THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



WESTERN NEBRASKA. 



G. L. SHUMWAY. 



THE IRRIGATION AGE has indexed to the land hun- 

 gering world many localities of promise, and inspired 

 by the belief that the sun-land of western Nebraska is 

 possessed of charms individual to its location and physi- 

 cal features, a brief sketch of its past, present and fu- 

 ture will be of interest. 



The particular portion described will be the North 



Wheat Field In Western Nebraska, near 



Platte Valley, just now a special object of interest 

 because of the Harriman-Hill antagonism which is con- 

 testing for its territory. Indications point out that 

 probably, ultimately, two trunk lines will traverse the 

 fertile portion of this valley. 



Six years ago settlers traveled forty or fifty miles 

 to the nearest railroad. Unimportant villages were 

 here and there located on star routes. The acreage 

 irrigated was small and no market except the home. 

 Today over 100,000 acres are under irrigation; and this 

 year's product is an unexpected surprise to the Bur- 

 lington, which is now the only railroad. For the last 

 several weeks an average of four freight trains a day 

 each way has found much difficulty in handling the 

 traffic on the ninety-five miles between Guernsey and 

 Bridgeport. 



In the heart of this section stands Scottsbluff, the 

 metropolis of the valley, five years old and 1,200 people. 

 It contains a high school erected at a cost of $10,000, 

 having eleven grades and 300 scholars. The village 

 has no saloons and has four churches, the largest of 

 which cost $5,000. 



Gering, the old town and county seat, is two and 

 a half miles distant. It has about 800 inhabitants. 

 The population of the valley is approximately 7,000. 



Up to date the most profitable crops grown have 

 been oats, yielding fifty to 140 bushels to the acre, 

 wheat, twenty to forty-five bushels; potatoes, 150 to 

 400 bushels; alfalfa, three cuttings or _six tons per 

 year; and wheat grass hay. The year 1905 was the 

 first experiment with sugar beets; 2,000 acres were 

 planted, yielding from fifteen to thirty tons per acre, 

 at $5.00, on track. The two best fields made a gross 

 product of $140.00 and $150.00 per acre with an ex- 

 pense of about $30.00 per acre. Tests have shown ex- 

 ceeding richness. 



Heyward G. Leavitt, president of the Tri-State 

 Land Company, is operating here on a large scale. His 

 company is at work constructing a canal 100 miles 

 long, forty feet wide at bottom, and twelve feet deep. 

 It owns about 40,000 acres of splendid land, and as- 

 sociates have also controlling interests in another canal 

 covering some 10,000 acres. This company, or another, 

 with, which Mr. Leavitt is associated, will put in a 

 million-dollar sugar factory in the near future. 



The United States Reclamation Service is doing a vast 

 amount of work in this vicinity. The North Platte 

 project finds its greatest acreage in Nebraska near here. 

 The Pathfinder Dam, near Alcova, Wyo., will cost a 

 half million dollars, and will conserve the entire flood 

 waters of the North Platte and Sweet Water Rivers. 

 Its capacity is sufficient to irrigate all available areas>, 

 which is about 300,000 acres, and water to spare. Canal 

 construction is in progress; contracts have been let for 

 forty-six miles, May 8th, and fifty-five miles November 

 8th, at a total approximate cost of one million dollars. 

 The first portion will furnish water for 1906 and the 

 second for 1907. Probably 150 miles more of main 

 canal will be constructed in the next few years. When 

 completed this will be the largest contiguous irrigated 

 area in the world, and will support 100,000 population. 

 Future productive capacities are enormous to contem- 

 plate. 



Lands now furnishing only scant pasturage will, 

 by the magic touch of water, intensified farming, and 

 fruit culture, produce millions of dollars in value annu- 

 ally. The locality is well adapted to fruit, especially 

 berries, cherries and plums, which begin bearing very 



Potato Field, Western Nebraska, Near Scottsbluff. 



young, and are prolific, and the fruit is of exquisite 

 flavor. 



PAYS ADVERTISERS. 



In order that our readers may understand more 

 about the benefit to be derived from advertising in the 

 columns of the IRRIGATION AGE, we quote the following 

 paragraph from a letter recently received from Mr. C. 

 D. Butchard, manufacturer of the Northwestern head 

 gates, Denver, Colo. : 



"You will doubtless be pleased to hear that the 

 small space I am using in the IRRIGATION AGE is pro- 

 ducing excellent results." 



A suggestion tothe wise is sufficient. 



