70 



TH.E IRRIGATION AGE. 



MONTE VISTA, COLORADO, AND THE SAN LUIS 

 VALLEY. 



The thousands of irrigationists who will attend the 

 meeting of the National Irrigation Congress and the Ex- 

 position in connection therewith at Pueblo Colorado, Sep- 

 tember 25th-:jOth, will have many opportunities to see all 

 kinds and varieties of irrigation. Most of them will make 

 a two to four weeks' trip, and not only take in the work 

 of the congress, but will also visit the famous scenes of 

 America's playground from Denver to Pike's Peak and 

 over to the west slope. They will also be able to visit the 

 great valleys of Colorado, the Arkansas, the Grand, and 

 the San Luis, where they may observe the hundreds of 

 thousands of acres of desert that have been reclaimed ai'd 

 how the live wires of the West are doing it. 



The San Luis Valley will prove a great astonishment 

 to the uninformed. Within a few hours run from Pueblo 

 one has crossed a range of mountains, and there sud- 

 denly comes in view a great basin or saucer 150 miles 

 long by 40 miles wide and almost as level as a floor. This 

 country was at one time a lake extending from the Sangre 

 de Christo mountain range to New Mexico, but now the 



The two banks of Monte Vista now have deposits ex- 

 ceeding $800,000. The beautiful new addition of Sunny- 

 side, now being completed, is only four squares from the 

 center of town. 



Last year Monte Vista shipped 2,717 carloads of live- 

 stock and farm produce. This shipping has been show- 

 ing an increase every year. 



Two new ventures on a large scale promise immedi- 

 ately great improvements to Monte Vista. First a sugar 

 beet mill, second a railway to Center, fourteen miles, and 

 later to be extended south. This railroad will offer the 

 means to the farmer to ship his sugar beets, which have 

 not been developed on a large scale yet, but promise to 

 be one of the main products of the valley. Center is now 

 a live town, although fourteen miles from a railroad, hut 

 building rapidly in anticipation of it. 



Under the present irrigation 'systems of the San Luis 

 there are now constructed 1,200 miles of canals and la- 

 terals. At present most of the ranches are large, the 

 160-acre unit being the smallest, and only a few of them. 

 As water rights are so cheap, in many cases not exceed- 

 ing a total cost of $7 per acre, these will eventually be 

 divided into smaller units and as intensive farming fol- 



One of the Eleven Drops in the Comanche Canal, Arkansas Valley. 



Rio Grande finds its headwaters up north of Creede and 

 flows placidly through this valley southward. 



This level basin includes 3,800,000 acres, and last year 

 500,000 acres were under cultivation by direct irrigation 

 from the Rio Grande. No flood waters have yet been 

 conserved, and it is safe to say that a total of 2,000,000 

 acres could be and eventually will be irrigated, because 

 of the plentiful supply of water. 



Of this vast territory 169,000 acres is tributary to the 

 town of Monte Vista, and 120,000 of that was under cul- 

 tivation last year. 



Monte Vista has a population of 3,000 people, and in 

 all directions one may see the snow-capped peaks rising 

 to the sky, while nearer at hand thousands of acres of 

 wheat, oats, field peas, alfalfa and potatoes are bringing 

 fortune to the lucky pioneers who have come to this beau- 

 tiful spot. Many flocks of sheep and droves of hogs, fat- 

 tened by these peas are now adding to this income. 



There are few finer homes to be seen in the big cities 

 of the East than those that grace the city of Monte Vista. 

 i here are there 00 automobiles, mostly large touring cars, 

 and in this valley magnificent roads make touring a con- 

 tinual pleasure. 



Send $2,50 for The Irrigation 



Age one year and 

 The Primer of Irrigation 





lows, so will population increase, both in the country and 

 in the towns. This may be termed the frontier of irri- 

 gation and presents marvelous opportunities to the land- 

 seeker. 



