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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1910)
6 t THE 3IORX1NU OKEUOMA, , SATl RDAY, JANUARY- 1, 1010 ft swsjf V -! v, ;.JViLi' 1 ill I B? It. ealKerl. IT 1H related that when the H.vkor, or slipphenl kings who preceded the Israelites into the land of Egypt Jlrst beheld the mysterious overflow of the Kile they lifted their hands in ad miration, hailed the mlphty flood as the "River of Gold," set about to develop one of the first of known irrigation enterprises sind made Egypt the "gran ary of the world." So, too, the men who first realized the possibilities In Central Oregon of the applied waters of the Deschutes Rlver have termed the stream the "River of Gold," and have begun the development of a new and wonderful empire. The Deschutes, too. has been .classed by the United States lirrigation Commission as "the best river for Irrigation in the world." and by the Orearon Conservation Commission as marvel and a scientific wonder." Surveyed, proposed or under actual : construction and operation are irriga tion projects In the heart of Oregon, deriving their water -.from the Des chutes or its tributaries, which will 'reclaim more than 400,000 acres. How 'many more thousands of acres the Beriius and enterprise in days to come may make productive it Is impossible to forecast. The great bulk of these luntis will owe allegiance to the Des chutes alone which, gains much of its fame from the uniformity of Its flow end the purity of its waters. At the principal points of intake for Irrigation flumes now in Central Ore gon the stream is known as a river that never changes. The elements that during dry seasons drive other streams below thir Iteds and nt other time? drive their waters over the banks have rto effect upon the Deschutes. Its flow of water of melted snow from the Cascade Range Is constant in Summer and In Winter except in the lower reaches of the river canyon where irrigation is not an element possible of consideration. In almost the geographical center of Oregon is a tract of land SO miles quarethat is now growing into a prosperous community under the im petus of applied irrigation. At the eNtreine southern end of this "tract lies the town of Bend Farewell Bend fis it was known to the traders of early dflys. when was no more than a post where supplies could be puchased by trappers and stockmen. A few anlles south of Bend, the Deschutes, after flowing peacefully for US miles through meadows forming a ribbon of pasture and "wild hay lands through a boundless forest, plunges down Ben hum Kails and begins its tumultuous course between canyon walls that gradually deepen to I'OOO feet. To the east and west lie sloping -table lands of varied width and of length approx imately 50 miles that a-e capable of Irrigation. On the eust side of the river, ex tending from Benhani Falls north ward 30 miles to where, the Crooked ltiver comes in from the east, cutting a gash through the table lands from 300 to 1000 feet deep before joining the Deschutes, the Deschutes Irriga tion & powo- Company has made three segregations of lands under the Carey act aggregating epproxlnmtely 115, 000 acres, and of which 150,000 acres ate tillable and feasible of Irrigation. Four years ago from Bend north-' ward to the Crooked Rive- there was not a foot of plowed land. Two years go the Hend country got its veg-t-tables and most of its other edible supplies from the "Willamette Valley, fotatoes freighted f5 miles from Shan lko. the nearest, railway point, cost Jt a sack and other foods in propor tion. , Todaj- in the same district there ure 65,000 aces under water supplied ly 350 miles of canals on which has been expended1 Jl, 000,000. On these lands the farmers are producing up to 200 bushels of potatoes to the acre, three tons of alfalfa- to the acre, 13 tons to the acre of sugar beets and nxheart carrots, 40 to SS bushels of ou.ts to tho acre, cabbage, sweet corn, asparagus, tu-nips, celery with two feet of crisp, white stalk, onions in enormous yields, cucumbers 17 inches long, pumpkins, squash, melons, rasp berries, blackberries and strawberries and are starting thrifty young or-cha-ds. The' towns that have sprung tip in the district arc now supplied with home-grown products at one fourth and less of what they cost but a few seasons ngo. This great plain slopes toward Crooked River from the Bouth and from the point of intake to the farthest point of distribution north the water drops T0 feet. The canals a-e unlike the sluggish streams in most irrigated districts, for in places the water Hows through the main ditches almost a torrent. The soft snow waters of the Deschutes aie delivered 40 miles away as o!ea- and pure as when taken di rectly from the river. On many farms the waters arc stored in reservol-s and 'the newer settlers come with their Vater wagons for domestic supply. As will be observed from the state ment that of the 215.000 acres segre gated under this project