282 



THE IREIGATION AGE. 



Creek, east of Rapid City; there are about 50,000 

 acres to be irrigated. 



In White River valley are two proposed devel- 

 opments; these are both on the north side of the 

 stream. One of these is near Kadoka; the other 

 is near Draper and Vivian. The Kadoka project 

 comprises about 30,000 acres, and the lower White 

 River project comprises 50,000 acres of land. Both 

 of these require surveys before their feasibility or 

 exact locations can be fully determined. 



The Edgemont project is in Fall River County, 

 near the town of Edgemont. This is one of the 

 smaller projects, comprising about 10,000 acres. 

 The water supply will be obtained from Pass and 

 Beaver creeks. 



Summary. 



Summarizing the foregoing statements we ob- 

 tain the following list: 



RECLAMATION PROJECTS. 



Acres. 



Little Missouri, Harding Co 40,000 



Grand River, No. 1, Perkins Co 4,000 



Grand River, No. 3, Perkins Co 18,000 



Moreau River, Ziebach & Dewey Co.'s 30,000 



Box Elder, Pennington Co 15,000 



Northern Stanley, Stanley Co 65,000 



Cheyenne Valley Pennington & Stanley Co.'s. .105,000 



Kadoka, Stanley Co 20,000 



Rapid Valley, Pennington Co 50,000 



White River, Lyman Co 50,000 



Edgemont, Fall River Co 10,000 



, Total 407,000 



Other irrigation projects of similar merit will 

 probably materialize in the 'next few years. There 

 are doubtless many additional opportunities for irri- 

 gation development in western South Dakota. 

 Missouri River Valley. 



An irrigation possibility of great potential value 

 is the reclamation of a portion of the valley of the 

 Missouri River in this state. There are more than 

 100,000 acres in this valley susceptible of irrigation 

 and we may reasonably expect that in time this large 

 area will be brought under irrigation. Already there 

 are many small pumping plants in operation along 

 the river and much land is under irrigation there- 

 from. 



Great Plains Project. 



This stupendous proposition is so far reaching 

 and comprehensive in scope that a volume could be 

 written about it without exhausting the subject. 

 Briefly, it comprises the division of a large volume of 

 water from the Missouri River below the mouth of 

 the Yellowstone, and the conveyance of this water 

 across country through the states of North and 

 South Dakota. By this means a large portion of the 

 great plains area could be watered and brought into 

 great productivity. Since this is an interstate proj- 

 ect, it would properly come under Federal super- 

 vision. 



What We May Expect. 



Looking a few years into the future, let us en- 

 deavor to forecast the probable results of irrigation 

 development in this state. We may reasonably ex- 

 pect, in the first place, that the extension of irriga- 

 tion will result in the conservation of our surface 



water supply, also in the more effective and econ- 

 omical use of water. Great reservoirs will be con- 

 structed in which will be stored hundreds of thou- 

 sands of acre feet of water, for service in perform- 

 ing useful work instead of devastating the lower 

 valleys during flood periods. 



In the next place hundreds of homes will be 

 provided and means will be furnished for thousands 

 of people to obtain a good living on irrigated farms. 

 Taking for illustration the project for irrigating 

 105.000 acres in Pennington and Stanley Counties, 

 we may assume that a family of five people can 

 occupy each 80-acre tract; this would mean a farm- 

 ing population of over 6,500 people with a corre- 

 sponding urban population. The increase in land 

 values from a price of say $20 per acre to $100 or 

 over, would mean an aggregate increase of $8,- 

 400,000 in farm lands alone. This is for one project; 

 the entire number of projects, on a similar basis, 

 would aggregate an enormous total. 



The big ranch, with its great area of untilled 

 pasturage, will eventually be relegated to the higher 

 lands beyond the reach of irrigation water. With 

 the extension of irrigation we may look forward to 

 the time when small farm units, intensely cultivated, 

 will produce crops of high. value. This will mean 

 compact rural settlements with improved highways 

 and schools and churches. It will mean an increased 

 population of prosperous, contented people; and the 

 luxuries and enjoyment of urban life will replace 

 the comparative isolation of the farm. 



Work of the State Engineer. 



In conclusion, the work of the State Engineer's 

 department will be briefly outlined. The determina- 

 tion of the feasibility of an irrigation project of 

 magnitude requires engineering skill of a high or- 

 der and a vast amount of preliminary work. Exam- 

 inations and surveys must first be made to determine 

 water resources and physicial characteristics; these 

 must be thorough and painstaking in order of 

 value. Investors and those who are interested in 

 irrigation development require careful, unbiased 

 reports before they will undertake development 

 work or spend money on a project. It is proposed 

 that the engineering department of the state shall 

 make the preliminary surveys and examinations of 

 reservoir sites, canal lines and irrigable areas. The 

 results of such investigations are to be embodied in 

 the form of maps, profiles and reports to be placed 

 on file at the State Capitol for public information. 

 Prospective investors can then obtain at first hand 

 such preliminary informaiton as will be necessary 

 to show the feasibility of individual projects. This 

 information will be -reliable, authentic and fully 

 trustworthy. 



We are now at the threshhold of irrigation de- 

 velopment in this state. Let us go forward in the 

 good work of making this vast region a garden spot, 

 rendering possible the growth of our population and 

 commerce, the building of prosperous cities and the 

 transformation of the great plains area into a splen- 

 did agricultural region. 



Send $1.00 for 1 year's subscription to the IRRIGA- 

 TION AGE and bound copy of THE PRIMER OF IRRIGA- 

 TION. If you desire a copy of The Primer of Hy- 

 draulics add $2.50 to above price. 



