*
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By F. M. KIMMELL.
ALL HOME PRINT
IRRIGATION IN NEBRASKA
The arid region of Nebraska ad
joins the state of Colorado on tin
west and south. On both sides o
this imaginary line the soil , tin
climate and all natural condition !
are the same. But on one sid <
there is agricultural prosperity o
a high and growing order. On the
other side there is poverty and dis
tress. On one side lies the garden
on the other side the desert. Dur
ing the past season the farm en
living in the valley of the Soutr.
Platte in Colorado raised trail
loads of potatoes and sold them f 01
fabulous prices. In the same per
iod the farmers living in the vallej
of the South Platte in Nebraska
raised scarcely any thing , and man }
of them are now receiving food and
clothing from the state , and they
must look to the same source foi
the seed of future crops.
Nebraska had the advantage ol
earlier settlement. She has a larg
er population and more wealth in
.the aggregate , but in the matter oi
irrigation she is but an infant to a
man when compared with Color
ado. And irrigation in Colorado
has only begun.
These facts , however , are noi
as discreditable to Nebraska as at
first appears. Nobody ever pre
tended that Colorado could depend
on rainfall. Western Nebraska ,
with the aid of unscrupulous land
agents , was persuded that she
could. Experience is a hard mas
ter , but we are learning the lesson
at last , and the late severe drouth
may turn out to be a blessing in
disguise.
As the best possible means of
illustrating how irrigation can be
accomplished here , this paper will
undertake to trace how it has been
accomplished in Colorado under
similar difficulties.
I. BEGINNINGS OF THE WORK IN
COLORADO.
The total area of Colorado is 66-
560,000 acres. Of this vast domain
26,560,000 acres is mountain land ,
hopeless for agriculture , but rich
in minerals and timber. The bal
ance , of 40,000,000 acres , is com
posed of plateau , plain and valley ,
and has a soil fit to grow any crops
that will thrive in this latitude and
altitude. But it is perfectly arid.
< Vhen the first pioneer settler
pushed his way across the plains
and into Colorado.over thirty years
ago , he found only a few thousand
of these millions of acres under
cultivation , and these only by the
means of rude ditches constructed
by unskillful Mexican farmers.
Now , according to the latest sta
tistics available , Coicrado has 4- ,
004,409 acres under ditch , for
which she has paid , through the
investment of private capital , $11-
150,000. Better than this , she has
organized all the public and priv
ate forces , enacted comprehensive
lawsand , done various other things
to secure the further development
of irrigation on the grandest scale.
.How has all this been done ? It is
a story of persistent energy and
untiring efforts directed against
difficulties , but aiming at great
and certain results.
The first attempt to build a large
ditch in Colorado was undertaken
in 1860 by a few citizens of Den
ver. The spent $10,000 and man
aged to make a complete failure of
it. owing to lack of experience and
the unfortunate fact that their ver
dant engineer had omitted to give
any fall to his grade line. Both
the citizens and the engineer re
tired from the business , but the
spirit of enterprise kept on. Two
years later the Platte water com
pany's ditch was built with better
success , and it still furnishes Den
ver with its irrigating water. Be
tween 1862 and880 the irrigatioi
movement got well tinder way
Numerous Bin all ditches wen
made , fully demonstrating the fea
eibility of the project , and a sys
tematic effort begun to interes
large capital. Colorado had firs
to overcome the skepticism of cap
ital , as Nebraska still has in semi
measure.
The real development of the ari <
regions in the Centennial state be
gan with the formation of what ii
locally known as the "Englisl
company , " an association of Scotcl
capitalists. Their first undertaking
was the construction of the Lari
mer and Weld canal , which takei
its source in the Cache la Poudr (
river , two miles northwest of For
Collins , and runs east across Lari
mer and Weld counties for a dist
ance of forty-five miles. It is twen
ty-five to thirty feet wide and fron
five to seven feet deep. It has i
capacity sufficient to irrigate 40-
000 acres , almost all of which arc
now in a high state of cultivation
This large canal has now been ii
operation nearly ten years. Three
small reservoirs are used in con-
.nectiou with this enterprise.
