The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-11-23

waters in natural reservoirs and then
drawing from the reservoirs to main
tain the depth of the stream at all
times.
Visioning what this would mean to
the valley, the local people organized
an association representing all inter-
ests and set about getting accurate
surveys for complete water develop
ments. They sought to interest all
public agencies they could contact in
their program and urged cooperation
that the development might be an OBJ
ject lesson for the state and northwest.
After many disappointments and de-
lays, this summer aid came to the Mus
selshell Valley Development association
through the federal emergency relief
administration by way of the state
water conservation board and the state
relief commission.
It all sounds easy, but it has taken
years to complete the surveys, esti-
mate costs, get title to lands where
canals would be constructed and carry
out countless interviews with interest
ed parties and obtain pledges from
water users sufficient to care for nee
essary expenses over and above labor
costs now furnished by the federal
emergency relief commission.
Persistence won and the last obstacle
to beginning of the work was overcome
so that Gov. Frank H. Cooney moved
the first shovelful of dirt from the Dead
Mans basin intake canal July 10, 1884.
Since that date, many a needy worker
has kept the dirt moving. doing his part
toward building the canal while earn
ing a pay check and an honest living
from FERA funds. Still more import
ant has been the fact that each worker
realized that every shoveful moved
meant citizens of the valley were just
that much nearer the goal OF their re-
generative program.
No one, so far, has been able to ac-
curately estimate the ultimate value
of this development. However, every
one interested in the completed project
points to several yardsticks that may
be used to measure returns that will
come to citizens and property owners
along the Musselshell from Martinsdale
to below the town of Musselshell, a dis
lance greater than 125 miles. They
point to these estimated improvements.
not entirely on the basis of completion
of the Dead Mans basin reservoir, but
on the basis of complete development,
when five sites now being surveyed near
Martinsdale are parts of the completed
project.
william M. Maxey Jr., a water con-
servation board engineer, has charge
of preliminary survey work now going
on neal Martinsdale.
improvements that will come to the
! valley will be due to controlling stream
flow of the river. Thousands of acre
! feet of water stored in the Dead Mans
basin reservoirs and controlled by up
per dams will be released as needed
in the river so all existing irrigation
bitches will have a dependable supply
throughout the growing season. This
means the Musselshell river bed will
serve as the main feeder canal for The
whole valley from Martinsdale to below
Musselshell.
All along the valley there are irri-
CATION systems built to serve individual
groups or ranches. These systems are
dependent on a supply Of water from
the river. There has been no attempt
heretofore to conserve the "runoft' IN
the spring or during freshets so that II
drouth years and dry weeks OF most
a there has been insufficient water
for irrigation projects already con-
structed and disable.
People of the valley are not seeking
irrigation development of new lands
to produce crops in competition with
farm lands now in use. Rather they
expect that henceforth they will be ablt
to supply needs of irrigation systems
already constructed. And, through stab
iIization Of irrigation water In thu
Musselshell, farmers and ranchmer
will, no doubt, find they can dependably
stock ranges and produce necessary
winter feed for herds and flocks. II
short, it is intended to make ecure AZ
! established industry and population.