The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1941-02-06
HARDIN MEN
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Rivers And Hurbors Bourd
Hem Information On
BoYsen Dom
A large delegation of men
from Big Horn county attended
the all-day meeting of the riv-
ers and harbors board held last
Thursday in Billings. At the
meeting the construction of a
dam at BoySen, Wyo., and Gar
diner, Mont, were recommended
to the engineers.
The board met in Billings to
consider suggestions of resi-
dents Of Montana, wyoming and
North Dakota pertaining to
flood control and other water
uses in the two river basins.
During the day more than
200 persons attended the hear
Ing and testimony was offered
to the board, supplemented by
written recommendations, by
representatives of a number of
state, county and local organi-
cations Of the three states.
Colonel Ulysses S. Grant, III,
chairman of the board, pointed
out that all information, both
oral and written, furnished at
the hearing would be carefully
considered" by the board before
recommendations were made to
congress. The one-day meeting
which began at 10 am. was con-
clqded at S pm.
Delegations from Park and
saltwater counties of Montana
favored construction of a dam
on the Yellowstone river "some-
where between Livingston and
Gardiner"
Delegations from Glendive,
Miles City and other eastern
Montana points joined with the
wyoming groups in favoring a
dam at Boysen as against Kane
because they said it would
yield greater benefits to more
The Wyoming delegation,
headed by l.. C. Bishop, state
engineer, agreed that the Boy
sen site was definitely prefer
able for the proposed dam as
against the Kane SITE"
"The Boysen site is favored
by wyoming farmers and ranch
men because of its immediate
benefits to irrigatorS, the solu-
ton 1t offers to the Montana
Wyoming silt problem, the pro-
lection it offers future irrigation
practices in this area and be-
cause of the fact that construc-
ton of a dam at this point will
not require destruction of SO
much agricultural land as the
Kane SITE" Bishop summarized
in his statement to the board.
Congressman James F. O'Con-
nor Of Livingston presented at De-;
Park counties. These speakers
pointed out that "the Yellow
stone river is continually reced-
ing, effecting the productivity OF
the land for miles around" as
the principal reason why a dam
must be constructed to store
waters needed for irrigation.
Robert Yellowtail, superinten-
dent of the Crow Indian reser-
walton, said "a normal flow of
water along the Yellowstone and
Big Horn rivers was all the In
dams wanted"
John Harris, a Chicago manu-
facturer and former Hardin res
ident, read a paper on potential
Montana power developments
through construction of a dam
at the mouth of the Big Horn
canyon.
w. S. Hanna of Billings, dis
trlct engineer with the { Indian
irrigation and reclamation SER
vice, presented a brief which
favored construction of a stor-
age dam on the Big Horn river.
Such a dam, he said, would
laid farming on the Shoshone
and Crow Indian reservations
effecting more than 100000
acres"
Chairman Grant at the con-
clusion of the session said any
individual or organization might
file written recommendations
with the engineers board within
the next two weeks 10 further
supplement the testimony given
in Billings Thursday.
D. P. Fabrick OF Choteau, a
member of the state water
board, read the written, state
ment prepared by the board
to be submitted to the engin-
GERS for consideration.
In response to a question from
the floor, Congressman O'Con-
nor explained that the engin-
eers' board would not take any
direct action as a result of this
meeting at Billings. The board
will make a report 10 congress
on the information obtained
and the bureau of reclamation,
which is making separate sur
vey, will do likewise. When all
reports and surveys are in,
congress will determine what