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Show II Uintah Indian Reservation J ' By Albert Bjornson, M. D. Two 3'cars ago an article appeared in tho New Year's edition of tho Salt J Lako Tribuno on tho Uintah Indian I; Reservation. It had then only recently been opened up to Bottlemont, bo but j very littlo could bo Baid definitely, con- i corning this great section, excopt por- haps that it presented some features which wero iavorablo and which prom- ised some day to bring it to tho front. ! Since then this part of northeastern ! Utah has attracted attention, which is I continually increasing, as daring this ! ti:no it has certainly demonstrated that it is worthy of oven far greater in-j in-j terost than has been accorded it in tho ' pact. Every now section, whether in 1 thisstato or clsowhero, whothor mineral 1 or agricultural, bo it over so rich and prepossessing must pass through nn experimental ex-perimental stago before it can. spring into permanent prominonco, and it is remarkable that in spito of tho many prrnrmnns find malicious ronorts. which I during its early settlement wero circulated cir-culated by would-bo Bottlers, that it continues to grow in favor with tho homeseelccrs". "Good only for Indians and coyotes a desolato wilderness," "Nothing can grow thero but sago brush," these and similar remarlta woro .hoard on all sides during its early settlement. set-tlement. There wero some, howovcr, who had longer heads and who decided to remain thoro and bo convinced, and ( these uro tho doubting Thomases that now form tho backbone and tho sinew of tho Reservation, and somo day will go down in history as tho pioneers and tho builders of ttiis new empire. This story will necessarily to somo extent nt least, be a repetition of soma of tho features which characterized tho information infor-mation given to tho public two years ago, but will contain in addition tho moro recent developments and advancements advance-ments of this region. As to Climate. Tho remark is frequently hoard, "Tho JRcsorvation is a cold country, what about it?" As can bo seen on any good map tho Reservation is located in northeastern Utah and forms principally principal-ly the basin, which is bounded by tho two great mountain chains, the Wasatch on the northwest and the Uintahs on tho northeast. This basin gradually slopes from west to southeast. That part of it which is tillable and which constitutes fully 350,000 ncrcs has an elevation ranging from 4200 to 6200 feet abovo the sea level. Being thus well sheltered from tho northwost and northeast, and possessing only a moderate moder-ate elevation, and a gradual slope to tho Eouth, it would appear reasonable that it would compare favorable with climates of the same altitudo elsewhere in Utah, Idaho or Colorado. Tho fact of the matter is that its climate cannot can-not bo excelled. This is" the unanimous assertion of tho settlors who have located lo-cated thero from tho different sections of the United States, boh north and south. Short winters, earlv springs and lato falls are somo of tho climatic attractions at-tractions of this entiro section. Irrigation on the Reservo. In the early settlement of the reservation, reser-vation, when the settlers wore comfortably com-fortably located on their claims on or near tho river banks, there was many an anious look in tho early 6pring toward to-ward tho snow-capped mountains to tho north lest tho rush of the roaring rivers would bo so great as to threaten tho safety of their homes. This danger has nowbecn entirely eliminated and will continue to grow loss in proportion as the many irrigation projects, now under wa3' become moro numerous. No section sec-tion of Utah is receiving greater attention at-tention at present than tho Uintah basin from the standpoint of irrigation. Many of these irrigation nroiects now H under way and in contemplation are HI 'bold and costly, and are an evidenco of the great confidence of the settlers in l the glimmering future of tho reserva- H tion. The actual help which has been B extended to the settlers by tho govern- ment has so far been inconsiderable, B -while the granting of the privilege of using tho Indian canals and ditches nl-ready nl-ready constructed has been valuable to only a portion of tho settlers, while tho j problem of irrigating tho larger ir- H rigablo areas remains still partb' un- solved. The Blue Bench and "West KH Bench and other bench lands, which PH contain far tho greatest areas of tillable land on tho reservation, havo each re-ceived re-ceived their share of attention at tho Lands of the settlors through co-opcra- A project is on, tho wav to irrigate fAM G0.000 acres on tho West Bench, which PH adjoins tho town of Theodore on the P H north. Tho water is to bo taken out flM fifteen miles abovo this town from tlio flM Duchesne river and will cost $30,000 when completed. There will bo a tun-axel tun-axel cut 1S00 feet long through a solid MH rock. Work has already boon begun V on this project and when completed bv BH tho settlers a distanco of two miles will MM be eventually financed and completed "by m an eastern company. Recently a petition has been sent to congress H . through Senator Smoot to havo the ro- clamation bureau take up the question of irrigating the Blue Bench, which is MM far tho greatest and most difficult un- dcrtaking