about 150.000 acres will be reclaimed, the land is not all tillable. In places the soil is shallow and in others the bedrock comes to the surface. The land is rolling and is dotted with juniper tress 10 to 20 feet tall and many as sym metrical as the most cherished and carefully trimmed ornaments on Port land lawns. Juniper Is the flreVood source for the district, some of the trees growing to the thickness of four feet at the butt of the trunk. Tiie juniper has no tap root and .ordinarily a team can pull over the stoutest of the trees when the clearing of the land is begun. For lands segregated under the Carey act In Orecon the settler pays nothing to the ctate. but he must pay for the water right. In the two of the three segregations that are now watered by the Deschutes Irrigation & Power Com pany the water right Is $414 an acre. The right to enter does not depend upon other land laws and one who has exhausted his homestead right may still acquire title to Carey act lands. The water right may be paid for In four yearly installments of one-fourth . each and deed may be acquired after the water rlg'at is paid for either after one has lived on the land 90 days and placed one-eighth of the irrigable acres in cultivation or has lived on the land SO days, placed three-quarters of the irritable land in cultivation and built substantial four-room house. The Reclaim 400,000 Acres and Many Other Projects Are in Prospect III; -VzT";..: - - - " -v.ivi --?v .-vA?! II lb v- - ' ' 1 1 ii i " I'" 1 - tT -T-7 water right cost is $2.50 for each acre of non-irrigable or pasture land. - When the tract was first opened for entry in 1904 the water lien was fixed by the state at $14.75 an acre. At that rate about 4 3,000 acres of the cream of the segregations was taken, princi pally by speculators. It was not until 1907 that the price of the water right was raised to $40 an acre. In addition to the holdings still offered by the com pany for entry, real estate men in the district have "re-sales" listed. These "re-sales" are entries made principally under the lower water rate and they sell from $23 to $75 an acre for unim proved land. 3lx to ten miles east of Redmond lies what is known as tho Powell Butte country, in which Is a total of about. 13, 000 acres segregated and watered by ,the Deschutes Irriga tion & Power Company. This. Is looked upon as the best of the irrigated dis trict. In this locality some re-sales are offered but the price runs usually to $75 an acre, although there are tracts that may be obtained, it is said for $50 an acre. The Powell Butte coun try gains its name from a high butte up the sloping sides of which stretch the broad acres of some of the best farms in Central Oregon farms that need no irrigation to produce abundant crops. Altitude on the butte seems to provide a conservation of moisture and it is the lower lands that are the irri gated tracts. There the soil is deep and fertile, and even on some of these, with an average yearly rainfall of from 12 to 14 inches, the -owners by practic ing dry farming methods are securing big crops anj it is said are depending on the irrigating ditches principally for water for domestic purposes. The three units in the Deschutes Irrigation & Power Company's project are the Powell Butte, Pilot Butte and Benham Falls segregations. In the -Benham Falls segregation are 68,000 acres not yet watered. The work on the Benham Falls ditch has been merely nominal. Two men have been employed for two years working along the ditch line for the purpose of holding the segregation. The water right on the Benham Falls lands will cost $60 an acre because of the high cost of canal construction, but it Is asserted that the fertility of the land will more than make up for the increase iny- cost over the water rights in the other two divisions. With tho completion of the Benham Falls project and the termination of all the work Incident to watering the other divisions and safeguarding the water supply by the building of what will be known as the North Canal, the sum expended for irrigation by the Deschutes Irriga tion & Power Company will be close to $6,000,000. In the Bend and Redmond district are stveral minor projects most of which are co-operative or private enterprises more or less limited to the holdings of the stockholders. On Squaw Creek, a tributary of the Deschutes flowing from the south and west. 15,000 acres-are now watered by irrigating ditches and tho estimate of acreage susceptible of irriga tion there is placed at 60.000. This is on the west side of the Deschutes. Six miles west of Bend, across the Des chutes River, is the Tumulo .district in which 2500 acres are watered from Tum ulo Creek. r In addition there is what known as the Arnold project now under construc tion and which will irrigate private hold . ings near Bend aggregating 6000 acres. The project calls for a short main fIumT with two laterals having 12 miles as the greatest length. The landowners arc paying their