Wheatstone river into
Big Stone Lake, the building of dams
and reservoirs at Pomme de Terre
lake in Stevens county, at Barrett
lake, at Pomme de Terre lake in
Grant county the rebuilding of the
old power dam at Pomme de Terre
village and possibly dams at the out
lets of Pelican lake and Ten Mile
lake. The object of the project is:
first to, control flood waters and pre-
vent the overlooking of the low lands
along the Minnesota river. Second,
the utilization of the water at the
several dams for power. Third, the
propagation, conservation and sale of
rough fish taken from the reservoirs.
1t is estimated that the cost of the
construction of enough of the pro-
ject to have any beneficial effect will
be about $2,50O,OO0.OO. The reser-
voirs will necessarily flood large
VI A0"AU' A0Au0AAAS Iuo SdLue
worthless which must be paid for.
The Great Northern Railway Com
pany claims $2OO,OOO.OO damages to
its grade at Appleton.
'The money to defray the costs of
construction is proposed to be raised
by assessment of lands within the
district. All lands are proposed to be
divided into two classes. Lands,
roads, corporations and other pro-
perty receiving benefits by way of
drainage or flood control are includ-
ed in class one, and are intended to
be assessed for the full amount of
direct benefits received; all other
lands including uplands are included
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