THE CODY CANAL IN WYOMING. 



13 



original name are becoming widely and 

 favorably known; four thousand acres 

 north of the river have been located as 

 gold placers which can only be washed by 

 a canal high enough to irrigate the entire 

 tract. 



The region surrounding the headwaters 

 of the Shoshone river is one of the greatest 

 game preserves in the Rocky mountains, 

 and is destined to be one of the Nation's 

 pleasure grounds in the near future. The 

 unique grandeur of the scenery of the 

 Hoodoo or Goblin mountains will become 

 more and more attractive as new trails are 

 opened into their hitherto inaccessible 

 heights. One serious drawback has been 

 its isolation. Fifty miles to the nearest 

 railway station is farther than the average 

 pioneer desires to go. Red Lodge is about 

 that distance from the center of these 

 lands. This objection promises to be 

 removed at an early date; the transconti- 

 nental survey of the Burlington railway 

 passes up the Shoshone river and the last 

 extension to Billings, Montana, leaves it 

 only ninety miles away. 



THE PROPOSED CANAL. 



These considerations have drawn the 

 attention of the outside world, have led to 

 three separate surveys to discover a feas- 

 ible canal line, and have finally resulted 

 in a location which while covering nearly 

 three-fourths of the entire tract is secure 

 and not exceptionally expensive. 



The river canon is avoided by beginning 

 the canal above Cedar mountain, the last 

 range cut through by the river. The 

 canal emerges from the mountains through 

 a low pass several miles south of the river 

 and about five hundred feet above it. This 

 is accomplished with but little heavy 

 work. The terraced formation extends 

 above this mountain and the lake deposit 

 has covered the underlying rock to a 

 depth which affords easy ground for the 

 required excavation. Actual construction 

 began in September, and at last accounts 

 about three miles had been completed, it 

 being the intention to construct seven 

 miles before January 1, 1896. The per- 

 mit from the State Engineer's office is for 

 a canal sixty-five feet wide and six feet 

 deep, with a grade of two feet per mile. 

 The portion completed is only excavated 

 one-half this width, it being the intention 

 to enlarge as increasing use makes neces- 

 sary. In this way a large part of the con- 



struction work will be reserved for the 

 settlers who will be given preference in 

 letting contracts therefor. 



In many of its features this canal is 

 destined to occupy a unique place among 

 our great irrigation works. With most 

 canals, the problem is to secure elevation, 

 with this it is to dispose of it. The head- 

 gate is five thousand, seven hundred feet 

 above sea level. In fifty miles the canal 

 falls twelve hundred feet and the lower 

 end is little if any above four thousand 

 feet above the sea. 



This excessive slope requires a series of 

 drops. The first occurs at the pass south 

 of Cedar mountain. Here is a vertical 

 fall of two hundred and fifty feet, the 

 water tumbling down a rocky slope. Nearly 

 all the drops are arranged to occur at the 

 passage from one terrace to the next below. 

 In this way the expense is greatly less- 

 ened. Two of these will require the con- 

 struction of chutes to confine the water in 

 its descent and protect the canal from its 

 erosive action; but in two others the water 

 will find its own channel down rocky 

 slopes, the material being hard enough to 

 resist its erosive action. One drop occurs 

 at the head of the ravine in which the 

 placer deposits are found and a head of 

 two hundred feet can be had for hydraulic 

 mining. The first descent will doubtless 

 soon be used for the generation of electric- 

 ity for both lighting and power, as it is 

 near the Shoshone Hot Springs and the 

 proposed town of that name. Doubtless 

 the entire available water power will in 

 time be utilized. 



While the headgate is on the south side 

 of the stream about ninety thousand acres 

 of land to be reclaimed are on the north. 

 To reach this will require either a flume 

 one hundred and twenty feet high, or a 

 pipe passing down one side of the canon and 

 up the other. The canon at the point se- 

 lected for the crossing is about one hun- 

 dred and fifty feet wide on the bottom and 

 three hundred and fifty feet at the level of 

 the proposed flume. 



Between one hundred and twenty-five 

 and one hundred and fifty thousand acres 

 of irrigable land can be watered from this 

 canal. If settled in small tracts it will 

 support twice the present population of 

 the entire State. If half is placed under 

 cultivation it will be six times the cultiva- 

 ted area of the entire State in 1890. 



