Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-01
PRESIDENT TO SEE
IRRIGATION AREA
viii Visit Big Project, Then
Go to County Fair in South
Dakota Today.
By j. RUSSELL YOUNG,
S.aH rorrnsnondet,f ~ The Star

NEWELL. S. Oak, September l.
President Coolidge is coming here this
afternoon to visit the Belle Fourche
irrigation project, which has been
responsible for turning many thou'
sands of acres of prairie land INTO
fertile and blossoming farms. HE VIII
he accompanied by Mrs. Coolidge ana
their son John, and after spending
an hour or so looking over TINS inter
esting section. just north OF the biaSk
Hills. they will go to Nisland, elgnt
miles distant, to visit the Butte county
fair. for about an hour, before s1arulis
back for the Game Lodge.
In this so-called Belle Fourcne lrrisa'
zion district, which not so many years
80 vras a barren plain and the home
IF the Indian and the buffalo, Uncle
sam has spent about $4,000. 900 during
Tho last % wears in developing water
sunnlv and constructing bitches 10
huild m a farming center. rms sue
cessful irrigation was mace posslpIe
nv the diversion of the water OF the
BELLE Fourche River into an immense
storage reservoir, which holds more
than seventy billion gallons OF water
Has Giant Dam.
This reservoir
Interesting things shown 10 the !iesr
49, ond his oarty. 1t required the
CONSUMPTION of a huge earth DAM
mile and a quarter long and more
than 100 feet high, and is said TO De
ono of the largest dams OF It's Klno
Az the world. This reservoir forms
lake nine miles long and SIX mles
wide. where fishing, boating ana
bathing are popular sports IN tne
summer. The project itself lncluoes
1000 farms with a total OF lS'Vou
acres of irrigable land. The water Is
distributed to the land owners oy o4V
miles of canals and 4,1OO irrigation
structures.
The principal crops raised on the
proiect are sugar beets, alfalfa, corn
and grain. but small acreages OF In.
tensiyely cultivated crops such as
cucumbers for pickles, potatoes, bears
and truck have proved prontaDls
Twenty-six thousand acres given oven
to the raising of alfalfa are RESPONSE
bic for extensive sheep raising as well
as dairying and other live stock actlV-
tties.
Big Crowds Expected.
Because of all that has been accom-.
plished since irrigating this section.
Newell, its largest city, is the center
of a really romantic part of the west.
This little city has the Government
reclamation Office which administers
the work of the Belle Fourche project
and is the commercial and financial
center for a prosperous farming ter
ritory.
Nisland, where the county fair
which the presidential party will
visit is being held, is near the center
of this great irrigation project. The
settlement about this attractive little
city is older than some of the other
points of the project, and Nisland.
therefore, has become an important
shipping point for grain, live stock
and alfalfa. Near this town is To-
Gated one of the largest pickle works
in the West.
At neither Newell nor Nisland is the
President expected to make a speech,
although the indications in advance of
his arrival are that great crowds will
be on hand at each city to greet him.
The President and his party win make
the journey by train from Hermosa,
which is IL miles from the game
lodge. Nearly 200 miles will be COW
cred by the round trip from the lodge,
and this visit is expected to be the
Presidents last side trip before start
ing back for Washington September 8.