Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-06-04
OUR BIG CHANCE
FOR IRRIGATION
WITH GOVERNM'T
Mass Meeting at City Hall
Next Monday Evening to
Consider Important De
velopment.

What-is probably Mountain Homes
one best bet for the reclamation OF
the arid lands by the Mountain
HomeSunnyside district will be pre-
] scented at mass meeting OF cit1-
zens land owners and all Others in
tenested. called to meet at the City
hall at s o'clock next Monday eve
ming. The proposition, in brief, is
that the reclamation service has
surbmitted contract to the organiza-
tions working for the reclamation
of this tract that provides that the
government will make a survey from
the American Falls dam at a cost
of $4,000 to this tract to determine
the feasibility of canal to water
these lands.
Secretary of the Interior Fall has
set aside $4,000, and the money
will be immediately available, con-
ditioned on $4,000 being raised by
the interested organizations, and as
soon as the same is raised. The
contract will be signed and the sur
vey will be made this summer. or
the $4,000, other communities are
raising a large part, and Elmore
county's share has been apportioned
at $4,000. Petition to the county
commissioners to appropriate $1,000
of that amount will be ready for the
June meeting of the board, and the
people of Mountain Home and vi
ginity will be called ON to provide
like amount. Copies Of the con-
tract to be submitted to the govern
ment are in the hands of local citi-
zens, and will be presented at the
meeting Monday evening and thor
oughly explained as we'll as state
ments of what other counties and
communities have done toward rails
rig the rerneiuder of the $40,
A year ago a similar proposition
was submitted to the reclamation
service and a part of the money
raised, but several counties fell
short in their amounts, and the con-
tract was never signed. At that
time $1,000 was provided by the Ell
more county commissioners, but fin
ally reverted back to the county, and
it is this $1,000 that the commits
sioners will be asked to reappropri-
ate for this purpose. This time the
proposal was made by the reclama-
ton service, and a large part of the
money has already been raised, so
that If We do our part, there is no
chance for slip in the plans.
For more than 80 years the peo-
pie of Mountain Home have been
attempting to secure the irrigation
of local lands. In June, 1892, the
Rattlesnake reservoir was complet-
ed and water was first brought to
Mountain Home in that year. Knowl-
edge of reclamation was then very
rudimentary, and it was commonly
believed that the Rattlesnake reser-
voir would ,irrigate at least 10000
acres of land. On June 6, 1892, an
immense jollification, still said to be
the biggest celebration ever held in
Mountain Home, marked the open
ing and dedication of the reservoir.
The principal address was made by
William e. Borah, and right that
day opened Mountain Homes strug-
gle for water, and in these 20 years
have come a constant succession of
plans for watering the territory; our
people have investigated and tried
8 them all, and our one best bet is the
government of the United States.
Government reclamation projects
have all been successful; 95 per cent
OF all others have been partial fail
ures; the time is now here when we
should all get together to interest
the United States reclamation service
In the biggest and best tract of arid
land still unimproved in the entire
West and backed by. the best all
year climate between Maine and
California.
Everybody who has the interest OF
Mountain Home at heart must be
present at the mass meeting Monday
evening.
Mrs. Nancy Coates and grand
daughter, Ruth Hampton, of Bru-
neau visited with Mrs. Mary Harris
this week.