Show I VAST STRIDES ARE I MADE IN PROJECT Work Is Being Rushed on Great Strawberry Valley Irrigation Irrigation gation Scheme IT WILL COST DRIVING TUNNEL AT RATE OF FEET FEE A MONTH Utah county count In which lies the beautiful Utah valle valley will receive a great Impetus In growth when the great Strawberry Ir Irrigation Irrigation project Is completed This work now being rushed under government su an supervision and paid for by government ap appropriation appropriation will he be the means of reclaim S 0 Ti I ing thousands of acres of practically bar barren barren ren land In Utah valle valley and making It as fertile and productive as any In the state Construction work on the project was begun by the government In the fall of 1906 During 1907 1007 Congress made no ap appropriation appropriation and work was stopped on the tunnel while preliminary surveys and other matters were attended to Taking as a basis the rate at which the work is isnow isnow now being rushed the great tunnel should be com completed In the fall of 1912 or the spring of 1913 It Is 15 estimated that 36 30 per percent percent cent ot of the work ha has been completed and the tunnel Is being driven at the rate of feet a month The total t expenditure on the project to date Is s about and the completed project will cost about or about 40 per acre of land to be reclaimed Under It Tribute to Engineers The completed project will be a lasting tribute to the ability of government en engineers engineers To secure the water for the Continued on Page Two VAST STRIDES ARE MADE IN PROJECT PROJECTS Continued from Page Pape One Onet t aile lands landa it was WAIl found nou t to bore through tho walla o of the tho mountain divide separating the tho drainage areas of the Green and Spanish Fork riv rivers rivers ers The source ot of water supply will be bethe bethe the Strawberry river and Its ts A mammoth reservoir with a capacity ot of acre feet teet will wUl be form formed d out ot of the portion or of the Strawberry valley It Is fe claimed that th the drainage area Is sufficient to flU the tho reservoir In two months At the present time the Strawberry val ley Is given over to the ranging of at cattle and sheep Its altitude Is too great to tomake tomake make Its naturally rich soil of value In Inthe Inthe the growIng or of crops Snow cornea comes earl earlIn early In the fall and remains late In the spring It Is s of at course figured that the loss or of a 11 portion of at the valley alley as II a range will be bemore bemore more than by the wonderful gain to the of at Utah county The Strawberry valley Is In Wasatch county while work on the tunnel through the mountain divide Is being rushed from the county side In perhaps no other project has the work or of nature been utilized to such an extent A large dam to Impound the waters of Strawberry river and a tunnel through the mountain are practically all that will wll have to be constructed by the government engineers When the of the tunnel Is opened In the fall of 1912 or the spring of at 1913 the Impounded water will rush Into Diamond creek creck a tributary of Spanish Fork FOlk river Flowing down this natural channel for over twenty miles It will empty into Spanish Fork river at a point about two miles mUes above the Castilla Springs resort and near the line ot of the Denver Rio Grande railroad where It turns up the right hand fork of the can canyon yon toward Thistle Junction On reach ing the mouth ot of Spanish Fork canyon canon the tho water will be diverted by means of main canals and laterals over the lands to be reclaimed In Utah valle valley Drill by Electricity FOllowing a plan Inaugurated by the government some time ago an electrical plant was erected to fur furnish nish motive power for the drilling or of the great tunnel through the moun tain divide ThIs plant was erected near the mouth of Spanish Fork can canon canyon yon on and since the water was turned III into to the power canal on December 13 1908 1108 the power plant has been shut down but four hours and that while the pole line a portion of which had been leen destro destroyed ed by fire was being re repaired repaired paired between the plant and the tun tunnel tunnel nel The government Is now pursuing the work with commendable dispatch Pre Precautions Precautions cautions have been taken to prevent the stopping or of the work by the tho Ina to get et provisions because or of the heavy fall of snow During the sum summer summer mer months when n the roads through the Diamond fork for It of Spanish Fork canyon n on were In rood condition pro provisions visions in large Quantities W were re hauled to the camp at the west portal of the tunnel so that there will be no need of shutting down because of a lack of food for the men At the present time In spite of the deep snow a large force of men Is at work on the tunnel With I heir electrically