110 THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



were educated civil engineers their present callings ranged from 

 theology to politics and war so that we felt equipped for any emer- 

 gency which might arise. 



Our examination of Piney Creek was greatly aided by the courtesy 

 of the Rock Creek and Piney Reservoir and Ditch Company and their 

 engineer, Mr. Bond. This company is an association of farmers on 

 Rock Creek who have not water enough to irrigate the land they have 

 under ditches and who have banded themselves together in an effort 

 to in some way increase the supply. Being familiar with the region 

 in which the reservoir sites were located they kindly offered to guide 

 us and furnished the tents, pack horses, saddle animals and provisions 

 for the trip. As this involved a climb from one mile above sea level 

 at Buffalo to over two and one-half miles above that level at the 

 highest point we reached the assistance which they rendered was 

 highly appreciated and contributed much to the comfort and success 

 of our examination. 



Piney Creek is one of the most important streams rising in the 

 Big Horn range and, owing to peculiar physical conditions, the use of 

 its waters in irrigation have created about as many water right prob- 

 lems as there are ditches. Rising in the immense snow banks, which 

 lie at the base of the precipitous cliffs on the north and east side of 

 of Cloud Peak, its headwaters drain the summit of the main range for 

 a long distance and this gives to its discharge a perennial character 

 not shared by the smaller streams on either side of it and which its 

 drainage cuts off from the late water supply. It not only rises above 

 these smaller streams but it stays above them after it leaves the 

 mountains from which it emerges on a ridge instead of in a valley. 

 This ridge is a conspicuous feature of the topography of that region. 

 Its summit is the boundary between Johnson and Sheridan counties 

 and the divide which separates the drainage of Tongue and Powder 

 rivers. Piney Creek is the largest tributary of the latter stream, yet 

 one mile from the point where it enters the valley it is less than fifty 

 feet below the top of this divide. Hence, water can be taken from its 

 channel and turned into other streams in both drainage basins and 

 has been taken and is used to reinforce the supply of eight of these 

 valleys. These smaller streams have not a perennial flow. They 

 have a flood in the spring and run dry, or almost dry, before the irri- 

 gation season is over. In order to mature their crops the owners of 

 ditches out of them have to obtain a supplemental supply from some 

 other source and they have secured this by building ditches to divert 

 the waters of Piney Creek into them. This stream has therefore to 

 supply irrigators in its own valley for the entire season and water for 

 all the late irrigation on these other streams. The late supply is not 

 sufficient to do this, so that instead of a shortage on part of the 

 streams there is now a shortage in the last part of the season on all 



