146 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



condition of the river is a need of more water than it 

 will furnish. 



Without some outside control, the position of 

 headgates would count for everything. The canals 

 farthest upstream would take what they pleased, those 

 below would take what was left, and those farthest 

 down would, most of the time, go without. 



The lack of such division brought a crisis in 1878. 

 The upper canals took all the water, leaving nothing 

 for the Greeley colony canal, the first large irrigation 

 works to be built. The farmers under this canal faced 

 a situation which, unless soon relieved, meant their 

 ruin. Unless they could get a share of the river all 

 their crops would scorch under the summer's sun, and 

 even the trees they had planted would die. Yet there 

 was no law by which the upper canals could be com- 

 pelled to close their headgates, and no officer to en- 

 force such a law had it been in existence. It was 

 another instance of necessity knowing no law. The 

 Greeley farmers shouldered their shotguns and shovels 

 and started upstream. Failing to secure the closing 

 of headgates through appeals or argument, they tore 

 out the dams so that the water flowed down to their 

 farms unobstructed. Agriculture under such condi- 

 tions ceased to be a peaceful industry. On several oc- 

 casions bloodshed was narrowly averted, and the feel- 

 ing between the owners of the upper and lower ditches 

 became so strained that it was plain that there must 

 be some law to govern titles to water if endless litiga- 

 tion or an endless warfare by force was to be averted. 

 It is to the credit of the farmers along this stream that 

 they addressed themselves to the framing of such a 

 law and gave to Colorado the credit of being the pio- 

 neer in placing streams under public control. 



In order to do this they had to face a new prob- 

 lem in American civilization, which was to determine 

 the kind of ownership that should be recognized in 

 running water. Up -to this time they had given but 

 little thought to these matters. To the majority of 

 farmers and investors in canals this situation came as 

 a surprise. They had been absorbed in overcoming 

 physical obstacles, in building homes and learning how 

 to supply water to their fields. Doing this was no light 

 undertaking, and it had absorbed all their time and 

 energy. Laterals had to be plowed, gopher holes had 

 to be closed, methods of applying water to crops had 

 to be learned, and every day the hot winds blew fields 

 had to be watered or the desert would resume is sway. 



Settlers had to first assure themselves that the ex- 

 periment they were making was to be a success before 

 it is worth while to provide institutions for its future 

 regiilations. Many were doubtful regarding this. 

 Many soon became dissatisfied and surrendered. A 

 letter from -one of these homesick, discouraged pioneers 

 illustrates why water laws were not considered until 

 they had to be. Part of it was as follows : 



"There is one thing we can and must say to our 

 uneasy, restless readers don't go to Greeley, Colorado 

 Territory. That is the last place on the face of this 

 terrestrial ball that any human being should contem- 

 plate removing to. Greeley, Colorado Territory, is a 

 delusion, a snare, a cheat, a swindle. Greeley, Colo- 

 rado Territory, is a graveyard, in which are buried 

 heaps of bright hopes and joyous anticipations. Two 

 or three hundred (floating population) that have not 

 'dudads' enough to get down to Evans, four miles be- 

 low ; several stern- wheel shanties and a few one-horse 

 tents compose the population of the great Union colony. 



(To be concluded in April number.) 



UNITED STATES RECLAMATION SERVICE. 



Reprinted from Biennial Report of the State Engineer of Idaho. 



Of the work being done by the Eeclamation Serv- 

 ice of the United States Geological Survey this office 

 has, of course, no report to make directly. But in 

 certain features of this work, where it directly affects 

 irrigation development work which has heretofore 

 been fostered and encouraged by the various State de- 

 partments there are effects apparent which I deem it 

 my duty to call to your attention. 



The national irrigation law was a most popular 

 measure. Through it all those interested in the de- 

 velopment of the resources of the arid West hoped to 

 see the waste places made productive by the conserva- 

 tion and application of waters at present going to 

 waste. It was popularly supposed that the larger en- 

 terprises would be undertaken that were beyond the 

 reach of private capital. In the words of the Presi- 

 dent's message to Congress recommending this legisla- 

 tion: 



"Great storage works are necessary to equalize the 

 flow of the streams and to save the flood waters. Their 

 construction has been conclusively shown to be an un- 

 dertaking too vast for private effort, nor can it be best 

 accomplished by the individual States acting alone. 

 Far-reaching interstate problems are involved, and the 

 resources of single States would often be inadequate. 

 It is properly a national function, at least in some of 

 its features. It is as right for the National Govern- 

 ment to make the streams and rivers of the arid region 

 useful by engineering works for water storage as to 

 make useful the rivers and harbors of the humid re- 

 gion by engineering works of another kind. The stor- 

 ing of the floods in reservoirs at the headwaters of 

 our rivers is but an enlargement of our present policy 

 of river control, under which levees are built on the 

 lower reaches of the same streams. 



"The Government should construct and maintain 

 these reservoirs as it does other public works. Where 

 their purpose is to regulate the flow of streams the 

 water should be turned freely into the channels in the 

 dry season to take the same course under the same law? 

 as the natural flow. 



"The reclamation of the unsettled arid public 

 lands presents a different problem. Here it is not 

 enough to regulate the flow of streams. The object of 

 the Government is to dispose of the land to settlers 

 who will build homes upon it. To accomplish this ob- 

 ject water must be brought within their reach. 



"The pioneer settlers on the arid public domain 

 chose their homes along streams from which they 

 could themselves divert the water to reclaim their hold- 

 ings. Such opportunities are practically gone. There 

 remain, however, vast areas of public land which can 

 be made available for homestead settlement, but only 

 by reservoirs and main line canals impracticable for 

 private enterprise. These irrigation works should be 

 built by the National Government. The lands re- 

 claimed by them should be reserved by the Government 

 for actual settlers, and the cost of construction should, 

 so far as possible, be repaid by the lands reclaimed. 

 The distribution of the water, the division of the 

 streams among irrigators, should be left to the settlers 

 themselves, in conformity with the State laws and 

 without interference with those laws or with vested 

 rights. The policy of the National Government should 



