Show The Great Uintah Basin and Its Irrigable Government Lands A complete and authoritative review review review re re- view of the resources of Colorado Utah and New Mexico is set forth in the January number of the RailI Railroad Railroad Rail I road Red Book Dook the monthly publication publication pub pub- of or the passenger department department department depart depart- ment Denver Rio Grande railroad The agricultural live stock packing packing pack pack- ing mining manufacturing immigration immigration gration good roads and tourists interests in interests interests in- in of oC this territory are inter interestingly portrayed by persons well informed on these special subjects and every important community along Rio Grande Grando lines Jines is represented with tories stories written by br reliable citizens n the various sections A telegraph preface sent in b by I editors of principal west western rn daily papers is filled with optimism and predictions of continued prosperity for this portion of the United States I Nineteen hundred and sixteen was waa a n prosperous year for the Intermountain tain west very little of or which was waa due to the European war and with the signing of the new acre homestead law by bJ President Wilson indications are that this healthy business condition will continue war or no war In the publication are interesting articles on basin hasin The one reproduced below was prepared especially especially es es- for the Red Reel Book Dook by Albert H H. Kneale Indian Agent at Fort Duchesne R. R S. S Collett has an article which will be reproduced next week The Kneale article follows No other part of the United States presenting equal opportunities is so little known wn as is the Uintah basin lying in northeastern Utah and forming the two counties of Uintah and Duchesne This basin is miles long and 70 miles wide wid and is perfectly drained by bo th the Green river ri and its tributaries It contains a total of square miles or acres of which over oyer are tillable The annual run off of the streams of ill the Uintah basin totals totals' acre Allowing Allowing Al Al- lowing four feet acre of oC water to each acre of ot land this water would irrigate over acres acres double double the amount of water required for forthe the tillable soil of the basin The population of the basin totals about souls of which number 1150 are Indians two are Chinese one a negro and the balance white The extreme eastern part of ot th thus basin was settled up by hy whites some thirty five or OJ forty years ears ago The remaining portion of the basin comprised com com- the In Indian ian reservation and h has S r only recently been opened to white whit settlers Numerous towns have havo I sprung up In the eastern part is Vernal the county count seat of Uintah I county and the metropolis of the basin ba ba- basin sin a modern up-to-date up town with witha I ba-I a population of over 1200 souls Vernal is possibly thirty-five thirty years old The next largest town Is RooseVelt Roose Velt lying In the middle of the basin r with with a population of possibly SOO Roosevelt is about ten years old Duchesne the county seat of Duchesne Duchesne Duchesne Du Du- chesne county lies well in the western western west west- western ern part of ot asin and is the the- third largest town with Myton near ear er the center of the basin crowding J Jit I it very closely e each ch being about ten years old Altonah Neola and Lapoint point are other leading leadin towns Vernal Roosevelt and Duchesne each have bave a weekly newspaper and Myton Myton My ton has two There are two banks in Vernal one at Roosevelt Roose one at j Myton and one at Duchesne Many of f the towns of the true basin are provided provided pro- pro has vided with electric electrio lights The basin has a very efficient telephone service connected with the Bell Dell System has daily mail mall from from- the west and daily mail mall from the east Salt Lake City morning papers reach nearly all Important Im lm- points of the basin the same day on which the they are published Te Telegraph offices connected with the Western Vestern Union are located at Vernal Vernal Ver Yer- nal and Fort Duchesne Many peo peo- I j I pie confuse Duchesne with Fort Duchesne Fort Duchesne lies forty miles east and a little north of Diu Du chesne and about twenty five miles mile west and south of Vernal It Is not nor nota nora a town sim simply lr a government station with a government office for handling Indian business a railroad office maintained by the Uintah Railroad company a postoffice and number numer er of residences occupied by government together with the warehouses and stables Several religious organizations are operating In the basin the strong strongest est organization n being the L day Saints with the Episcopalians running running running run run- ning second The basin has a good school organ j which is well handled At Vern Vernal l is the Uintah Academy a Mormon institution with an enrollment enrollment enrollment enroll enroll- ment of oC pupils also the Wilcox Academy a Congregational Institution institution tion Uon with an enrollment of pu pu- pUs pils At Roosevelt is located the Duchesne count county count high school which has recently been erected at a cost of and which is under the management of oC an excellent corps of or teachers The high school has an enrollment of pupils At Myton l Is the My Myton ton Academy with an enrollment enrollment en of 35 District schools arc plentifully scattered throughout the thu entire entile basin I I I j I II All of the towns have good mi iiii element t houses large general nier mer chand chande e c stores good har hardware hardware- war stores good drug stores and a per pei person son bon can purchase articles usually carried car car- ried by such houses as reasonably as he lie can anywhere else in the state when consideration is had of the unusual unusual unusual un un- usual erand freight haul with which these people leople contend I Three creameries are operating In Inthe inthe I the basin one at Vernal Verna one at Duchesne Duchesne Duchesne Du Du- chesne and one at Leeton a few miles I southeast of Neola Th vast expanses