THE CALL OF THE WEST 



417 



COMMUNAL FARM LIFE IN OREGON 



Between the Umatilla River on the 

 west and the Columbia River on the 

 north, in northwestern Oregon, is a 

 broad expanse of sage-brush desert 

 which is now undergoing a remarkable 

 transformation. The irrigation works of 

 the government here consist of a di- 

 version dam in the Umatilla River a few 

 miles above the town of Echo and a stor- 

 age feed canal, 20 miles in length, carry- 

 ing the flood flow of the stream into a 

 large reservoir, having a surface area of 

 1,700 acres and a depth of 70 feet. From 

 the reservoir a series of canals have been 

 extended to embrace about 20,000 acres 

 of exceedingly fine land. The produc- 

 tivity of this section has long been known 

 through the profitable crops under small 

 private ditches. Agricultural experts all 

 agree that this valley has a most prom- 

 ising future. At no distant day we may 

 confidently look for one of the most com- 

 pact agricultural districts in the state to 

 be established here. The soil is of great 

 depth, the summer comes early, and the 

 growing season is longer than in most 

 parts of the West. The truck and fruit 

 grower can place his crops on the mar- 

 kets in advance of his competitors, and 

 be sure of top prices in the markets of 

 Spokane, Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland, 

 all of which are tributary by rail or water 

 transportation. 



An interesting phase of the develop- 

 ment here is the combination of urban 

 and rural life ; farms are small ; many 

 five and ten-acre orchard tracts are be- 

 ing laid out about the towns, and the 

 owners of many of these have built their 

 homes in the towns, so that their wives 

 and children have the advantages of so- 

 ciety, schools, and churches. 



THE KLAMATH PROJECT 



In the land of "Burnt Out Fires" — 

 the region which will long be remem- 

 bered as the last stronghold of the Mo- 

 doc Indians — is a remarkable agricul- 

 tural district known as the Klamath 

 Basin, which lies partly in California 

 and partly in Oregon, and embraces sev- 



eral hundred thousand acres. The first 

 unit of this important national irriga- 

 tion work is completed, and several 

 thousand acres of fertile land are now 

 receiving water from the government 

 canals. Of all the Federal works, Kla- 

 math project is, perhaps, the most 

 unique, by reason of the fact that it in- 

 volves irrigation and drainage in unusual 

 combination. A considerable portion of 

 the lands to be irrigated is today cov- 

 ered with the waters of navigable lakes ; 

 these waters are to be drawn off and the 

 exposed lake beds are then to be sub- 

 divided into farms and irrigated by the 

 government canals. 



A new railroad has been completed to 

 the valley, and the indications are that 

 this region is to enjoy rapid growth and 

 development. Its advantages in soil, 

 climate, and products, as well as in great 

 undeveloped natural resources — in for- 

 ests, water power, and free grazing — 

 are certain to attract enterprising citizens 

 from all parts of the country. 



Idaho's wonderful development 



The most important stream in the arid 

 West is Snake River, in Idaho. From 

 the foothills of the Tetons, which form 

 the boundaries of Wyoming and Idaho, 

 to the western boundary of the latter 

 state, Snake River traverses a wide lava 

 plain which constitutes the most inter- 

 esting and important physiographic fea- 

 ture of the southern part of the state. 

 Snake River now irrigates a larger area 

 than any other stream in the United 

 States. Two reclamation projects of the 

 government have been undertaken in this 

 drainage basin, one supplied from the 

 main stream and the other from two im- 

 portant tributaries. 



The Minidoka project, in the southern 

 part of the state, was partly completed 

 in 1907, and made available for entry 

 1,050 farms, varying from 40 to 80 acres 

 each. Before the water was ready every 

 farm was filed upon, and 5,000 people 

 established homes in the sage-brush. 

 The most important feature of construc- 

 tion is the rock-fill dam across the river, 

 a structure 650 feet long on top and 50 



