THE RECLAMATION OF THE WEST. 



837 



flow from Wyoming into Neljraslva; the headwaters of the Colorado 

 ri«e in ^^"yoniing- and Colorado, flow through Utah, and form the 

 l)oundar3' between Arizona, Nevada, and California. Nearh' all the 

 important river.s of the arid AVest rise either in Colorado or AV^oming. 

 in the mountain ranges crossing these States, and llow" out from these 

 areas, furnishing water for adjoining States. This interstate charac- 

 ter of the streams has been held as one of the reasons for Federal 



Fi(i. 7. — Map showiiij,' approximate location and extent of open range in tlie United States. 



The stocJi raising or grazing indurfry will always occupy SO or 90 per cent of the arid lands of the 

 West. 



intervention in reclamation, as well as tlie fact of Federal ownership 

 of the vacant lands. 



In Colorado the largest project now in construction is that of tak- 

 uig the Ciunnison River into the Uncompahgre Valley. This river 

 flows in a narrow canyon 2,000 feet deep. Tiiis can\"on has been 

 regarded as impassable, but Mr. A. L. Fellows, one of the engineers 

 of the reclamation service, and an assistant went througli in IUO'2 at 

 the risk of their lives. The attempt liad been made a number of 

 times to tio down it bv boats. l)ut without success. These men did it 



