1 66 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



any one of them. The Colorado and its affluents 

 have cut their way through an extensive plateau, or 

 series of elevated table-lands, known as the " Great 

 Plateau Region." At some points the walls of the 

 canyon rise sheer from the water, at other places there 

 are tali of rocks, and occasionally a narrow strip of 

 fertile bottom land on either or both sides. 



It is acknowledged by all that the Grand canyon 

 affords the greatest natural attractions and diversified 

 picturesque scenery there is in the world. It is cer- 

 tainly the "wonder of wonders," and is a geolog- 

 ical phenomenon that has no equal. When com- 

 pared with other canyons it may appropriately be 

 called the " Mammoth canyon." It must be seen in 

 order to be appreciated. Imagine yourself standing 

 on the margin of a chasm, a yawning abyss in the 

 earth, where you can look down 6,000 or 7,000 feet 

 nearly two miles deep and to the opposite rim from 

 three to twelve miles distant. Clarence Button's 

 magnificent Atlas and Supplementary Atlas Sheets 

 fall far short of giving an adequate idea of the vast 

 ramifications and astonishing variety and inspiring 

 grandeur of nature's noblest work, "The Grand 

 Canyon of the Colorado." 



THE COLORADO RIVER. 



The Colorado is one of the largest rivers in North 

 America. It is formed in north Utah by the con- 

 fluence of the Green and Grand, flows southwest, in- 

 tersecting the northwestern corner of Arizona, then 

 turns and flows south, forming a part of the eastern 

 boundary of Nevada and California, and empties 

 into the Gulf of California. As a whole, in connec- 

 tion with its tributaries, it drains a territory of about 

 300,000 square miles. 



ABUNDANT SUPPLY OF WATER. 



The supply of water for the rivers flows from a 

 region of vast mountain ranges, many of them 

 covered with snow that gradually thaws from early in 

 the spring till late in the summer season. Along the 

 course of its elevated headwaters there are frequent 

 and heavy rainfalls during the warmer months. 

 Thousands of never-failing springs along its course 

 afford a gradual and constant supply of water. As 

 has been stated, this river for the most part flows at 

 the bottom of a deep channel, and its bed is chiefly 

 of solid rock, hence but little water is absorbed by 

 the earth. Much of the surface of the water is hid 

 from the direct rays of the sun by the towering walls 

 of solid rock, so that but little of its volume is wasted 

 by evaporation. Along the course of its channel, 

 before it reaches the Nevada line, but little of its 

 water can be used for irrigation purposes. In view 

 of these facts, it can be seen that this stream affords, 

 comparatively, a very large, regular and inexhausti- 

 ble supply of water. If properly diverted it can be 

 made more valuable for irrigation purposes than any 



other river in the arid region. This stream is con- 

 sidered by experts to be particularly valuable for irri- 

 gation on account of its fertilizing qualities. It is 

 said to be equal to the river Nile in that particular. 

 The opportunities this river affords for developing 

 water power are not surpassed by any other stream. 



MILLIONS OF ACRES AWAITING IRRIGATION. 



On both sides of the Colorado, below the mouth of 

 the Virgin, more especially on the west margin of 

 that river, there are millions of acres of desert land, 

 which only requires the application of water to make 

 it productive. The rainfall is very light and occurs 

 at the time of the year when it is least needed. There 

 are numerous small mountain ranges, but for the 

 most part the land is well adapted to irrigation. The 

 foothills of the mountains adjacent to and leading 

 out from the Colorado afford most excellent facilities 

 for constructing gravity ditches, having the necessary 

 elevation for irrigating the lower and fertile lands. 

 There are but few streams that can be relied upon 

 for irrigation. Artesian wells may afford a limited 

 supply of water. To the casual observer it would 

 appear that the relative altitude of the Colorado and 

 the bordering lands is such that but a small propor- 

 tion of this country could be irrigated from that 

 river. There are, however, numerous places some 

 distance west of the river where the land isbelowthe 

 sea level and also below the level of the Colorado. 



vl r \ I 



A POSSIBLE CANAL ROUTE. 



