Beaver County and tke Milford Valley Irrigated Lands 



T"^ HE Milford Project is unique in that it will not tolerate non-success. 

 The lands it comprehends are rich, and so, in the ordinary sense of the 

 word, are the farmers it has attracted. A majority of the men who 

 "*, decide to settle there come prepared to build comfortable houses and 

 barns ; they have funds for improved agricultural implements, conveniences, even 

 luxuries, and, beyond that, substantial bank accounts. They are men who 

 have gotten wealth from the soil in other regions, whose eyes are quick to per- 

 ceive opportunities; they have been drawn by the remarkable promise of the 

 valley, and have given it the stamp of their approval. Like most good things, 

 Milford Valley irrigated lands are limited in quantity; there are only 15,000 

 acres for disposal. 



The lands lie one to ten miles from the progressive town of Milford; a 

 gradual slope from the Mineral Mountains affords perfect drainage. The 

 apparently level stretch of sage brush, match weed, greasewood and shad- 

 scale is rimmed by the sharp outlines of gray, blue and purple mountains which 

 impart a charm to the valley that will eventually dot its surface with homes. 

 The soil is decomposed limestone, forming a sandy loam for some three feet, 

 and below that, a clay loam; the minimum depth is 1 5 feet. At Milford, the 

 elevation is 4971 feet, the average annual precipitation is 8.31 inches, and 

 the mean temperature, 49.6 degrees. The peculiar excellence of the Milford 

 lands finds counterpart in few sections of the West, regions whose names are 

 synonyms for bonanza farming. 



With every irrigation system the most important feature is the dam; 

 that which stores the waters of the Beaver River impresses one by its magnitude 

 and assurance of permanence. Anchored by a concrete core, it rises 70 feet 

 from the river bed; its base is 150 feet thick and its water slope is faced with 

 heavy rock. The storage capacity of the reservoir is 27,000 acre-feet. Stand- 

 ing upon the crest of the huge barrier, one observes the lake it has created, 

 stretching back into the canyon until its waters reach the edge of a thriving 

 village, with stately poplars, green fields and pleasant homes. "When the 

 reservoir is full," one asks, "what will become of the town of Adamsville?" 

 "Adamsville," replies the land company, "will be at the bottom of the reser- 

 voir. We have bought the town, and most of the inhabitants will move to our 

 tract, farther down the valley." 



The lands to be cultivated are admirably suited for growing grain, alfalfa, 

 sugar beets, potatoes, fruits and vegetables. Upon the company's eighty-acre 

 tract, but ninety days from the brush, the following were observed in healthy 

 stages of growth: potatoes, cabbage, onions, peas, beans, beets, turnips, lettuce, 

 radishes, asparagus, carrots, cantaloupes, watermelons, wheat, corn, buckwheat, 

 barley, rye, vetch (for fertilizer), blue and orchard grass, meadow fescue and 

 white clover. Young pear, apple, cherry, peach, plum and apricot trees, as 

 well as grape vines, had recently been planted and were progressing with all 

 the optimism of youth. To see these plants and fruit trees tested by time, one 

 has only to visit the adjacent farms, many of which have been cultivated for 



