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Show Great Agricultural Empire Fast Developing in Pahvant Valley Water and Transportation Resources Being Advanced Rapidly A GARDEN spot in the Pahvant valley, where flowing wells and irrigation systems are fast reclaiming the desert. The Pahvant valley represents practically the total area of Millard county, which county is 100 miles long, east I and west, and sixty miles wide, north and south. count of splendid summer ranges -that are afforded by the near-by mountains and hills. The East side has been without transDortatlon. The West side is represented repre-sented by the wide and fertile tracts of valley land that are particularly adapted to alfalfa, sugar beets, pasture lands and d i v ersi f i ed farm i rig. Chief in importance among the towns which occupy the West side is the town of Delta, surrounded by 60,000 acres of highly cultivated farms.' for which It has been predicted that it is destined to be j the largest town on the Salt Lake Route, between Salt Lake and Los ' Angeles. Here is located the sugar beet factory of the Delta Sugar Beet corporation. This factory, constructed at a cost of $1,&00.-000. $1,&00.-000. is probably one of the largest and most up-to-date plants in the United States. It is reported thiirE farmers, in this vicinity will prodnc tw. year about 100,000 tons of sugar beT from which will be manufactured att2 modern plant practically one-tenth of ifl the sugar raised in the State of Utah. Farms Springing Up. The tracts of land owned and pnmatf by the Melville Irrigation company m Deseret Irrigation company, the b2 Land & Water company, the Abraham? ri?ation company, have practically j passed from company possession into & vate ownership. Farms here are rorET ing up as if by magic and the exuairf (Continued on Following Page.) Climate and Fertile Soil Are Attracting Hordes of Settlers. 2 m LON"G the western slope and at the base of the Wasatch range of LjL mountains, which represents the X , backbone of the state of Utah, there lies a series of sagebrusfl Benches and mountain valleys which." for rtility and climate, are not excelled by Skiy lands in the Great basin. The very Sch and highly cultivated valley of Cache Ues at the northern extremity of this zone, in which are included the splendid orchard tracts of Boxelder county, tne j fertile lands adjacent to and surrounding the city of Ogden. the gardens of Davis county, the highly developed farms of Salt Lake county, the lands of Utah county, which cover the famous Provo bench; the now famous dry farm tracts ot" Juab county, the broad expansu of bench and valley lands in Millard county, the lertile valleys of Iron and Beaver counties and the semitropical farms in Utah's Dixieland. This stretch -of land varies in width from a narrow belt a few miles wide to a total width, in one place 1 at least, of fifty miles. This last-named point is where this zone of fertile wealtrt spreads itself out in the great Pahvant valley of. Millard county. This valley is largely covered by and represents practically the total area of , Millard countv. the county being 100 miles long east and west, and sixty miles wide, north arid south. It occupies a central location lo-cation in the state of Utah north and south, and extends from the summit of the "Wasatch mountains to the Nevada state line. It contains a total area of 3, $40,000 acres, an enormous percentage of which is tillable land. This vast. acreage, acre-age, until recent years, has been unreclaimed, unre-claimed, except for a few small settle-menu settle-menu that have hugged the few streams from the adjacent mountains. Sc'-pio, with a population of S00; Holderr, with a population popula-tion of 600; Fillmore, with lt00; Meadow, 400: t Kanosh, S00; Leamington. 400, and Oak CHy. 400, or a total population of 50-00. with their small means and facilities, facili-ties, have represented the total capita.) and human element available for the development de-velopment of eastern Millard county. The towns on what Is known asv'the West Side, which have developed along the banks of the Sevier river: Delta, Deseret. Oasis, Abraham and Hinckley, had. until recent years, an approximate population of 3000. Water Supply Plentiful. The Sevier river, 475 miles in length, with one of the largest drainage areas of any stream in the Great basin, with its source in southern counties, and which finds its way down and through the narrow nar-row valleys of Sevier and Sanpete counties coun-ties and forming a horseshoe, breaks into this great Pahvant valley at a point near the town of Leamington; is destined to perform a miraculous part in the development develop-ment of this agricultural empire. This river, according Lo government guagmg. has, during the last ten years, discharged (nto this great valley an annual average flow of upwards of 300.000 acre feet of water. Prior to the reservoir building era. which was inaugurated about the year 1894. the great percentage of these waters which came down as flood waters each spring rushed on down through these valleys out in the Pahvant valley and to he Sevier lake, there to be lost forever by evaporation and seepage. Some idea of the extent of this water -supply may be gained from