The success of this canal ledtlu
same capitalists to undertake r
larger and more difficult project ,
This was to tap the Platte river as
it leaves the mountains and devel
op the lands lying around Denver ,
The scheme has beeu long talked
of and for years had waited only
for the assistance of capital. The
construction of the "High Line
canal , " as it is called , was begu n
early in the spring of 1880 and
continued without cessation till
1883. It is a fine piece of engin
eering , with its dam in the river ,
its tunnel at the head of the canal ,
its flume in the canon , and its nu
merous flumes across the creeks
that lie in its course. The main
canal is seventy miles long , and
forty feet wide for a large part of
its length. It has a branch about
twenty-five miles long and of
smaller dimensions. It waters be
tween fifty and sixty thousand
acres. It cost $650,000.
This was the beginning of irri
gation in Colorado. It demonstra
ted that if water could be applied
to the arid soil the desert would
blossom as the rose. It converted
timid , unbelieving capital into an
appressive ally of the state's devel
opment. With the success of these
two undertakings of the English
companyirrigation was established
as a great and promising factor in
the life of Colorado. Capital came
from England , from Holland , from
New York , from Chicago and St.
Louis , to seek investment where
returns were assured. And Denver
itself a hint for Omaha readily
invested in irrigation enterprises
the capital it had accumulated with
phenomenal rapidity in mining and
real estate. Nebraska stands today
where Colorado stood ten years ago.
II. NORTHERN COLORADO.
From a Nebraska standpoint the
most interesting part of irrigated
Colorado is that portion lying be
tween Denver and the Nebraska
ine , and especially in the valley of
; he South Platte.
This part of Colorado is exactly
.ike our arid region. It has the
same soil and climate and draws
ts water supply from one of the
sources which we must utilize.
Che state line that separates Neb
raska from Colorado is only imag-
Jiary , but the line that runs be-
; ween irrigated prosperity and arid
listress is a real line , plainly
narked on the surface of the earth.
The association of foreign capi-
; alists already alluded to undertook
; he development of the wide-strech-
ng plains In the northern part of
; he state. The Platte valley canal
, akes its source in the Platte river ,
ibout three miles north of Lupton ,
i town twenty-six miles north -of
Denver. The canal has an appro
bation of 400 cubic feet per sec-
nd and can irrigate 20,000 acres.
? he construction cost about § 35- ,
000. There is a substantial dan
in the river , 200 feet long , whicl
cost about § 3,000. From the fac
that there are no flumes nor an ;
timber work of any kind on thj
canal , with the exception of tin
dam , its maintenance is compara
lively inexpensive.
The Loveland and Greeley cana
is another of the enterprises wit !
which this same company is con
nected. Its head is located on tin
Big Thompson near Loveland. I
is thirty-one miles long , twenty-si :
feet wide1 and five feet deepwith i
variable grade. Its appropriation
of water is 446 cubic feet per second
end , and it is capable of irrigating
22,000 acres , of which nearly one
third is under cultivation. This
canal cost about $150,000. Then
are two reservoirs near its head
which have a surface of nearly fif
teen hundred acres. A reservoi ]
has also been constructed at it :
lower end , on the hill overlooking
Greeley , which is capable of hold
ing 2,000,000 cubic feet of water
The North Poudre canal is wor
thy of mention in this connection
It is a private enterprire and pro
seuts some engineering features oi
more than usual interest. The
canal take its water from the nortl
fork of the Cache la Poudre river
in the northwestern part of Lari
mer county. The dam inthecauor
is as good a specimen of this class
of work as is to be found in the
state. The dam cost $7,500.
III. SOME LARGER COLORADO
ENTERPRISES.