driven boring ma machines chines satisfactory progress Is being made In penetrating Into the depths of the mountain divide It Is estimated that about acres arres of land will be reclaimed by the project This Is considered a conservative conservative estimate There are those who maintain that nt at least more acres wm will be capable of reclamation Garden of Utah While there are other valleys In the state whose Inhabitants claim for them the title ot of Garden or of Utah the people of Utah valley are perhaps as much entitled to the appellation for that valley as are any of the others Situated on the shores of the largest bod body of fresh water In the state Utah lake the valle valley is certainly one or of orthe the most beautiful In the state At present the farmers of Utah valle valley are dependent on the waters or of Spanish Fork ForIt Provo river Cobble creek and other small streams for irrigation Irrigation tion During the summer months montha these streams tall fall In volume until there Is scarcely enough h water to save th the varied crops With the water from Strawberry valley however there should be enough for all tah valley Is excellently located for transportation purposes s Three railroad lines pierce the rich farming country countr the main line Une of the Denver Rio Grande Tintic branch of the Denver Rio Grande and the San Pedro Salt Lake Los Angeles route This assures the farmers of that vat val valley ley of entrance for their products Into tile the markets of Salt Lake Los An Angeles eles and Denver Denv r and Intermediate 1 Directly under the project there are over people while of course the population of the whole valley vaney will directly benefit from the work AU All AUthe the land to be reclaimed is patented and of private ownership The gov will complete the work and the farmers will w ill pay pay p pin fore for the project In yearly payments extending over ten years Adapted to Fruit Raising In addition to the raising or of wheat oats barley potatoes sugar beets alfalfa seed and all kinds of garden vegetables the land Is i admirably adapted that for r fruit the raising of o fruIt It It Is thought thought that fruit will in time become the principal product prod product of the valley valle Alread Provo and Ma Mapie pie piston ton benches have made d wonderful rec records orris In n the t growth s of fruit The fruit belt extends along the bench district from froma a point north of the mouth ot of Provo can canon canon on to the mouth of Spanish Fork can canion canyon yon ion Some of the finest orchards In the state are already to be found in this dis district district and n new orchards are being planted every year It seems that the bench soil Is particularly adapted for the raising at o f fruit and farmers have practically given rp p the idea of allowing such valuable land to bE planted Into alfalfa and grains As Asa a many of at the one time farmers In this valley alley have bave become horticulturIsts So prolific Is the yield of at fruit from some or of the land It is difficult to place lace II a valuation on It It If 20 per cent cen t profit per y year ar 1 11 considered good In Increase increase crease then some of the tho fruit orchards orchard s are worth about per acre During the past season William M Ro lance of o f Provo raised 1500 worth of apples from fro m one acre of orchard tract Fruit land i in mn n bearing is generally generall o to be worth from 1500 to per acre Taking the th lower fIgure as a basis of computation Mr Adr Roylance had bad a profit of per cent Land Has Doubled In Price Since the Strawberry project was wa s started land In Utah valley has ha s ss doubled In In addition to the th e acres contemplated In the tho rec by gravity Irrigation there ther e are projects now proposed by which an additional acres of g land on the shores of Utah lak lake may be reclaimed ay y pumping and draining I and 2006 2000 acres s at af high land reclaimed by pumping In more ways than one the Straw berry project VIiI wLl prove a blessing to people of Utah valley More electric power than Is required for the work at atthe atthe the tunnel Is generated by the plant at the mouth of Spanish Fork canyon and so arrangements have been made with the government by b the city ot of Spanish S Fork for electric power for lighting the city The pole line Is completed Into Spanish Fork and the city will be lighted as soon as the transformers are Installed Other titles cities are a re also applying for light and power from the government plant The work on the great project Is un under Uner der d er the direct charge of J G C Lytel known as engineer In charge Mr Air Ly Lytel tel has offices in Provo Pravo and associated II With him Is a capable corps of engin engineers I e ers t I F Fe Fa a e i 5 5 r 2 err atS is isa iss a s I Ix Iy x P PS y S k A A 4 y S ay f w A Down Spas sh Fork Canyon 1 n Q 0 f |