HOME BUILDING IN THE PECOS VALLEY. 



TWO GREAT RESERVOIRS. 



For the irrigation of the central and lower portions 

 of the valley water is impounded in two large reser- 

 voirs, one of which has a capacity of six billion cubic 

 feet. This is known as the Seven Rivers Reservoir, 

 and the beautiful lake which it forms has been chris- 

 tened Lake McMillan, after one of the officers of the 

 company. The presence of such a body of water in 

 the midst of what was formerly a barren waste is a 

 very notable thing in itself, and must surely lead to 

 the development of a most attractive summer resort. 

 Already row boats and sailing craft are seen on its 

 surface. This and the Eddy Distributing Reservoir, 

 twelve miles further down the valley, are magnificent 

 creations of engineering skill. Their characteristic 

 features are simplicity and strength. They are sub- 



those who are studying the valley for the more im- 

 portant purpose of home-making only desire to know 

 that the water supply is abundant, that the works are 

 substantial, that the water is suited to irrigation, and 

 that the company behind the enterprise is strong 

 enough to meet all demands upon it, either for such 

 repairs as may become necessary, or of such exten- 

 sion as increasing settlement shall demand. These are 

 the settlers' questions, and they can all be answered 

 emphatically and affirmatively. The water supply is 

 all right, and the system ranks among the finest in 

 the world. 



THE PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY. 



Except in the neighborhood of Roswell, the agri- 

 cultural and horticultural development of the valley 

 dates no further back than five or six years, and with 



VIEW OF MAIN CANAL, PECOS VALLEY IRRIGATION SYSTEM. 



stantially alike in method of construction, being over 

 300 feet wide at the base, fifty feet high and eighty 

 feet wide at the crown. The Eddy dam is 1,150 feet 

 long and that at Seven Rivers 1,686 feet. In both 

 cases most ample provision of spillway capacity has 

 been made, and it seems impossible that any flood or 

 cloudburst can disturb the structures. The Southern 

 Canal, leading from the Eddy Reservoir, is now forty 

 miles in length, carrying a stream forty-five wide and 

 seven feet deep, which crosses the river through a 

 substantial flume 468 feet in length. The East Side 

 Canal, fifteen feet in width, is also supplied from this 

 source. 



THE WATER SUPPLY IS ALL RIGHT. 



If this article were written for engineers, the great 

 Pecos system would require extended description, but 



the exception of one farm on the Lower Pecos, it goes 

 only two or three years into the past. At Roswell we 

 see what water, soil and sunshine have done in a 

 dozen years, although not under the best conditions 

 and methods. The exhibit of the Pecos Valley prod- 

 ucts in the company's office at Eddy furnishes the 

 most convincing proof of the value of the climate 

 and soil. It covers a very wide range, including 

 almost every product of the temperate and semi- 

 tropic zones except oranges and lemons. All the 

 deciduous fruits, all the garden vegetables, all small 

 fruits, all the cereals are represented in the collec- 

 tion by the finest specimens. As each specimen is 

 accompanied by a card stating the name and address 

 of the party who raised it and the date of the harvest, 

 there can be no doubt that the specimens are genuine 