In other parts of the stateespec-
ially in the San Luis , the Gunni-
son and the Arkansas valleysthere
are still larger works of irrigation.
Prominent among them is the
Empire canal , in the San Luis val
ley , which takes water from the
Bio Grande , fourteen miles above
Alamosaaud , extends southward lethe
the Bio Conejos. This is thirty
miles long , sixty feet wide at the
head and five and a half feet deep ;
discharges 1,400 cubic feet per
second ; covers 120,000 acres , of
which the company owns 74,000.
It has cost $120,000 and promises
to be a most profitable investineui
The Del Norte is the largest irri
gating canal in the United States.
It is sixty-five feet wide on the
bottom at the hesdgate , carrying
water five and a half feet deepwith
side slopes three to one , making
the top width at watej line ninety-
eight feet. Four miles from the
head it is bifurcated : the larger
branch being forty-two feet wide
at" the bottom , and the smaller
branch thirty-eight feet wide.
There are about fifty miles of main
channel. It carries something over
2,400 cubic feet of water per second
end and is circulated to irrigate
over 200,000 acres. It is located
in the Saij Luis valley in southern
California , taks its supply from the
Rio Grande river , and covers the
land in the northern end of the
valley. It cost three hundred thou
sand dollars. The peculiar feature
in the construction of this canal
was the rapidity of ils completion ,
the entire work being accomplished
ndthin a period of four months.
The Citizens' canal is in the same
neighborhood , taking its supply
from the Bio Grande river , eight
miles below the Del Norte and on
the opposite side of the river. It
is designed to irrigate the lands in
the southwestern part of the San
Luis valley. It covers 120,000
acres and cost $200,000.
The Uncompahgre canal in the
west central part of the statecovers ,
ibout sixty-five thousand acres of
the lands of the Uncompahgre val
ley. The entire valley has a con
siderable fall to the north , about
sixty feet to the mile , which gives
ihe canal the appearance of having
m ascending grade , and necessi-
; ates the frequent use of drops or
> verfall. The entire cost of this
: anal was $210,000.
The Grand river canal system ,
11 the extreme western part of the
tate , is a combination of. three
sanals , projected and largely bull
by the farmers of the Grand rive :
valley , but purchased and unite (
by the present owners. The'com
bined appropriating capacity ii
680 cubic feet per second. Then
rre about sixty-five miles of mail
channel , covering some fort } ' thou
sand acres. A striking feature i
numerous overfalls or "drops , '
ranging from four to thirty-six fee
in height.
Tlie l''oi-t Morgan canal , in tin
northeastern part of the statetakei
its supply from the Platte river
about ninety miles below Denver
It is twenty-eight miles long aiu
thirty feet wide at the bottom
carries water three and a half fee
deep and has a slope of one in 3 ,
300 ; capacity something ovei
three hundred and forty cubic feei
per second. It irrigates twenty
thousand acres and cost aboui
ninety- > five thousand dollars.
Besides these large enterprises
many others are under way anc
irrigation is still in the full tide oJ
development.
IV. HOW THE STATE POSTERS
IRRIGATION.
It is neither possible nor neces
sary within the limits of this arti
cle to describe more folly the pro
gress of irrigation in Colorado ,
The object is to show that oui
neighbors have successfully over
come every difficulty Avhich we are
now facing , and thereby point the
way to the speedy and complete
reclamation of our arid lands. JTor
this purpose , however , it is very
essential that the work done by the
state should be understood.
In his report to Governor Adams
of December , 1888 , J. S. Greene ,
state engineer of irrigation , used
these words : "But , however ener
getic her people may have been ,
however skilled in construction or
fruitful in resources , it was in the
legislative halls and court rooms
that they fostered best Colorado's
wonderful development in irriga
tion enterprises. " In other words ,
there would have been no capital
ists , no grand undertakings , if the
executive and legislative officers of
the commonwealth , and all manner
of public associations , had not uni
ted in an effort to push the agri
cultural development of the state.