of any of the many irriga- lion projects now under consideration, and it is to be hoped that this benuti- ful and fertile section of tho roserva- MH tion will eventually bo reclaimed. Tho settlers havo so far been unwilling to a"cept any of tho many propositions MM -which havo bcon offered by capitalists MM to liuanco this gTcat undertaking; at H the samo time tho task seems to be. stupendous financial', etc., as to make MHI it questionable whether an undertak ers ing of this land, which would require tho great sum of not loss than $200,000, Ml could over bo accomplished through tho co-operativo efforts of tho settlers them-J them-J selves. Eventually, however, this gTcat J area of 75,000 acres will bo redeemed. Government Irrigation System. The irrigation problem is much nearer Mpfl solution in tho eastern end of tho rcscr- vation than in tho western, duo to tho MpJI fact that tho United States govern- nicut, through th'o Indian bureau, has MH boen fit to comnlcto tho system of ir- rigation of Inaian lands throughout 1 this portion of tho basin, and, as said before, has thus nearly solved tho prob-H prob-H lorn of irrigation in this part by giving the white settler the privilogo of a por- t manont right to tho use of tho system. Tho appropriation for govorninent ditch N work during last summer reached tho H magnificent sum of $200,000. which in- eludes tho fiscal year ending Juno 80, 1 3009. Thrcc-fourtha of this sum is ex- H ponded and paid in labor and team work, at tho rate of $20,000 per month, j n God-send to the settlers who took nd- vantago of the opportunity of steady employment. Through the wise man- agemont of Superintendent H. C. Means, employment on tho government canals j was as far as possiblo confined to actual 1 homesteaders and to Indians located in the vicinitj-. Tho Myton bench irrigation project promises an etitly completion, through tho active management of tho Myton Irrigation association located at Myton, My-ton, v.'ith a capital stock of $50,000. The length of tho ditch, when fully completca, will be thirty miles, and will irrigato 45,000 acros. The canal will bo completed during 1909. Thero nro four other ditches nearly completed, covering land immediately tributary to Myton. Somo of these aro government projects and cover upwards of 12,000 acros. The Independence canal is under construction con-struction by tho government. It heads six miles west of Myton and onds at Randlett, covering 20,000 acres of 03 fine bouch land as can bo found on tho reservation, which, however, is ontirely appropriated to tho.governinent pet, tho Indian. Red Cap canal is under construction bv tho government, and is to cover 12,-OOO 12,-OOO acres botwoen Lako Fork and the Duchesno river. Tho Colorado Park Irrigation Canal comnanv. with hcadauarters at Rande- lette. is now constructing a canal which is to cover 5756 acres of land in Colorado park, a stretch of country south of Randlott on tho Green river. Tho park, which is located on tho old Uncompaghro reservation, promises in the near future to tako its placo as the best peach section in the state, and will bo adapted to tho cultivation of tho moro tender products. Its attitudo is lower than any section of Uta.h and is so well sheltered that the climate is nearly tropical. The company has expended ex-pended $10,000 on this canal and expects ex-pects to have water on all this land this coming summer. Tho capital stock is $28,780 and is very much in demand. Tho Moffat railroad will go through the heart of this interesting section. Thero nro many other smaller irrigation irriga-tion projects under contraction too Humorous to mention. Suffice it to say that on the whole there is an intense activity in this direction, which would indicate the general confidence in the productiveness of this section as a whole. Productiveness of Reserve. Tho productiveness of tho reservation cannot now bo disputed. It has successfully success-fully passed tho experimental stage, and the pessimistio views, which even yet aro heard, aro no longer believed: "Too much alkali nothing can possibly thrive;" "eventually it will become a vast alkalio bed." These and other remarks arc even now frequently heard. Tho fact of tho matter is, however that thero is absolute' nothing to indicate this. Like all agricultural sections, in process of being irrigated, alkali spots may appear, but so far thero are no indications in-dications that it will increaso or become be-come permanent. On the contray, tho brisk slope of tho Uintah basin to the south is sufficient to insure a comparative compara-tive freedom from alkalio deposits or infiltrations, which the many swift rivers and streams will not allow to accumulate ac-cumulate and become permanent. In the estimation of those who have made a study of the country, this drawback is imaginery During tho last season tho potato crop was so prolific that it has dawned on tho minds of the settlers that even the Greelev section, 60 famous for its potato yield, can be duplicated here, if not excelled. Three potatoes on exhibition ex-hibition at Theodore weighod nino and one-half pounds. Tho sandy loam soil, so universally found on the benches and tho bottoms, would favor the assertion that somo day tho reservation will be famous as a potato country. A bunch of oats was exhibited, a now brand, called