The border vidette., 1925-11-14
THE COOLIDGE DAM

which Indians Of the Pima tribe
and white settlers of the Flor
ence Valley on the Gila River, in
Arizona, had cherished for more
than two score years became
living reality. But more than
that, it created a land Of tomor.
row, possessing potential posi-
bilities as golden as the glorious
sunsets of the west-possibili
ties beyond the realm of imagin
alton to the legions who have
not actually witnessed the trans
formation worked to desert lands
with the coming of water.
, CONSTRUCTION of the San Car
los storage dam, provided in the
bill, will bring water, through a
gravity system, to 10000 acres
of lands rich in fertility-an
agricultural empire within itself.
Building the great San Carlos
dam will convert the lands lying
under the project from desert
wastes to well cultivated, fruit
full acres. Much of the work al.
ready has been finished. Two
great government diversion dams
have been completely construct.
I'd which cosx nes"ly $1,5O0,O00.
One great canal 40 feet wls.e on
the bottom aud 60 feet wide on
top which will carry 200 second
feet of water, Is miles in length,
is completed, and another canal
under construction. 19 miles in
length, 81 feet wide On the bot
tom and AZ feet wide on top, will
CORY $50 second feet of water.
The San Carlos project in
cludes the impounding of the
rich food waters of the Gila
River behind a great storage
dam to be constructed in box
canyon about six miles below
San Carlos village. The dam,
according to the estimates of
government surveyors, will i'm
pound water enough to make o
lake 81 miles square, containing
q volume sufficient to cover i,
335, 1856 acres of land II inches
deep storage capacity equally
as great as that of Roosevelt
dam, the source of the water
supply for the near by Salt River
Valley.
The government has made pro.
vision in the chill limiting the
acreage which may be secured
by any individual to 100 acres.
Under the terms of the bill,
private ownership under the
project shall not include more
than 100 acres of land and all
lands in private ownership at
present in excess of that acreage
shall be turned back TO the gov
ernment to be opened by it as
homestead lands to ex service
men. Private owners will be
given credit for the lands turned
back.
The bill also was amended by
the house to provide that when
lands now owned in the project
under private ownership are
sold, that so per cent of the pro
fits made from the sale of the
lands shall be turned back to the
government, to apply on the
cost of the construction of the
dam. The government, under
the amendment, shall at once
appraise all lands under the pro.
ject, and this appraisement shall
be used as the basis for comput
ing the profits on the future sale
of lands.
The land that is to be watered
under the great reclamation pro
ject is wonderfully fertile and
productive.
Congress has authorized the
construction of the Coolidge dam
at cost of $5,5OO,O0O $3.50, 900
of which was made available q
few months ago and this money
is now being used in building
roads, making surveys and other
preliminary work. under the
direction of Major Charles r.
Olberg, engineer in charge of
construction for the government.
The Coolidge dam will prob
ably be built by contract under
the supervision of government
engineers and should be com
pleted in about two years. With
diversion dams and canals al
ready constructed, the main part
of the project can be completed
within two years. Power lines
have already been constructed
in the Casa Grande Valley and
electricity is available for pump
L. I-s1