46 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



January 



R. F. Walter, district engineer, and 

 gaging stations were established on 

 Belle Fourche and Red Water rivers, 

 by which the daily run-off is deter- 

 mined. Surveys were ordered in July, 

 1903, by Mr. C. H. Fitch, supervising 

 engineer, and a preliminary survey 

 was made of the canal line to Owl 

 Creek reservoir. The north outlet ca- 

 nal from the reservoir was run to 

 Willow Creek, and a high-line canal 

 to Dry Creek No. 2. In all 115 miles 

 of canal line were located before work 

 had to be abandoned for the winter. 



The two sites known as Dry Creek 

 and Wilson reservoirs were mapped 

 on a scale of 1,000 feet to the inch, 

 with 5-foot contour intervals. A res- 

 ervoir area of 5,700 acres was thus 

 covered. The Survey also took up 

 topographic mapping on a scale of 

 i :45ooo, with 2O-foot contour inter- 

 vals. An area of about 75 square miles 

 was thus mapped. 



In April, 1904, a reconnaissance 

 survey was made to determine the 

 possibility of obtaining an increased 

 water supply from the Little Missouri 

 River and of storing the water thus 

 obtained. It was found that such a 

 plan was entirely practicable. 



At present work on the project is 

 well advanced. Preliminary surveys 

 on inlet canal (to feed the storage 

 basins), on north outlet canal, and on 

 the proposed Dry Creek and Wilson 

 reservoir sites were completed in 1903. 



During the past summer the south 

 side canal, which will water lands on 

 the south side of the Belle River in the 

 vicinity of Vale and Empire, was sur- 

 veyed and mapped on a scale of 200 

 feet to the inch. 



The survey of the extension of the 

 north side canal from the point where 

 work was stopped in November, 1903, 

 was resumed and the line was extend- 

 ed to the Elm Creeks. A large body 

 of vacant land is located here which 

 may be brought under the project if 

 the private land owners under the 

 south side canal fail to subscribe for 

 water and the canal is not built. 



The Owl Creek reservoir site has 

 been surveyed and has been mapped 



on a scale of 1,000 feet to the inch, 

 with 5-foot contour intervals. This is 

 an extension of the Pry Creek reser- 

 voir site, obtained by ; the change of 

 the location of the dam to a point 

 across Owl Creek just below the 

 mouth of Dry Creek. The capacity is 

 more than double that of the first site 

 contemplated, but the cost is much less 

 than double. 



The mapping of the Alzada reser- 

 voir site on the scale of 1,000 feet to 

 the inch with 5-foot contour intervals, 

 has also been completed and estimates 

 have been made. The feeder canal for 

 the reservoir from the Little Missouri 

 River has been surveyed, either to be 

 used as a diversion of this stream to 

 the Belle Fourche or. as an indepen- 

 dent project. 



The irigable lands have been map- 

 ped on a scale of 1,000 feet to the inch, 

 with 5-foot contour intervals. About 

 200 square miles have thus been map- 

 ped on both sides of the river above 

 the Willow Creek divide. 



Detail sheets have been completed 

 of the main diversion dam site, Owl 

 Creek dam site, south side canal di- 

 version dam site, and the Indian and 

 Crow Creek crossings. These sheets 

 are on a scale of 200 feet to the inch, 

 with 2-foot contour intervals. 



Borings have been made at all dam 

 sites and creek crossings for the pur- 

 pose of obtaining information as to 

 foundations. They have also been 

 made at points from 500 to 1,000 feet 

 apart along the canals for the pur- 

 pose of classifying the material to be 

 moved. 



The organization of the private land 

 owners has secured subscriptions for 

 about three-fourths of the private land 

 under the whole project, or four-fifths 

 of the private land on the north side. 



The available water supply has been 

 estimated, and plans for all permanent 

 structures have been drawn. 



A reconnaissance was made in June, 

 1904, of the headwaters of the Belle 

 Fourche River for suitable sites for 

 further storage, but no feasible sites 

 were found. 