the Swedish selected, the head of which measured thirty-six inches. While this ordinarily would appear an exaggeration, it was printed in several newspapers, so it must bo true, and besides seen by scores of people. This bunch was raised on a threeacre tract on the blue bench, and averaged 102 bushels to the acre, weigh-5tit weigh-5tit f5?tv-frmr nonnds to the bushel. Raising of Fruit. It is too earlj to prophesy definitely whether the reservation will prove a good fruit section. Tho soil is, how-evor, how-evor, specially adapted to fruit culture, cul-ture, which, together with tho purity of tho water, would render i plausible that apart from the climatic conditions necessary to fruit production it woultl bo a success, llowovcr, tho experiments experi-ments which have been made in this direction aro so i'ow, and .) young, that an oxact prognosis could, rot bo Tendered' just yot. It seems, however, to bo a logical conclusion that inasmuch inas-much as the Ashley vailc-, to iho oast, which has a higher elevation, pioduccs apples and pears in abundance each fear, almost without failuio of crops, ho Uintah basin to tho west, with its lowed altitudo and longer iismmor season, will become cqualb' as Mire a producer. Timo will teli. Frui; growers grow-ers from Grand v alloy and other fruitgrowing fruit-growing sections, who have located in this region, boldly assert that there can bo no question of tho adaptability of tho soil and the e.limato to u successful success-ful fruit culturo, including peachos, especially es-pecially at tho mouth of tho canyons, whero a breezo keeps early fro3ls away. Bread Basket of Stato. i The raising of grain is still in its infancy. WThcn tho enormous body of 800,006 acros shall nave been mudo subject sub-ject to irrigation, other sections of Utah will pale into insignificance in comparison, and Sanpcto valley, once tho great bread basket of Utah, will havo to tako a back seat. In lss than five years, 2,000,000 bushels of grain will bo produced in tho Uintah basin. As a grazing section tho upper portion por-tion of the reservation, west and north, has become famous. As a summer ranch for cattle tho great Strawborr7 valley and the inoro clovatod plateaus ot Lake Pork can not bo equaled. Businosa Center Reserve. Tho United States government set apart threo sections, which wero platted, and placed tho samo on the market for sale at its Land oflico at Vernal two years ago. These threo sites wero wisely selected at an equal diB tance from east to west. The most western business ccuter is Duchesne City, commonly called Theodore, which is located on a grasfsy plat and partly laid out on th'o South Blue Bench, near tho confluence of tho Strawberry and tho Duchosne rivers. While its growth ha3 not been phenomenal, it continues to grow, and with the advent of tho Moffat railroad, promises" to get an impulse oqual, if not superior to any of the towns on the reservation. Located at the foot of both the Blue Bench and the West Bench, with a combined acreage of 100,000 acres, which are immediately im-mediately tributary to it, it promises in the near futuro to grow into a city of no mean commercial importance. Probably no town .is more certain of tho railroad, which must chooso its route to Salt Lako City either up the Strawberry or elso up tho Duchcsno river, both of these routes being feasible us to grade. Theodore boasts of two general morchandiso stores, a drug store, two saloons, two blacksmith shops, two hotels, ono restaurant, a meat markot and a bakery, a livery stable and an opera-houso which would be a credit to a much larger town. It has a telephone connection with Price and Vernal via M3'ton, with the probability proba-bility of nn early extension through tho Indian .canyon to tho main line at Colton. Its elevation is 5-1S0 foot. It has many substantial residences, and its citizens arc wido awake ,and energetic. ener-getic. A Boosters club has been in existence for a year or moro, an organization which to somo extent would correspond to a commercial club clsewhoro. Its avowed object is to direct the attention of the public to this hustling burg by distributing litcraturo on its advantages. "To tho front or bust" is its slogan. It is this spirit of vim and energy which frequently in tho post has been tho moans of creating an impetus toward tho building of great cities, and wiry not boost for Theodore, then? It may also bo mentioned that a Btcel bridge is oon to span tho Duchosno river on the Theodore townsito, whilo tho Strawberry rivor is spanned by a bridgo built last summer, which leads to a well-traveled road through tho Indian In-dian canyon to Colton. Myton Bustling Place. Myton is located twenty-two and n half miles east of Theodore on tho banks of the graceful Duchesne. It is a hustling little city. Tributary to it on the west, is tho Myton bench, a largo tract of land which promises somo day to excel as a fruit growing section. Its citizens arc wideawake and experienced ex-perienced business men. It is hero that the reservation paper, tho Uintah Chieftain, Chief-tain, is published, a semi-weekly, second to none in neatness of form and typo and excellency of st3ie. Its ablo editor early conceived tho idea of uniting unit-ing tho reservation peoplo in their efforts to secure such advantages, politically politi-cally and otherwise, as