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

due north Of Ryegate, the seat of Gold
en- Valley county.
Only a small dam. moi to be started
until the ditch is virtually completed,
will be placed across the Musselshell
al Winnecoop to divert overflow waters
into the ditch. Down the great intake
ditch, which is of 407 cubic feet capa-
city, measured about so feet across, 20
or 80 feet deep and drops 1.6 feet every
mile it travels. the water will flow, six
feet deep considerably slower than the
Musselshell, which meanders in the
same approximate direction) into Dead
Mans basin.
There will be no facing nor lining in
the ditch, which, when completed, will
be just as it was cut in the earth. The
entire intake canal has been so en-
cheering, dropping only approximately
IL feet in the entire length of its course
to insure minimum washout and erosion
by water flowing through it.
At the end of the intake canal, some
system of locks will probably be neces-
sary to prevent erosion and damage to
the ditch as it empties, by about a TO-
foot fall, into the basin. At this point
the natural basin stretches out about
81 miles to the point opposite where a
tunnel system probably will make up
the outlet, allowing the water stored in
the basin to be run back into the Mus
selshel river, very near this point.
Dead Mans basin sinks an average of
about 70 feet below the level of the
intake canal and the adjoining country.
It is almost circular in shape and.
when filled near capacity, will hold
80, 900 acre feet of water. This natural
depression, bordered for the most part
by sheer sandstone and shale walls,
and for the remainder by steep, gravellv
hills, will make quite a lake in the
heart of a near desert, %sagebrush lit
tered landscape.
Not completely engineered yet, it is
now thought the outlet at the opposite
side of the basin from the intake canal
locks will be a tunnel. At any rate.
a simple ditch or tunnel through the
hill here will once again allow the
water, which earlier in the year, or
during cloudburst weather will be di-
verted about III miles up the river by
the dam at Winnecoop, to follow a
short natural drainage channel and
once again flow into the Musselshell
when that stream becomes low or near
ly dry. as is often the case, later in the
summer. This will provide for a stab
ilized year around flow.
Why Dead Mans basin? The odd
name struck me the first time I heard
of the project. So, among my first
questions was this all important one.
And here's what I found out:
In 1863 $50 the legend goes a rem
egade horse wrangler coveted and
herded over a period of time a band
of COW ponies and range mustangs that
bore the brands of other outfits. Ac-
cordingly, one day his intregity was
questioned. Justice moved swiftly in
those days and the lone renegade
shortly afterward found himself dam
Cling from the end of a post in the
desolate expanse of basin land, which
forever after that day bore the name
of Dead Mans basin. For many years
after that, residents of the vicinity
endowed with a mania for souvenir col
lection would pick up an occasiona,
bone from the bleached human skele-
ton in the basin.
Strangely enough, in addition to sew
eral excellent collections of femurs
tibias, a skull, ribs and other bones, the
lone post on which the unfortunate
cowboy was hanged still stands nea
the center of the basin, where it can be
seen from near the location of the pro-
posed intake locks.
But collection Of souvenirs has not
taken up all of the citizens time ir
that region. For rs years stream flow
of the Musselshell river has been &C.
curately measured. Findings of the
engineers who made the measurement
prove that the flow Of the river can bt
uniformly regulated at a given leve
throughout all months Of the year by
the simple process Of impounding sur.
nl,,e winfef snrin0 and %cloldhilrs.