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THE IKRIGATION AGE. 



Baker City Project. 



By William Fidelas. 



Canal Construction Substantial Long Tunnel Through 

 Rock Company's Acreage Known as Sunnyslope 

 Apples, Berries and Alfalfa Thrive Direct Irriga- 

 tion Brings Gratifying Crops Fertile Soil and Mag- 

 nificent Scenery. 



East of and adjoining the limits of Baker City 

 there is now being developed a tract of bench land des- 

 tined to become one of the most valuable on the western 

 slope. 



During the winter of 1905-06 work was commenced 

 by the Baker Irrigation company on an expensive canal 

 to be used in irrigating the bench lands east of the city. 

 The elevation of this bench land above the river required 

 the building of a high-line canal of which the main 

 canal, which carries the water from the river to the 

 reservoir, is twelve miles in length and cost over $75,000 

 to construct. 



Among the obstacles encountered in the building of 

 this canal was the large amount of solid rock work nec- 

 essary to dig through. Of course the first cost of this 

 canal could have been reduced considerably by construct- 

 ing wooden flumes across rocky points, but the company 

 considered that a permanent canal, no matter what the 

 first cost might be, the cheaper in the end. It was also 

 found necessary to construct a large inverted siphon, in 

 order to cross a deep gorge about 95 feet deep. At an- 

 other point in the city limits of Baker City it was nec- 

 essary to bore a 600-foot tunnel through solid rock in 



A. L. Kinsley's Apiary near Bishop, Calif. 



order to carry the water through a hill. At this point 

 the canal is just 118 feet above the city. 



At the end of this twelve-mile canal a large reser- 

 voir is under construction. The area of the lake will be 

 240 acres, and will average over 25 feet in depth. It 

 is about one and one-half miles from the city and will 

 provide a pleasure resort where boating can be enjoyed. 

 The aggregate length of main canals completed up to 

 date is 28 miles, with a probable extension of about 

 ten miles. 



This system is sufficiently large to irrigate 10,000 

 acres, 3,500 of which are owned by the Baker Irrigation 

 Company. The district is widely known as the Sunny- 



slope Suburban Farm Tracts, which are now being sold 

 off in 5, 10, 20 and 40 acre tracts. Instead of spending 

 large sums of money in advertising the land the com- 

 pany has adopted the slower but much more satisfactory 

 method to settlers of depending largely on the publicity 

 given by the purchasers. By this method the purchaser 

 does not have to pay the additional costs of advertising. 

 A large part of this land has been farmed by the 

 company for the last two years, by depending on direct 

 irrigation, as the reservoir will be used for the first time 

 during the summer of 1909. Fair crops have been 

 grown heretofore, but with the late storage water heavy 

 yields will be recorded this year. The larger part of 

 this land will be planted out to apple orchards and al- 

 falfa. It is expected that the larger incomes will come 

 from apples, berries and vegetables. One onion patch 

 is paying at the rate of $600 per acre, while potatoes and 

 other vegetables have paid from $25 to $150 per acre. 



The soil is of unusual fertility and produces won- 

 derfully, it being of a volcanic ash nature, with suffi- 

 cient sand to make it irrigate nicely. The depth varies 

 from 30 to 70 feet. It is safe to say that no other irri- 

 gation project in the west has made the rapid strides 

 in development for its size. Eighteen months ago there 

 was nothing but sage brush on the land which is now on 

 the market. Already there are several families living 

 on small tracts which they have purchased. A neat 

 school house was completed Jan. 1 and a term of school 

 has just been closed. A newly planted orchard contains 

 over 100,000 trees, largely apple trees, for use in plant- 

 ing out the orchards. 



Sunnyslope has several natural conditions contrib- 

 uting to its popularity. One of the important things is 

 the domestic water found at a depth of from 

 30 to 70 feet. This water is excellent and 

 compares to the best found in wells. An- 

 other important condition is the grandeur 

 of scenery with which it is surrounded. 

 Lofty mountain peaks can be seen rising to 

 a height of 9,000 feet. 



Land adjoining Sunnyslope has been 

 settled for years, and is in a high state of 

 cultivation. The valley is not a wind-swept 

 desert, where the rattlesnake and the horned 

 toad are abundant. It is one of the most 

 beautiful valleys in the United States and is 

 about fifteen miles long by an average width 

 of eight miles. 



The man of family who wishes to. be- 

 come independent on a small farm, where 

 he can enjoy all the advantages of both city 

 and farm life combined, will find the ideal 

 location in the Powder River Valley. 

 "Transformation" is the title of a beautiful piece 

 of literature which tells the story and may be had by 

 addressing the Baker Irrigation Company, at Baker 

 City, Oregon. 



GOVERNMENT AWARDS CONTRACT. 



The Bucyrus Company, of Milwaukee, has secured the 

 contract for a steam dredge for use by the Reclamation 

 Service in enlarging the main canal of the Sunnyside project 

 in Washington. Specifications call for a three and one-half 

 cubic foot steam driven dredge with buckets of the con- 

 tinuous type. The contract figure is $28,010. 



