THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



371 



HOPE LONG DEFERRED. 



Story of the Wyoming- Central Irrig-ation Company. 



Francis C. Tucker. 



The Shoshone, or Wind River, Indian Reserva- 

 tion in Wyoming was- opened to filing in August, 

 1906. It had been examined and reported on favor- 

 ably by experts in irrigation, but the United States 

 Reclamation Service had decided that it had already 

 started irrigation schemes covering so much of 

 Wyoming, as well as other States, that it could not 

 undertake any more projects in Wyoming. Com- 

 petent reports of area, character of soil, available 

 water, cost of irrigation construction, etc., had been 

 so favorable that the State of Wyoming authorized 

 the State officials to secure construction by a con- 

 tract. The United States Government simply al- 

 lowed filing on homesteads under the ordinary pro- 

 visions on ceded Indian Reservations ; the State of 

 Wyoming assumed no liability, is barred by its Con- 

 stitution from assuming any, through act of its of- 

 ficials, except as they may be specifically authorized 

 to make contracts. The State officials, however, 

 caused the fact to be broadly advertised, that a con- 

 tract had been made between the State and the 

 Wyoming Central Irrigation Company to begin con- 

 struction within 90 days and to carry on the work 

 at a reasonably uniform rate that would complete 

 construction within five years. The State assumed 

 no financial liability, and under its Constitution 

 could not assume any, but granted certain rights, 

 and the privilege of furnishing water at stipulated 

 prices, to the company, the company collecting from 

 the homesteaders. 



Certain large interests in Wyoming have ap- 

 parently opposed development as inimical to those 

 interests. Apprehension of this opposition, a con- 

 viction that the State officials were not sincere in 

 their co-operation, the utter irresponsibility of the 

 State under the constitutional provisions, the fact 

 that the contract for construction was secured by a 

 bond for $25,000.00 (a ridiculous bond, for the con- 

 struction of some millions of dollars worth of 

 work), amounting to a mere option; and some 

 minor symptoms operated to discourage settlement, 

 and the influx of homesteaders was much less than 

 had been hoped for. 



To get prompt development and returns from 

 a portion that would be easily and cheaply watered, 

 the Wyoming Central Irrigation Company con- 

 structed a small canal to water a few thousand acres 

 near the W. & N. W. railway and Riverton. This 

 canal takes its water temporarily directly from the 

 Wind River, but was intended to later (when the 

 system neared completion) make this canal part of 

 a main lateral from the large canal. The head-gate, 

 deflection, etc., were of a comparatively temporary 

 character on this account. Some settlers saw in 

 this, or thought they saw, an attempt to make them 

 pay an undue price for water, since the Wyoming 

 Central Irrigation Company was empowered to 

 charge the same prices under the same other con- 

 ditions over the whole of the land to be irrigated, 

 regardless of mere distance from the point of diver- 

 sion from the river. These disaffected settlers and 

 others formed an independent company and at- 

 tempted by legal action to get independent water 



rights to make them an independent competitor on 

 part of the same ground. Long drawn out litiga- 

 tion and bitterness resulted, but the Wyoming Cen- 

 tral Irrigation Company finally won and its fran- 

 chises were confirmed. 



Meanwhile the Wyoming Central Irrigation 

 Company, instead of putting money into active con- 

 struction, had endeavored to raise money for that 

 purpose on bonds, and had found out that to raise 

 money thus it would need to have a large number 

 of contracts of settlers, secured by mortgage of their 

 claims. But few settlers had at that time commuted 

 and therefore few could give adequate security. After 

 several months' trial it was found necessary to help 

 some settlers to borrow money to commute so that 



Bridge Station on North Fork of Wailua River, Kanai, 

 Hawaiian Islands. 



the amount of land necessary to meet the demand 

 for security could be mortgaged. By the time this 

 security was tendered the Wyoming Central Irriga- 

 tion Company had become so discouraged by all its 

 trials and tribulations that it refused to do as it had 

 agreed to. It would take a large book to state the 

 whole matter from either point of view. 



In the early stages a Homesteaders' Associa- 

 tion had been formed. The Executive Committee 

 of that association worked hard to adjust this con- 

 troversy through the State officials. It was felt that 

 the terms of the contract between the State and the 

 Wyoming Central Irrigation Company, though 

 higher than in many smaller enterprises, were as 

 low as would ever be secured on so large a project, 

 and time was slipping away. In these serious de- 

 lays several smaller projects, parts of the main 



