8I^ 



MONTANA 19U 



upon unirrigated land. More reccntl}', and with the estahhshnicnt of the gov- 

 ernment enterprises undertaken on a much larger scale, lands have become 

 available somewhat faster than they have been effectively occupied. From 

 the nature of the operations under the Reclamation Act and the magnitude 

 of individual projects, this condition must necessarily obtain, and with the 

 settlement of the projects and payment by the settlers to the government 

 of the cost of the irrigation works, the funds l)ecome available for the 

 development of additional irrigated areas, so that there always will be 

 available irrigated land luider these projects for new settlers. 



IPk- 



Detail Vieic of Point of Rocks Controlling Works, Milk River Project. 



In the early days of the Reclamation Service certain fallacies were 

 entertained which have been most persistent. Perhaps the most important 

 is the idea concerning the low cost of reclamation of land b}' irrigation. The 



early ideas of cost were based upon the results obtained by the 

 Early Ideas pioneer. The first settlers built comparatively cheap and tem- 

 Were i)orary canals in localities wdiere the physical and engineering 



Erroneous problems were least difficult, and provided a supply of water 

 As to Cost. which, without storage and without protection against floods, 



are frequently unreliable. The average cost per acre was 

 estimated at an extremely low figure because of the fact that the actual 



■Opportunity wears brass knuckles in Montana. 