ma' best servo the people of the basin as a whole, with tho ultimate object in view to create a new country from tho heart of the reservation. That this movo is not far distant was evidenced by the unity of tho reservation vote during tho last election, which w'ent solid for the men most interested in tho reservation and its futuro welfare, independent of partisanship. par-tisanship. Myton has fivo general merchandise storps, two meat markets, two lumber dealers, two hotels, ono drug store, two blacksmith shops and one newspaper, ono livery and feed stable, one physician and a dance hall. Its population is 300. It has a telephone tele-phone connection with Price and Vernal and Theodore. Randlett Third Townsito. Randlett or Lcland is tho third government gov-ernment townsite. It is beautifully located lo-cated near tho banks of tho Uintah river. The Leland bench is tributary to it. A well irrigated bench land, principally prin-cipally appropriated by the government to fho Indians, many of whom havo proven themselves to bo self-supporting and industrious. Hero an Episcopal mission church is located and an industrial in-dustrial school for tho Indians, which was lately moved to White Rocks, the main Indian ngcncj' of this section. Roosevelt is located in tho Dry gulch country, in tho northwestern portion of tho Reservation. It is surrounded by as fino agricultural land as can be found. This district had the earl' advantages ad-vantages of tho excellent system of irrigation, which the government-had constructed for tho Indians. Tho town was laid out and platted by a private corporation. Tho town is steadily growing. grow-ing. It has a population of 300. Independence townsito lies oast of Myton, in tho Dry gulch section. It is moro than likely that tho Moffat railroad rail-road will cross near it, thus stimulating its growth. Timber in Plenty. Tho Reservation is well supplied with good timber. Three saw mills aro kept busy continually, tho early scarcity of building matorial having given way to a plentiful supply, at tho modcrato figure fig-ure of $25.00 a thousand foot. Mining of Hydro Carbons. Tho mining of the hyro-carbons is continually increasing. Cotto. gilsonilo and elatcrito. Several companies aro now in tho field and all of them eagerly absorbing privato filings. This mineral is invariably found in comparatively narrow seams, which frequently oxtond for miles, with occasional outcroppings horo and thoro. It being thuB widoly distributed and raroly if over appoar-injr appoar-injr in largo bulk or deposit, it is necos-earily necos-earily slow mining. Howovor, so very important has this matorial bocomo in tho markotB of tho world, and so many havo been tho uses to which it is applied industrially, that it is eagerly sought. Thus an industry has boon created, which promises in tho near futuro to beconio a gTcat revenue to tho Reservation. Reserva-tion. Tho Raven Mining company, probably tho most active in this field, will ovent-ually ovent-ually build its refinery at Theodoro or in tho immediato neighborhood of its mines, which will givo omploymont to a number of peoplo and othorwiso enrich en-rich this section. Its superintendent with his headquarters at Theodore is still confident that tho company intends to erect its refinery just as soon as tho Moffat railroad gets in, and that in tho tho event of a prompt and quick transportation trans-portation by rail, in place of tho tedious and slow transportation by team, tho mining of gilsonito and olaterilo will be stimulated manifold. Very littlo prospocting has been dono in this section for other minerals, and whilo tho precious metals havc been found to exist in small quantities, it has not yet justified any extensive do-voloptnent do-voloptnent work. Tho mining excitement excite-ment two years ngo in tho Stockmoro region, tho supposed extension of tho Park City mineral belt, has not been revived since the early settlement of the reservation. Tho coming of tho Moffat railroad is anxiously looked for bT tho reservation reserva-tion home seekers, and nothing but a gradual development can bo expected until then. It is now dcfinitolj' stated on reliable authority that means arc at hand to push the road on to Salt Lnko City in the near futuro. Its completion is confidcntally expected in tho fall of 1910. When onco across tho Utah lino it will begin to stimulato tho growth of this region, and bj' tho time its construction con-struction extends into tho reservation it .rill create an electric wavo of prosperity pros-perity which will bo felt from one end of the reservation to the other and to the surrounding country, both east and west, and thus tho land of co3'otcs, Indians In-dians and sagebrush will begin to bloom as the rose. God speed tho day when the intrepid pioneers, plucky enough to Eenctrate tho wilderness and plant their omes there, shall begin to reap tho fruits of their labors and hardships incidental in-cidental to pioneer lifo. The reservation peoplo as a whole salute tho Salt Lako Tribune, which from year to 3-ear has taken sufficient interest in this section to havo it published pub-lished in its great Now Year's edition, which finds its way into thousands of homes throughout this and other states, and thus assists in directing the attention atten-tion of tho American public to this 3roung Eldorado. |