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THE GOVERNMENT'S LARGEST IRRIGATION PROJECT IS IN THE SALT RIVER VALLEY OF ARIZONA
BY LLOYD C. THOMAS
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i
JAS. GRAHAM'S ,
Grocery andMeatMarket
Roosevelt Dam, 70 miles from PhoQiiix.
This picture shows the dam just after construction was bt?gun.
house is at the right of the picture.
ElPv'tric pver
Tho Salt Itlver Valley has many
natural conditions that otter an im
perative Invitation for man to po to
work and Bitpply the one uoiulitlon
which Nature did not. Here u 11 ud
thousands of ntSres of land uhiuh is a
baro desert without iratur bnt with tho
application of witter it becomes marvel
ouBly produutivu with an Ideal climate
und llowintr streams, the largest of
which is the Salt Hivur This river ut
the season of greatest need Is but u
meager streams at other (seasons, from
its steep, baro watershed sweep Hoods
which notonly could not lit iitlll.ed,
but which frequently destroyed the
casual and liiRutltclunt Irrltr itluf wortcs
first constructed
It VMisa blmple idea to suve the.se
Hood waters which came down tho
river when least needed but to the
ordinary person or combination of men
this would have appeared impossible
because of the large atnodt of money
uecded to construct the storage dam to
hold this Hood water, It is dltlluult to
imagine the immense umount of water
to bo stored In tho reservoir it ml the
magnitude of the undertaking.
In 1003 the Reclamation Act was
passed, and soon after the work on the
project was begun Hrleflv, the scheme
was this: Seventy-live mllei up the
Salt River and just below its juuctlon
with Tonto Creek, build a niasonery
dam, arched upstream, "J 70 feet htrfh
above bedrock, 700 feet long on top,
and containing 320,(00 cubic turds of
masonory, thus forming 11 reservoir
twenty-live miles in area, to contain
water sntllcient to cover 1,234,000 acies,
one foot deep. The water so stored to
bo released as needed, to How down
the old river channel, and on reaching
the irrigable la,nd to be turned into the
irrigating ditches by it low diversion
dam, to generate power 11 1 the dam
and transmit it to the Valley for use
in pumping water to irrigate more
land.
,Tho site of the reservoir dam was In
accessible from I'hoenix, save ovei the
roughest of trails, so men and material
were firbl brought from l.lobe. forty
miles, over a road none of the bet. As
electric power whs needed a pitwer
canal was built nineteen milt: ubove
the dam site and it eonvots. li.Vi cubic
feet of water per heeou 1 t it point just
below the dam, where n drop ot -!:.'!
fqot Is obtained. On the line of this
canal tiro twenty-one tunnels, two In
verted siphons to cuiry the canal under
cross canyons, many culverts, waste
gates und other-struutuies The tun
nels were lined, and the other struct
ures all built of eoncivle
Most of tho materials needed In the
construction of this immense (lain urc
manufactured on the ground because
of the long haul. Mine Is burned,
bricks made, a sawmill furnishes lum
ber, and a cement thill furnishes
cement for thetlnm. This cement mill
lias it capacity of ISO barrels ovory
twenty-four hours. A very line wagon
and automobile road was constructed
from Mesa, not far from I'hoonix, to
the dnin, at a cost of SSUu.noi
The loservoir when completed will
Irrigate 250. 000 acres in the vicinity of
l'hoeul.v At the present time only
about 125,000 notes are under -cultivation
One of tho most valuable assets
of the valley will be the power which
is to be developed on the project, In till
soino 25.000 horsepower. The mining
towns In the near by mining regions
wl'l buy 11 large share of this power
und the manufacturing plants which
will start up in the valley will be en
abled to buy cheap power from the
Government, in this way the power
plants of this project ure made to
utilize that by-product of an Irrigation
system, the excessive (all, usually a
source of expeuse.
The following questlous are asked
tnuny times regarding the Salt River
Valley by people who uro Interested.
I tun sure that you will lind the
answers given to be correct.
1. Where Is the Salt River Valley?
In Maricopa county, in south central
Arizona, comprising the land lying on
both sides of tho Suit Ulvor, above the
continence of the bait and Gila.
2, How larpe is tho Salt River
Valley? The Valley, proper, is about
.10 miles In length by in mile In width,
containing about 730 square miles, ag
gregating ubout u half million acres of
land.
;i How much of this land is now In
cultivation? About 12,f6oo acres.
t How much will bo Ungated when
the Roosevelt dam or Salt River project
is completed? About 2.10.000 acres.
n When wilt the Roosevelt dam be
finished? It ought t be Huished by
tho last of thUyenr. UMO
H, llow Is tho climate of the Salt
River valley? Climate is mild. From
.September to dune the climate is de
lightful From .lune to fsopteinlior the
weather Is warm
7, What Is the lowest temperature
in winter? The lowest usually ex
perienced is about 32 degiee-. above
zi ro,
s What 1 the highest siynmer tem
perature? (Mi one occasion within
twenty yenrb, by U.S. Wui'her Itureitu
record, the thermometer h s gone us
high us 117 degrees.
0 What is the average summer
heal? About 87 7 degteos.
10 What l1- the average rainfall per
year? Six to seven inches.