That is the point which the people
of Nebraska must comprehend at
this juncture.
In the first place , Colorado has
given great attention to her laws
bearing on the subject of irriga
tion. She has constantly broad
ened them to meet the growing de
mands of the subject , and only
recently has appointed a commis
sion to completely revise them.
The object has been to encourage
capital , to protect the water sup
ply , to guarantee equal opportuni
ties to all parts of the state. A
very important step in reaching
these ends was the appointment of
a competent state engineer , who
should have the oversight of these
enterprises and see that they con
form to the wise laws of the state.
The provisions of these laws will
be more fully dwelt upon in a sub
sequent article.
In his message delivered to the
legislature during the past week ,
Governor Routt admirably summed
up the present relations of the
state to this subject. He said that
irrigation was the most vital and
pressing subject that would come
before the legislature ; that the
people were holding mass meetings
in various parts of the state to
discuss priority of rights and the
use of water for domestic purposes ;
that this matter called for an early
and decisive opinion from supreme
court , and that the legislature
should pass effective laws on the
subject. He also advocates the
3stablishment of reservoirs , and
urges the legislature to call upon
congress to assist in this work by
speedily donating the arid public
ands to the states.
Besides the assistance directly
) btained from the state , various' '
forestry , agricultural and fruit
growers , associations are giving
their influence systematically to
the development of irrigation in all
directions , and are guarding it from
every standpoint , from thd preser
vation of the water supply on the
mountain tops to the fertilization
of the farthest acre on the edge of
the arid belt.
It was by means of this deep and
earnest conviction of the value of
irrigation that the work has been
brought to its present stage in
Colorado. It is by similar methods
in cooperation with private capital
and local enterprise , that a great
empire west of the 100th meridian
in Nebraska can be made prosper
ous.
Colorado ranks high among the
mining states. It abounds in silver ,
gold , iron , coal and other minerals.
But , without a single foot of nat
urally arable land , its agricultural
product in the year of 181)0 ) ex
ceeded in value the output o all its
mines. Could there be a more
eloquent tribute to irrigation ?
In closing this sketch of the
progress in Colorado I leave un
touched a mass of material on the
subject for lack of space. But
enough has been saitl to prove the
truth of an old proverb , Avhich , re
vised for the occasion , would read :
"What Colorado has done. Neb
raska can do. "
Next week's article Avill deal with
the irrigation laws of Nebraska
and the urgent demands for their
revision and enlargement , a. subject
rendered timely by the approach
ing convention at McCook.
WILLIAM E. SMMTHE.
DRYSDALE
THE
TAILOB ,
From New York City , lias tlie most com
plete stock of Fall and Winter Goods , foi
men's wear , between Lincoln and Denver ,
His store is just replete with the latest nov
elties from New York and Chicago , and as
he buys strictly for cash he can aiFord to give
you first class Clothing at very reasonable
prices , lie has guaranteed every garment
he has made up in McCook frfr nearly six
years and has never had a misfit in that time.
Call and see him. One door north of tin ;
Commercial House.
ALLEN'S TRANSFER ,
Bus , Baggage Dray Line.
F. P. ALLEN , Prop. ,
McCOOK , NEBRASKA.
&f Best Equipped in the Citr. Leave nrrt.--
at Commercial Hotel. Good well wntr ii ,
oiafaed on short notice.
SCHOOL BOOKS
AT
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At Publishers' Prices.
BLANK BOOKS. U6GAL BLANKS
KILPATRICK BROTHERS.
Horses branded on left hip or left shoulder.
P. O.nddress , Imperial.
Chase Comity , and Iteut-
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HHTRIAI
( VITALLY WrAK ) . Ha.I .o bj too eio spplleatlon la
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Children Cry for Pitcher's Castoria.
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I after luitructlon.m III v > ork indujtriou ! y ,
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