of tillable non lands are occupied h by large herds of cattle and sheep heep and of recent years rears many of the people are acquiring t farming With days daj'S of sunshine ever evert year veir an abundance of water herds of dairy cattle I principally OAfS OATS IN ASHLEY VALLEY NEAR VERNAL i f r t I n t r lj E t j i j Ir g I i i i P L' L tk f I a I 1 t I l tl FEEDING ALFALFA HAY IN ASHLEY VALLEY c if r r it I y sit jt f kF I I u lr li t Id s sa a IN R S N 1 1 I i k r cl r a t tJ Holsteins Jerseys and Durhams The occupation followed by the large arge percentage of the population is istad md tad fertile lands and an average ch 3 ch summer of days clays itis it its itts ts is s natural that farming should be bedie behe he die leading occupation Practically Practical Practical- ly y every kind of oC crop grown In the temperate zone is grown in abundance abundance ance in the Uintah basin hasin The average average aver age yield of alfalfa is four tons to the acre and many of the fields that are cultivated with modern skill and anil science produce do double ble that amount The average yield of wheat Is about boul 30 bushels to the acre and It is very common to thresh twice that from well tilled fields Oats yield i ld as high as bushes to the acre and barley barley barley bar bar- ley nearly as much In some sections corn yields 75 bushels per acre Potatoes Potatoes Po Po- Po- Po and vegetables of all kinds yield ried well and of an excellent quality Positively the finest cantaloupes that the writer eye ever tasted were grown In ill WOOL IS NOW V PER POUN IN UINTAH BASIN l l t a w 14 t sf 1 i iy f sail J l l r 1 a n I s 6 t 4 t r t tc 1 c ue r r ci 1 J 1 il f 1 Y C r Gy L V a I 2 Z i. i I w E f L f V VF F rl k J Ys a iUt i sr lj x I I I t I the Uintah basin Sugar beets grow to perfection and with the coming ot of the railroad which cannot be de de- much longer sugar sug-ar lion will be he one of the leading in industries industries industries in- in of the entire country Ap Ap- Apples files ples peaches pears apricots prunes and grapes of excellent excellent quality are produced d as well as all of ot the small frn fruits its Improved farm lauds with water can cun be purchased at from 25 to ail an acre The commercial clubs clubB of ot Vernal Roosevelt Myton I ton or Duchesne Du Du- I chesne would be he pleased leased to furnish further information concerning this I class of land laud I There is abundant timber on on th the e I hills foot-hills fir spruce cedar and pine for all purposes and man many sawmills are in operation In fact tact 50 per cent I of Of all the timber of Utah lle lies within this basin Much of the ground is with coal and coal may be purchased at the mines at from to lo 3 3 a ton The are showing a great deal of activity and for the tho past twelve months there has not been a time that surveying outfits from one oneto oneto oneto to three or four have not been op op- op- op i crating crating- in the basin In all probability probability proba proba- active co construction will be I begun on some road during luring the season season sea sea- son of 1917 The coming of this road cannot be much longer delayed The tonnage is being produced and people are swarming in regardless of the fact that they must drive over land The railroad engineers assert that a a. line can n be brought into the basin on less than a 2 per cent grade With the coming of the railroad unusual opportunities now available in this basin will have ceased to exist Today the th opportunities presented presented presented pre pre- are probably greater than may maybe maybe maybe be found round in any other part of the United States or of the world for that matter The Federal government government government govern govern- ment is selling on time A 1 agricultural agricultural agricultural ag ag- ag- ag lands in a raw state with witha a primary water right and a a. carrying carrying carry Ct ing capacity in the government canals which are in place complete and paid laid for at 15 an acre Where else in the wide world can you purchases purchase lands that will produce as t ese lands will for anything like this figure And remember that at this price you OU buy bur the primary water right and the carrying capacity There is no bond no indebtedness These Indian Indian lands lands were ere ere the choice lands of the basin basin basin- lands that were selected for Indians Indiana before any homesteads were offered to the public The Federal government government government govern govern- ment is also offering on these raw lands a most unusual lease The terms of this lease are somewhat as follows The lease extends over O overa Oera a period of or five years and as soon as the lessee has prepared the ground ready for Cor seed and and has fenced it he heis heis heis is paid by bj th the Federal government at the rate of oC for every ery forty acres leased The material for the fence is furnished by the gove government free of cost to the lessee The lessee pays no rents the first year no rents the second year The third year year he pays pars 50 cents an acre the fourth year 1 an acre cre and the fifth year 1 an acre making a total on a forty acre tract of that the lessee pays into Uncle Samuels Samuel's h hands whereas he has had the use of the land and amI of the water for Cor five years ears and a cash payment of in addition making a difference in hi his favor or of on all every Cort forty acres After Arter January 1 I 1919 there will no longer be cheap lands lauds available a aon as ae on that date the lease proposition will be withdrawn and the price of the lands for sale will be raised raised raised- per cent regardless of whether or not a railroad comes in This leasing plan was adopted less legs than two years ago and anel during this period tens lens of thousands of acres have been reclaimed and made pro proS In addition to this about acres have been sold to white settlers Complete information concerning concerning con con- corning these Indian lands ma may be had on application to the Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commis Commis- of Indian Affairs Washington D. D C. C or to the Indian Agent Fort Duchesne Utah |