CHAPTER IV. 



IRRIGATION IN COLORADO. 



IRRiaATION DITCHES. 



At iDresent, in Colorado, most of the irrigating ditches are built by 

 companies, who sell the water by the " inch " to the ranchmen. Much 

 irrigation, also, is done, on a small scale, by individual ranchmen, and 

 again, by co-operation, several large ditches have been made, and con- 

 siderable areas of land placed under irrigation. I have succeeded in 

 obtaining the details of construction of several of the largest of these 

 ditches. 



The Platte water canal is 24 miles long, extending from the foot of 

 the canon of the South Platte to Denver. Its original width at the 

 head was 10 feet, and depth of water 2 feet, gradually decreasing in size 

 as it neared the city. It has since been enlarged to a head width of 30 

 feet and depth of 3 feet. The slope ranges from 6 feet to 18 inches 

 per mile. 



Capt. E. L. Berthoud, of Golden, Colo., has sent me the following 

 statistics concerning the Greeley, Evans, and Golden ditches : 



Greeley^ north side of the Cache la Poudre. — The Big Greeley ditch takes 

 water from the Cache la Poudre River. It is 36 miles long. At its 

 head it is 25 feet wide on the bottom, diminishing to 15 feet in width at 

 Greeley. At its head ii has 3^ feet depth of water, which is diminished 

 to 3 feet at Greeley. For the first 22 miles the slope is 3 J feet per mile, 

 with 2J feet for the remainder of its course. The cost was $66,000. 



Greeley ditch, on the south side of the Cache la Foudre. — This ditch is 11 

 miles long, 12 feet wide at bottom. The side-slopes are 1 to 1. Depth of 

 water 2 J feet. The cost was 115,000. 



Evans, — The town ditch is 5 miles long, 6 feet wide on bottom, side 

 slope 1 to 1. Water is 2 feet deep. Slope of bed, 2 J feet per mile. Cost 

 was $4,800. 



The Big Evans ditch, on the south side of the South Platte River. — The 

 length of the main trunk and branches is 45 miles. The main ditch is 

 10 feet wide at bottom 5 the water is from 2 feet to 1^ in depth. Side 

 slope 1 to 1. Grade, 5 feet 4 inches per mile. Cost, $23,000, 



Golden. — The town ditch is G miles long, 6 feet wide on the bottom, 

 with 20 inches depth of water, and a grade of 10 J feet per mile. The cost 

 was $17,000. 



The following sketch of the modus operandi of irrigation at Greeley, 

 Colo., written by Mr. N. C. Meeker, of the Greeley Tribune, describes 

 the best example of irrigation in Colorado, if not in the West : 



" The system of irrigation established at Greeley is different from any 

 other in the world, particularly in regard to the right to water. The 

 valley of the Cache la Poudre, in which Greeley is situated, was located 

 and settled by the Union colony, composed of only 600 members, mostly 

 heads of families. The location and purchase of the land was made by 

 a committee, the president of which had control of a comqaon fund, 



339 



