28 SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 



all the sections of the state that may be benefited by drainage but in or- 

 der to convince the skeptical of the seriousness and magnitude of the 

 problem, attention will be called to sections more or less familiar to the 

 general public. 



If a trip to Ogden is made over the O. S. L. it will be observed 

 that from Beck's Hot Springs to Kaysville there is a very little land in 

 maximum producing condition west of the tracks and that in places the 

 wet lands extend across the tracks and even beyond the Interurban line. 

 This means that one of the richest valleys known is limited, to a width 

 in places, of a fraction of a mile. Beyond Kaysville the Sand Ridge pro- 

 jects out into the valley and very little water-logged land is to be seen 

 but much may be found in a short drive to the west. The seeped area 

 is spreading and the farmers are very active along drainage lines in that 

 section. 



This injury will continue on up the slope and in case the Sand 

 Ridge is irrigated much of the land below the O. S. L. tracks will re- 

 quire drainage. 



West of Ogden is a great territory that should be thoroughly 

 drained and continuing north of Ogden it will be observed that the 

 productive area narrows down to a mere ribbon as far north as Brigham 

 City. Beyond this point the Bear River Valley spreads out its great 

 expanse. Thousands of acres of land in this valley have been reclaimed 

 by drainage, by individuals and corporations, and much more remains to 

 be done. Crossing over the divide we find a great tract of wet land 

 in the very heart of Cache Valley. 



Returning to Salt Lake City we are greeted by what has been 

 aptly termed the "eye sore of Zion" that vast area of land lying to the 

 west, unproductive and useless in its present state but inherently fertile 

 and capable of producing rich returns if relieved of its excess water 

 and properly cultivated and irrigated. Going south of Salt Lake, water- 

 logged land may be found on both sides of the Jordan River while thou- 

 sands of acres of land lie on three sides of Utah Lake, much which may 

 be reclaimed by gravity canals .and much by diking and pumping. 



And so we might continue on down through central valleys of the 

 state and then go either west or east to the various other valleys, old or 

 new, but enough has been pointed out to set even the most skeptical to 

 thinking and to open the writer to the charge of "knocking." It is 

 not intended that the information herein given shall be detrimental to 

 the interests of this city or state. The truth is good enough for Utah and 

 investors are coming to appreciate the truth more than the lurid advertis- 

 ing which has been a curse to the west. All irrigated states are con- 

 fronted with the problem of drainage, but Utah, the mother of Anglo- 

 Saxon irrigation in the west also pioneered in the reclamation of over- 

 irrigated lands by artificial underdrainage. The other states followed 

 the lead and bid fair to outdo us in drainage activities. It behooves 

 us, therfore, to bestir ourselves in an effort to regain our lost ground, 

 prevent future injury, transform our "eye sores" into garden spots and 

 fulfill our destiny of making the desert to blossom as the rose. 



