WATER RIGHTS IN THE WEST GALLATIN BASIN. 



Peniuiiioiit .settlement of the Gallatin Basin beouii in ,Iuly, 1S()4, at 

 which time ,). ]M. Bozeman, the pioneer of the Bozeman route to the 

 North rhitte River, founded Bozeman, the county seat of Gallatin 

 County. Since that time settlement has increased steadily until at the 

 present time the entire cultivable area of the valley section is under 

 private ownership, and, with the exception of a few scatterinj^- tracts 

 in the mountainous .section, no land is now open for settlement, the 

 ojdy means of accjuirement beino- by purchase. 



During the period of development, coNcrint;- a space of nearly fort>' 

 3' ears, water for the irrif>ation of the lands of the valley 1ms been taken 

 promiscuously from the many streams, both lart>"e and sm;dl, which 

 enter the Aallc}-. Until within the last few 3'ears watei- has been 

 diverted from the various streams without let or hindrance. 



The lands first to be reclaimed were those which were the easiest of 

 cultivation and upon which water could be conveyed with but little 

 difficult}". Such lands, almost without exception, were located on the 

 lower parts of the streams, and it is in these sections that the oldest 

 rio'hts are found. As settlement of the vallc}' increased, lands higher 

 up on the stream were brought under cultivation and ditches were 

 taken from the streams at the most convenient points. 



The first ditches built were small, being individual or small cooper- 

 ative enterprises. After all the easily available land had been brought 

 under irrigation by these small systems, incorporated canal companies 

 were formed which planned, and in a few instances constructed, large 

 canal systems which head well up on the larger streams and by fol- 

 lowing long circuitous routes have been able to supply the higher 

 bench lands. As no system of stream control existed, these diversions 

 increased unrestrictedly from 3'ear to 3 ear until a slight shortage was 

 felt by the irrigators on the lower part of the streams. When this 

 stage was reached the lower irrigators, determined not to be thus 

 deprived of their water supply, moved the heads of their ditches up- 

 stream to points Avhere the river's supply was not so greatlv depleted. 

 On the same theor3" the next higher irrigator, Avhen a shortage began 

 to be felt, moved his head gate upstream also. As a result we have at 

 the present time a svstem, especially noticeal)le on the West Gallatin 

 River, in which numerous small individual and partnership ditches 

 serve farms which lie anywhere from 2 to 6 miles below the points of 

 diversion. These long parallel ditch lines, in addition to having 

 required an immense amount of uncalled-for labor in their construc- 

 tion, are ver3" inefl'ective as water carriers and lose by seepage in 

 transit from 25 to 60 per cent of the amounts diverted. The scheme, 

 therefore, which was original!}' intended to increase the water suppl}" 

 for the lower irrigators, has reall3' been of little benefit to them, and 