proportion 'of the cost at a rate of an acre and receiving stock in 'the project in return. A number of Bend business men are also interested in' the enterprise. Water will be urned on the lands next Spring. Northwest of Redmond "is a tract of land lying in the wedge formed by- the confluence of the Crooked and Deschutes Rivers, which Joseph G. Houston and other Portland men are planning, to re claim. The project calls for the estab lishing of a power plant at Odin Falls in the Deschutes, which will be used, among other things, for pumping water 110 feet out of the canyon from where it may be distributed on about 5000 acres of land. South of this tract Is another tract of "000 acres which will.be watered in ' the same general project and which will be known as the Orchard Cove tract. This tract should not be confused, how ever, with Cove Orchard, one of the fa mous garden and orchard spots in Cen tral Oregon and now wholly owned by William Boegli. - West of the Deschutes River are 27, 000 acres segregated under the provisions of the Carey act and known as the Co lumbia Southern project. This district Irrigation Work Planned Will Uie railroads via Lrfiidlaw, a settlement near the junction of the Tumulo ana IeschuteF Rivers, about half way be tween Bend and Redmond. The promot ers of the project are having litigation troubles but the Laidlaw country will one day tteoome one of the rich districts or Central Oregon. Farther north in the' MaJras country other irrigation enterprises are under consideration. To the west and north west of Madras lie what are known as tfee Agency Plains and Madras .Plains, con sisting of high, almost level table lands now devoted to grain and tockraising. Boise capitalists are proposing to water theso two tracts. The plan is to im pound the waters of Crescent Lake, which lies in the mountains US miles south of Madras. This lake is three and one-half miles wide, and about six Ions and a dam at reasonable cost wili further store the waters. From, Crescent Lake it is planned to carry the water by flumes tn the Xt?s'butes River, thereby increas ing the flow of the river during the irri gating period. The intake for the irrigat- CSV itch Is to be In the vicinity of CHno Falls and then by' canals about 30 miles long to the 'land. The tract to be con verted by this enterprise consists of about 70.000 acres of land, practically all if not all of which is made up of private hold ings." The pjomoters of thU enterprise are Roulen Rounds. George . B. Rogers. R. E. Rogers. IX O. Stevenson and othors. Th Government Reclamation Service has also shown some interest in Central Oregon irrigation. . Table work and topo- ' graphical surveys have been made of the Oehoco and Crooked River projects which provide for the impounding of the two streams and the irrigating of about 123. 000 acres, in the PrinevilK. Lamonta and Madras districts. Included in this project are 37.000 acres of land lying northward from. Prineville and on which dry farming experiments are now proving successful. Included there are also the Agency Plain and most of the- acreage it is proposed by the Boise capitalists to irrigate. These irrigation, projects are combined . iu a section of Central Oregon about 50 mils square in extent. In the lands covered by the Deschutes Irrigation & :'1 "i sr 4 f 4 -ssw "ScV -fcS"" Power Company the individual holdings average about 57 acres' each, and a thickly populated country is assured. The' altitude ranges from 2800 feet at Crooked." River to :-:00 feet at Bend. The Madras country is 2200 to 2400 feet in altitude. This altitude causes temperatures too low for the commercial growing of the more delicate fruits such are raised suc cessfully in the Yakima Valley, but the hardier varieties of apples. cherries, pears and berries do well. The country will . be essentially a dairying district.' Clover now grows in the roadways and alfalfa produces good - crops. Poultry thrives throughout Centra Oregon F. T. Redmond, for whom the town of Red mond was named, raised 100 out of 102 turkeys hatched on his place "this year. F- S. Jones, of Redmond, made as good a record with chickens, losing only two out of3?l hatched. Xo brooders were ' used in either instance- The residents tell or strawberries for six months in the year, and of enormous -root crops enormoui ' lS Mil I . ! ii m m C4AC4. STJZ4e &ZVZ both as to yield and size of the roots. The district and the irrigation enter prises have not been -without vicissitudes, the chief cause of which has been the lack of railroad transportation, for it is . 