THE RECLAMATION SERVICE 



News of the Government Irrigation WorkPro- 

 gress of Old Projects and Plans for New Ones 



Want Sun River Project Completed. 



The Director of the Geological Sur- 

 vey has received a memorial bearing 

 the signature of 226 citizens of Great 

 Falls and Cascade County, Montana, 

 calling attention to the importance of 

 early action by the Department on the 

 Sun River project. The memorial, in 

 part, is as follows : 



"Realizing full well the benefit that 

 the State of Montana will derive from 

 the execution of the provisions of the 

 National Irrigation Act, and knowing 

 as we do the great interest you have 

 taken in carrying out the provisions 

 of this law, we desire to say that the 

 people of Great Falls and of Cascade 

 County, Montana, heartily endorse 

 your actions and work and write this 

 letter to express to you our apprecia- 

 tion of the great work you are doing 

 in Montana and especially in connec- 

 tion with the Sun River irrigation pro- 

 ject. 



"As you know, the land to be re- 

 claimed by this project is a broad prai- 

 rie extending from the Teton River 

 on the north to the Sun River on the 

 South, a distance of thirty miles, and 

 from the Rocky Mountains on the 

 West to the Missouri River on the 

 East, a distance of seventy miles. This 

 land, although extremely rich in all 

 the elements of fertility, without water 

 is only fit for grazing, but when irri- 

 gated its productiveness cannot be sur- 

 passed anywhere in the United States. 

 The preliminary survey of this project 

 has been made and we are reliably in- 

 formed that the engineers of the Re- 

 clamation Service estimate that not 

 less than three hundred thousand acres 

 of cultivable land lying between the 

 Teton and Sun Rivers (much the 

 greater portion of which is still Gov- 

 ernment property, a fact that cannot 

 be advanced in favor of any other pro- 

 ject in this State) can be reclaimed 



with the waters of the Sun River. 



"Such being the case, from which 

 it is apparent at a glance that at least 

 twice as many people can be supplied 

 with homes thereunder than is possi- 

 ble to be accommodated under any of 

 said other projects, with a like expen- 

 diture of money, the only logical de- 

 duction that can be made therefrom 

 is that the Sun River project, on good 

 sound business principles, if on none 

 other, should be the first constructed 

 in Montana under the National Irriga- 

 tion Act. And even now, there are 

 thousands of people anxiously watch- 

 ing and waiting for the Government 

 to reclaim the land above described 

 in order that they may build for them- 

 selves homes upon what is now prac- 

 tically a desert waste, but which will, 

 under the magic touch of irrigation, 

 yield rich rewards to the industrious 

 husbandman, and this Sun River pro- 

 ject presents a splendid opportunity 

 for the Government to show to the 

 people what can be done by the Recla- 

 mation Service in the way of making 

 homes for settlers. 



"The purpose of this letter is to ex- 

 press to you our great anxiety for a 

 very early completion of this Sun 

 River project and to say to you that 

 we, as citizens, are ready and willing 

 to assist you in your great efforts, and 

 also the engineers, in any way possi- 

 ble, to further this project. We will 

 at the proper time, if you so desire, 

 take it upon ourselves to solicit and 

 obtain contracts for water from the 

 prospective settlers. The Great Falls 

 Commercial Club, the members of 

 which have hereunto subscribed their 

 names, hereby agrees to assist in every 

 way possible this great work, and we 

 respectfully ask that you will use your 

 influence to the end that the Sun River 

 project shall be the first undertaken by 

 the Government in this State." 