It How about storms, snow and
ice? Wc jiave little trost, no snow,
very little lets. No 'violent storms or
cyclones
12 How docs tho heat affect one?
A teinperatute of HO to AS degrees In
the eastern aia northern sttiteo Is fur
more orostruting and dangerous than
thn highest temperature experienced in
the Salt Rivor Vnilev
l'J Whut is the eutiie of the diilei
ence? The absence of humidity In the
titmospliere
II. What is the cost per acre per
year for water? From St 00 to $1 do
tier acre.
i!S. , How is the water obtained for
domestic purposes? From wells fiom
18 to loo feet deep
10 How about tho lmrkot? This
valley supplies tho Arizona towns and
mining camps, also California uud east
cm cities.
17. Is it profitable to keep bees?
Yes, this Is a very profitable business,
aud carloads of honey nro shipped out
of the vulley every year.
IS. How nro the roads? Kxeelletit
the vear round, und kept well graded
10. How many acres of land are
necessary to support a family? From
ten to twenty.
20. Is there anv Government land
In the Salt River Valley open for entry
where water can be obtained? No.
but relinquishments can be purchased
on land that will have water as toon ns
the project Is completed
21. How would a new settler pro
cure n home? Ry purchasing from
some one who owns moie than he,
needs
22. Where can one purchase a small
tract for a home, a large tract for to-
. vestment, or I'hoenix propert.v ? Thei e
are many lollable real estate firms in
I'hoenix, among them being the Dick
I Hniuians Heal Estate iV. Investment
Co.. 42-14 Ninth First Mroot. I'hoenix.
t They are always glun to answer In-
' quiries or show Salt River Valley
property.
21 What fuel is used? Wood, coal
mill oil 4 v
25. What advantage does this valley
offer to the farmer over other sections?
ah S2 per cent ot Mtuny davs, it is
possible for laborers to work outdoois
nearly every day u the year: the great
yleld'for the labor bestowed, uud good
prices for crops. In addition to this
we have good roads to market, good
schools for the children, free rural do
'livery, and telephone connection a'l
over the valhn
20. What will be the cost of the
Salt River project, including the
Roosevelt dam and reservoir, diversion
dam, etc.? Al out S30 to S35 per acre
for the 20k, ikjo to 2fio,ooo ncres to re
ceive the benettt. I'liMiicnts will be
made in ten equal annual installments
without interest, but will not com
mence until the teservoir is completed
although the water from the reservoir
is being dWtrlhutrdut thepiesent tune.
57. Vhat is the greatest need of the
Milt Rher Valley? TheAalley needs
families to settle on small traets of ir
rigated lands from 20 to 10 acres p'er
family All laborers, whether skilled
01 unskilled, can lind steady employ
ment at good wages. Truck furmers,
fruit gtow eis. daiiymen and poultry
raisers can make money here on small
investments
23. Ale there any settlers in the
Salt River Valley from Nebraska aud
Western Nebraska in particular? Yes,
there are a great nianv. one of those
from Western Nebraska being Stanley
Howard, formerly of Box ISutte
County lie lias a fine well improved
quarter section west of I'hoenix with
modern home and flne forty-acre
orclnrd. On a recent visit to his home
the writer wns shown over the farm
which is ceitulnly a desirable place.
He has good blooded stock, cattle,
hogs, horses and fowls, and he em
phatically states that he wouldn't
make his home in any other part of the
country He works out of doors every
working day In the year and does not
believe he could stand It to live in the
land of wind, dust. Ice and snow. Mr.
Howard inquired about manv of his
friends and acquaintances in Nebraska
and said that he would be glad to have
them call on him when in the'valley.
In my next article I will give u more
I complete description of the industries
of the valley than 1 have given before.
Phoenix. Arizona, April 20. l'HO
l'hoenlv. Arizona, April 20, 1910.
King-Murphy
Mairiedut HoK Rosaty chinch, Sun
day, April 24, 1910, at 7 p. m, James
P. Murphy, to Miss Ellen King, both
of AiiKora, Fr. McNamara performing
the cereinoiM . 'I he couple were at
tended hv Mr. Or.t HiacU ns l-cst man
and Mi.ss MaKte King, a sister of the
bnde, tin brulesniai'J.
Tlie mil make llieii home 011 the
ranph ol thu gloom ueai Lakeside.
It is a pleasure it chronicle the
mnrtinge of such woiiIin oiing people
aud this paper nft (o them its warm
eit congratulations
Groceries, Fresh and Cured
Meats, Fruits, Vegetables,
Nuts, Candies, and every
thing else good to eat
Phone 50
N. W. Cor. Box Butte Ave.
and Montana St.
gaagEgagsssrasggaaaMBKKS w& iMMjajamajm
Lo.An Mowers
It will pay you to come in and see our
line of lawn mowers, as we have the
largest and best line ever carried in
Alliance.
Garden Hose
Full line of G-arden Hose from
8c to 18c per foot
TMexaWYLAxx). Co.
MH
A. D. RODGERS
Groceries and Provisions
A full line of fresh goods to order from
Our prices are, right
Telephone orders filled promptly
s Phone 55
S. W. Cor. Box Butte Ave. and Dakota St. ; one block
north of Burlington station, on west side of street
Granite Reef Diversion Duni on Salt River, 2n miles from Phoenix The water coming down the rher from Rooseilt re.servoir is
here diverted into e;tnnls on both sides of the river and distributed over tho valley, covering 2ri Uix) ai't-s
J.J.VANCE
Cement Contractor
THE LEADER
Estimates on Cement Sidewalks, Hollow Blocks,
Foundations and Cement Work of all kinds
tSmia
Phone 55
716 W. Dakota St.
Alliance, Nebraska
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