15 miles from Bend and 75 from Red mond to Shamko. me nearest railway station. "What is now produced is almost wholly for home consumption. The coun try, however, has demon.st.rated Its possi bilities, the railroads ai.e now under con struction and it has been proven that tho Deschutes, in respect to il l lgation alone, has been Well named. ' The Rive." of Gold." Walker Basin to Be Irrigated C aunln From lPMhTitm AVIII Water nllej ZZ MiIpm l.unif. X the southern end of the Deschutes alley is wlia t was known in the eariy aays as tne "VvaiKer Basin, which is to be irrigated under the Carey Act. This end of the valley is almost entirely enclosed by pine-clad moun tains, and contains an area of level country about 25 miles long and six miles wide, stretching" along the Des chutes River. This end of the valley is remarkable "for its entire freedom from stone, and the presence of water available for" domestic use at a depth of from 13 to 20 feet beneath the sur face. The State's segregation here con tains something over 28.000 acres of de composed volcanic ash soil with a uni form depth of from 10 to 12 feet. Tills segregation also differs from the rest of the Deschutes Valley in that it has no sage brush, juniper, or underbrush of any kind-but is covered with a scat tered growth of small black pine which the settlers there use for fuel r and fencing. "The Huntingdon wagon road, which extends through central Oregon into California, and which has served the settlers since the eariy days, passes through this segregation. Living in and around .this tract are perhaps 0 fami lies who settled there under the liome- stead laws long before the Idea of de veloping that part of the valley by irri gation was conceived. For the most part, the settlers are engaged in stock raising, although some of them have constructed private canals and are irri gating their own lands from the Des chutes River. "Where irrigation has been undertaken here it has produced remarkable results, in the growth of all kinds of garden produce, grasses and grains, and small fruits. The larger fruits have not yet been attempted. Onions do especially well. Alfalfa and clover also thrive and it is believed the "Walker Basin will develop into one of the state's finest dairying and stock growing sections. Among those most successful In the work of private irri gation in the district is Charles Graves, who has the pos toff ice at Crescent (Odell). near the head-gate site of the segregation. At t he general store of Bogue & Co., at Rosland. may be seen timothy in quant It 3' with a head nine inches long:, which is an example of what is produced on the Graves farm. The segregation is almost entirely surrounded by the National Forest Re serve (the Cascade Forest Reserve on the West and the Fremont Forest Re serve on the East), so that possibilities for securing homesteads on Government desert land in that end of the valley are few; Out it is anticipated that set tlers will soon be able to occupy lands under the Carey Act. The work of install. ng the irrigation system has been let to the .Deschutes Land Company, an Oregon corporation, y although composed largely of Minneap olis capital. The State has given this company a contract and lien of $36 an acre for doing the work. Xone of this segregation has been put under water as yet. but the'eumpanf has expended something over $60,000 to date in the prosecution of its work, and with the , installation of excavating machinery in the early Spring. IttlO, it is expected to have some 10. ooo acres-ready for water, by the end of the year. The engineers' plans for irrigating the segregation call for about 56 miles of main canal, atid about 7 0 miles of laterals. The com pa ny has its water' rights on the East Fork of the Deschutes River, whicli heads in Crescent Lake. The head gates and diversion dam for taking the water from this branch of the rl-er, will tie near the segregation and about 12 miles from the outlet at Crescent Lake. A dam will be placed at the outlet of Crescent Lake, which will nlake the lake available as a storage reservoir for both t his segregation and the Na tional Reclamation Service. The Klamath-Falls and Natron ex tension -of the Southern Pacific will pass between the head-gates and the outlet of Crescent Lake, and both the Hill and the Harriman surveys cross the segregation from north to south. The segrega lion is half in Crock and half in Klamath County. Under the provisions of The Carey act, a Portland company, known as the Portland Irrigating Company, pro poses to reclaim a large area in the Chew a u can Valley. The Ohewa ucan River has its source in the divide between Summer Lake and Goose Lake, in Southern Oregon, and flows northward and then turns south into a marsh covering: 12,5 JO acres which drains southward into Al bert Lake. The water rights on the river are now iij litigation. The ZX cattle ranch has secured title to the large mar.ti mentioned under the Federal drainage laws, and is now seeking to utilize the water from the river to irrigate the drained land. The ranch company and the irrigating company are now in the courts, contesting the water rights. There are about 75,000 acres in the segregation of very fertile lands. An extension to Lake View of the Oregon Trunk line would pass through or within easy distance of the reclaimed lands, and the town of Paisley would be the trading center.