Salt Lake Tribune | 1904-07-13 | Page 10 | Reclaims Arid Land

RECLAIMS ARID LAND. Lafe Pance Tells of Work m Idaho and Oregon. "Within- two or three years, 1,200,000 acres of arable land will Ve added to the domain of Idaho and eastern Oregon Ore-gon by tho construction of dams and reservoirs!" Lafe Pence, former Congressman from Colorado, was the spenJccr. He was at tho Kcnyon yesterday en route from Denver to Idaho. "The Twin Falls enterprise,", he continued, con-tinued, "will reclaim 270,000 acres, tho Government reservoir at Minidoka 130-000, 130-000, the Payette-Boise Government works 500,000 acres, tho Owyhee Irrigation Irri-gation plant on Snake river 150,000 acres and numerous small enterprises 150,000 acres more. Tho reclamation of this territory will mean 15.000 farms and direct support for 75.000 people, while thousands more will be supported support-ed indirectly." Mr. Ponce, who hax retired from politics, pol-itics, is now devoting all his energies to the reclamation of land. For the past two years he has been making surveys in Idaho and eastern Oregon and he is now beginning work on two Irrigation plants, one at Lewlston, which Is to reclaim 20.000 acres and another an-other at Weiser, which is to water 15,-000 15,-000 acres;. Next year he will take a large canal from the Owyhee .river, which will throw 140,000 acres open to homeseekers. His plan is to accept land in payment for water rights, thus roaplng' the benefit ben-efit of tho increased valuation. A farmer farm-er owning a dry tract gives a certain proportion to Mr. Pence and associates ahd secures water, for his remaining acres. The land so acquired will be sold on easy terms ajid In small tracts. As a result of the various irrigation enterprises now under M-ay, Mr. Pence predicts" the expansion of the sugar beet industry, tho development of the j fruit business and a large canning industry. in-dustry. The last, ho points out, will make the producers almost independent of tho railway monopoly.