HISTORY OF IRRIGATION IN NEBRASKA. 



BY I. A. FORT. 



THE following is a brief history of the 

 inception and commencement of the 

 construction of irrigation canals in that 

 part of America lying east of the Rocky 

 mountains. 



During the past three years of active 

 discussion of the irrigation questions, we 

 have read and heard of the merits of 

 different canal systems of the United 

 States, yet the pioneer irrigation country 

 of the great plains of America has re- 

 mained silent. 



Lincoln County, Nebraska, claims pre- 

 cedence in the leadership of the irrigation 

 movement of the great plains. As far as 

 can be learned from careful inquiry the 

 first irrigation canal constructed by 

 Americans on the territory designated was 

 built by a gentleman now residing in North 

 Platte, Nebraska, by the name of Wash- 

 ington M. Hinman. Mr. Hinman first 

 commenced excavating a small canal in the 

 month of March, 1863, taking his water 

 out from the south bank of the South 

 Platte river, at a point about six miles 

 west of old Fort McPherson, now in Lin- 

 coln County, Nebraska. In the spring of 



1864, another resident of that vicinity, 

 John Burke, of Cottonwood Spring, near 

 the same military post, commenced the 

 construction of another canal a little be- 

 low Mr. Hinman. Both of these canals 

 were used. Mr. Hinman's in both the 

 summer of 1863 and 1864, and Mr. Burke's 

 during 1864 and 1865, and a large amount 

 of valuable farm and garden produce was 

 gathered and sold to the soldiers and 

 residents of the post, but the Indian war, 

 breaking out in 1864, made farm labor and 

 irrigation both difficult and dangerous and 

 no crops were planted on the lands sub- 

 ject to irrigation by these ditches after 



1865, and the canals were abandoned. 



A CORPORATION ORGANIZED. 



In 1870 there was a stock company 

 formed in North Platte, Nebraska, and a 

 small canal was excavated that obtained 

 its water from the South Platte river, at 

 a point about four miles west from North 

 Platte, the head gates being located on 



the north bank of this river. This canal 

 was capable of irrigating about three 

 thousand acres, situated in and about the 

 town of North Platte. Only three crops 

 were grown on the lands thus watered by 

 this ditch. As the rapid growth and de- 

 velopment of the free range and stock 

 interest during these earlier years entirely 

 eliminated all interest in everything per- 

 taining to agriculture by the cultivation 

 of the soil in this vicinity the canal was 

 abandoned. But North Platte still retains 

 some of the benefits derived from this 

 work, in the growth and development of 

 several long rows of magnificent trees now 

 standing that were planted in those years 

 along the line of this canal. In 1871 the 

 soldiers of Fort Sidney, Nebraska, con- 

 structed a small canal that was used to 

 water the trees and also the post gardens. 

 This has since been abandoned also, owing 

 to the non-occupancy of the fort by the 

 United States troops. 



In 1883 a promoter, by the name of 

 E. M. Day, of North Platte, organized a 

 canal company at this point, that after 

 several changes in its organization finally 

 completed a canal, now known as the 

 North Platte Canal, that was twenty miles 

 in length and was capable of irrigating 

 twenty thousand acres of land. This 

 canal is one of the permanent works of 

 this section and has been the means of 

 educating the people of Nebraska to the 

 great benefits and value of irrigation. In 

 1887 the people of Scotts Bluff county, 

 Nebraska, commenced the construction of 

 irrigation canals, and in 1890 the Cul- 

 bertson canal of Hitchcock county was 

 proposed and commenced. Since this date 

 the irrigation sentiment has been steadily 

 increasing, and at the present time, with 

 the canals now completed and under con- 

 struction that will be finished before 1897, 

 Nebraska can claim to have over a 

 million acres that are susceptible of irri- 

 gation, by means of the canals,that will in- 

 sure a permanency to her agricultural 

 population and guarantee bountiful crops 

 in all years to come. 



