282 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



NEW GAGING STATIONS. 



WORK ON THE HUNTLEY PROJECT. 



The following new gaging stations have been established 

 in Montana: 



On Ford Creek and Smith Creek near Augusta, 



On Milk River near Zurich, and 



On the Winter-Anderson Canal near Chinook. 



THE QUESTION OF RESIDENCE. 



An opinion has been asked as to whether a citizen of the 

 United States, whose duties compel him to reside temporarily 

 in Washington during the session of Congress, is entitled to 

 purchase lands within the limits of a reclamation project 

 from present owners and obtain the benefits of the Reclama- 

 tion Act, providing he complies so far as his duties will 

 permit with the rules and regulations as prescribed. 



The Assistant Attorney General states that the question 

 of residence is usually a mixed question of law and fact, and 

 it would be impracticable to attempt to formulate a general 

 rule to govern all cases; each must be determined upon the 

 peculiar facts. Temporary absences do not necessarily 

 terminate a residence once established. If the citizen shall 

 establish in good faith a resident upon the land or in the 

 neighborhood of the tract, and shall maintain such residence 

 in accordance with the true intent of the law, his temporary 

 absence would not disqualify him from receiving and holding 

 a water right. His right would have to be determined by 

 the facts as they develop in the future. 



THE COLORADO RIVER DELTA. 



The Reclamation Service is co-operating heartily with the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry in a series of experiments which 

 the latter is initiating in the vicinity of Yuma, Arizona. A 

 plot of ground controlled by the Service has been turned 

 over to the plant experts who propose to experiment with 

 cotton and other crops. 



The delta of the Colorado River has always possessed 

 a singular fascination for the scientific men of the Department 

 of Agriculture, and the results of these experiments can not 

 fail to prove of inestimable value to the settlers who will take 

 up homes in this region as soon as the Government's irriga- 

 tion works are completed. 



It is a demonstrable fact that no other portion of the 

 United States when irrigated is capable of supporting a 

 denser population than the Colorado delta. Five acres prop- 

 erly cultivated and irrigated will support a family in comfort, 

 as the crop season is practically continuous. One crop fol- 

 lows another throughout the year. Oranges, pomelos, melons, 

 all the small fruits and vegetables mature earlier there than 

 in California, and consequently are marketable at the top 

 prices. 



LOWER YELLOWSTONE PROJECT. 



BY H. N. SAVAGE, SUPERVISING ENGINEER, U. S. R. S. 



Lower Yellowstone project in eastern Montana and west- 

 em North Dakota contemplates the reclamation of 67,000 

 acres of land, two-thirds of which is in Montana. The canal 

 takes its supply from the Lower Yellowstone River at a point 

 about seventeen miles below Glendive, and extends down the 

 left or west side of the river a total length of eighty miles. 



Contracts have been awarded and construction is now 

 proceeding on all but one of the divisions of this work. 

 Bids were recently opened for constructing the main divert- 

 ing dam across the river. This will be a timber crib and 

 rock structure 600 feet long and 12 feet in height. It will 

 serve to divert the low flow of the Yellowstone River into 

 the main canal. The canal when completed will have a 

 capacity of 1,700 acre-feet of water every twenty-four hours. 



The initiation of the work has started a boom in real 

 estate all over the valley. A great many new settlers have 

 already arrived, and others are coming in every day. Many 

 new buildings have been erected and others are in process of 

 construction. Land for which there was very little sale at 

 any price is now selling at $25 and upward an acre. 



The Huntley irrigation project on the ceded portion of 

 the Crow Indian Reservation, Montana, is attracting a great 

 deal of attention just now by reason of the opening of the 

 reservation to settlement under the general land laws on 

 August 15th. 



Although no definite arrangements have been made as to 

 the method of opening the land under the irrigation project, 

 it is probable that some similar form of drawing will be 

 adopted as heretofore used in connection with the opening of 

 other lands. Contracts have been awarded and construc- 

 tion is being rapidly pushed on all the work of the Huntley 

 project. It is expected that the land under the irrigation sys- 

 tem will be opened to settlement within a few months. 



This project, which embraces approximately 50,000 acres, 

 has a maximum length of thirty miles and extends along the 

 right bank of the Yellowstone River, excepting at a point 

 twelve miles east of Billings. It is traversed throughout 

 its entire length by the Northern Pacific Railroad, and is 

 crossed by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. Both of these 

 railroads are arranging to establish stations every five miles, 

 which will give the settlers under this project exceptionally 

 good railroad and shipping facilities. Arrangements are also 

 being perfected by the Reclamation Service for availing of 

 the benefits of the recent town site bill passed by Congress 

 whereby a small tract of land conveniently located and sur- 

 rounding the railway stations can be subdivided and sold to 

 settlers and others. By this arrangement each farm unit will 

 have stores, postoffice, schools and churches within an aver- 

 age of less than two miles, and in no case to exceed 3^ 

 miles distance. 



Huntley Pumping Plant : In addition to the gravity sup- 

 ply for the lands under the main canal, advantage is taken 

 of a drop of thirty-three feet in the canal from one terrace 

 to another, to utilize the power thus available for lifting water 

 from the canal to a height of fifty-five feet above. From the 

 benches a canal will extend some ten miles and cover an 

 additional 5,000 acres of land. The railway traveler on 

 either the Northern Pacific or the C, B. & Q. lines is 

 treated to a novel sight. The contractors have let sub- 

 contracts to a number of organizations and individuals, with 

 the result that camps of different nationalities are scattered 

 throughout the twenty miles of territory being reclaimed. A 

 collection of Indian tepees, a Japanese camp, also a number 

 of Italians are there, each nationality having its collection of 

 tents and cabins. 



As private parties in the State of Oregon are becoming 

 actively interested in the irrigation of lands which were with- 

 drawn from entry under the following projects, and as lack 

 of funds will for some years prevent development by the 

 Government, it is deemed inadvisable to obstruct private 

 enterprise for any length of time by continuing the with- 

 drawal, and the Secretary of the Interior has therefore re- 

 stored the following lands to settlement, not, however, to 

 become subject to. entry, filing or selection under the public 

 land laws until ninety days after notice by such publication 

 as the Commissioner of the General Land Office may pre- 

 scribe: 



Willamette Meridian. 



MALHEUR PROJECT. 



About 533,120 acres lying in Townships 16 to 20 S., 

 Ranges 41 to 47 E. 



CHEWAUCAN PROJECT. 



T. 31 S., R. 18, E., all. 

 T. 32 S., Rs. 17, 18, 19 E., all. 

 T. 33 S., Rs. 17 and 19 E., all. 



T. 33 S., Rs. 18 E., Sees. 1 to 25, 29 to 32, and 34 to 

 36 inclusive. 



T. 34 S., Rs. 19 and 20, all. 



OWYHEE PROJECT. 



Ts. 21 and 22 S., R. 45 E., all. 

 Ts. 21, 22 and 23 S., R. 46 E., all. 



SILVER LAKE PROJECT. 



Ts. 26 and 27 S., Rs. 14, 15, 16 and 17 E., all. 

 T. 28 S., Rs. 13 and 14 E., all. 



T. 28 S., R. 15 E., Sees. 1 to 14, 16 to 19, and 29 to 32 

 inclusive. 



