ABOUT MILK RIVER VALLEY. 



SUCCESSFUL CO-OPERATIVE IRRIGATION CANALS 

 IN THE MILK RIVER VALLEY, MONT 



BY W. M. WOOLDRIDGE, CHINOOK, MONT. 



The first co-operative irrigation canal in this part of Montana 

 was organized in 1897 by Mr. T. C. Burns, a former resident of the 

 Gallatin Valley, Montana. For two years previous to that tune Mr. 

 Burns had been engaged in the construction of a canal to irrigate his 

 own land, but at the earnest solicitation of his neighbors, concluded 

 to make a co-operative stock company of it. A set of by-laws were 

 drawn up, adopted articles of incorporation filed with the secretary 

 of state, with Messrs. T. C. Burns, Thos. O'Hanlon, A. H. Reser, L. 

 V. Bogy and W. M. Wooldridge as the incorporators. 



The amount of water filed upon was ten thousand inches; the 

 company was organized at ten thousand shares at a par value of two 

 dollars per share. These shares were sold to the new stockholders in 

 the denomination of one hundred each, which is usually spoken of as 

 one share. This was deemed sufficient to irrigate 150 acres. These 

 denominations were sold to the new stockholders for the par value of 

 the stock. In this manner ' Mr. Burns was reinbursed for the 

 work he had already done and all the members of the new organiza- 

 tion were bound by our by-laws to assist in the completion of the 

 new canal and to pay whatever cash assessment was necessary to 

 complete the work. The work being the principal item of cost, the 

 cash assessments proved comparatively light, averaging about one- 

 fourth of the entire cost. 



As soon as the organization was perfected, a competent civil en- 

 gineer was employed to survey the proposed canal and to draw plans 

 and specifications of the headgates, dams, flumes etc. A superin- 

 tendent was also employed during the construction who had immediate 

 charge of the work. During the second season some of the stock- 

 holders living near the head of the canal received water, and during 

 the third, all. 



The management is vested in a board of five trustees, elected an- 

 nually from among the stockholders, one of whom acts as president 

 of the board or company: the trustees appoint a secretary and treas- 

 urer. All officers except the secretary serve without pay, the secre- 

 tary receiving a nominal salary, usually about one hundred dollars 

 per year. 



Under this system we have found it easily possible to reclaim 



