The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-12-21
DECLARES DIVIDEND
Continued from page one

houses in the town but several are
now empty. There as consolidated
school and q public hall, one church,
and a depot besides private enter
prises.
1t is central point for a large
tract of irrigated lands, natural
meadows, lands that need draining
and lands that are rated as dry
farming, but which for number Of
years have not proved profitable to
operate as such. About 80 per cent
E0f the pedigreed Grimm alfalfa seed
Of the world is produced within ten
miles of Sterling and in the last
year has brought in a third of a mil
lion dollars. The industry is cap
able of much expansion in that dis
trict
Sterling is on the branch line be-
tween Blackfo0t and Aberdeen and
when the line is connected with the
main line at American Falls, or
Minidoka will enjoy commercial adj
vantages now denied to it.
At the close of the meeting there
was a review of the history Of the
town and the community and an
analysis was made, as to why the
past twelve years had not witnessed
the development that was predicted
at the time the town was laid out.
The analysis ran about this way:
The railroad was not extended to
the main line on the south as was
expected; dry farming took
slump; the community lacked unity
and teamwork for development of
the town; water from the canal on
the higher lands seeped too freely
and rose in the fiat lands, bringing
up some alkali with it, an amount
that would not have harmed crops If
it had been farmed and irrigated or
drained, but the lack of control in
letting the water on the lands or in
getting it off again, brought satura-
ton and alkali. Lands they ex-
pected to become productive became
a menace. A competitive townsite
was launched less than mile away
and that delayed the construction
of spur and shipping facilities and
added much to the cost of develop
ing the townsite. The promoters of
the other townsite failed, and their
financial failure brought others
down with it and ruined some bust
ness ventures that had every op-
portunity to succeed, but for the
division of the community and it's
efforts.
The launching Of the plans for
the American Falls reservoir on the
larger scale in recent years placed
Sterling on the shore line and
stopped the progress of the town
pending decision as to its construc-
ton. Some enterprises that were
ready to buy and build, waited to
see whether it was going to be an
inland town or lake port without
shipping facilities.
bordering the town have been or
ganized into drainage district and
people are now paying taxes on
drainage bonds, but actual construc-
ton is held up, pending the decision
next month of the American Falls
reservoir and the possible revision
of drainage plans to conform to it.
With drainage accomplished and
the reservoir built on the smaller
plan so that the water line will be
below the Sterling plain, with the
Grimm seed production taking free
rein, the development of the town
would go on, but if the reservoir is
built to the full size, the townsite
would probably be condemned and
plated as part of the storage
reservation.
The stockholders of the townsite
launched their enterprise before the
reservoir plans menaced higher
levels and before drainage was con-
sidered menace, and they now
have those problems to meet.
How Il Came About.