a consideration of the fact that this waste water maintained this lake, which is thirty miles long by j fifteen miles wide, or a square area of 28S.000 acres. Until recently the people of the bench ! towns referred to have lived in isolated contentment on a few mountain streams, which irrigate perhaps a total area of 12,000 acres. In the early days the people in the old town of Deseret, located on the west side, attempted In the face of great adversity, with the odds against them, to check the flood waters o:' the Sevier river by build-inc build-inc such dams as their meacer means I woudl afford. It Id needless to say that it became an Impossibility for these poor farmers to check the angry waters of this stream so as to divert them on to their new lands. These people, while surrounded sur-rounded by a wilderness of land and oceans of water, suffered untold hardships hard-ships because of lack of capital and their Inability to construct such diverting works as would hold back and withstand the pressure of these mighty waters. They were either drowned out In the early spring or dried up in the months of July ar.d August. ai:er practically all the waters of the river had run to waste into the Sevier lake. With tat building of reservoirs up the river in the Sevier valley ceme the beginning be-ginning of a new era, Tbese flood waters that had created such damage began to be checked an1 held back and diverted on to the upper lands. Before long it was apparent that the waters that were thus retained in the first reservoir and applied to the farms were, through seepage seep-age ani return tlow, finding their way back Jnto the old river trough the river channel proper. Other reservoirs were constructed, which only tended temporarily tempo-rarily to check these waters, which In turn found their way back Into the river channel below. Reservoir Site Found. At a point near the mouth of the canyon can-yon w-here the Sevier river cuts Its channel chan-nel through from Juab Into Millard county, coun-ty, there was located a natural reservoir site. Men who were considered dreamers, dream-ers, had predicted that some day a dam would bo thrown across this canspn at Its narrowest Point and all these vast floods of water finally be held back BO th:u hundreds of thousands of acres of tht great vaUey could be intelligently Irrigated Ir-rigated by the application of water at Just such times and seasons s.s crops and conditions would require it. Without knowledge or assurance as to where enormous sums of money could be reaJQtod, necessary to the construction of this great dam. a few of the intrepid farmers of the old Peseret country laid the foundation for this great enterprise. As soon as It became apparent that the plan was feasible, and very much to the surprise of the resident and struggling farmers, capital became Interested and Offered them Its assistance. One company com-pany after another added Its contribution, contribu-tion, until f Innlly there has been completed com-pleted by the most substantial construction, construc-tion, approved and passed upon by the beat engineers in the country, a dam through which was created a reservoir with a capacity of nearly 300.000 acre feet "f water This project is known as the Consolidated Sevier prMgo reservoir, is owned by th Deseret Irrigation company, com-pany, the Melville Irrigation company, the DeJtA I .and ,v. Water com puny and the Sevier River Land & Water company. com-pany. Some of the early prophets had predicted pre-dicted thntiome day. when these waters wa-ters were wuilly checked and held for Intelligent distribution, a hlch-llne canal would be built out upon the rich snge-bruMi snge-bruMi bench lands of the eastern part of the valley. That prophecy has come true. The Sevier RlVer Land & Water company, com-pany, nt a cost of approximately $i.soo.-000. $i.soo.-000. has contributed its part to the construction con-struction of this great reservoir and hewed throutrh the Bolld rock of Uam-Ington Uam-Ington canyon nn ample and splendid canal that will carry v atei during Die IrrUratlou eaaofl ol IW0 to a point Ion mediately west from the town of Kill-morn. Kill-morn. It would now seem tha t at last, after long years of wait lug, these vast thlrety acres are to be bathed in what eemi to be unlimited quantities of water that In years gone by has been as tueleai and profitless as the land itsulf. Supply Is Ample. That this water supply la ample and that the reservoirs In other counties up the river only tend to check and store these wetter for this great Pahvant vat-ley, vat-ley, eftt proven In the experience of the recent drouth of the last Irrigation sea Hon. Perhaps no section of the country in 'be wtsirrn United State was so well irrigated as the lands that were served by the waters Of the Sevier river. After til the waters were vised that could be used, thousands of acre feet of water, throned the broceea of return flow, came back into the river ami actually run to waste. The iunnlson Bend leHcivoIr, located lo-cated neat nv lo" " of Delta, was praa tiouiiy full vri bte m the eeaapn. CnoUffh water had flowed down the river to a point twelve ml led well of l leacret to fill and overflow the reeervorf belonging be-longing to the Blue, Lake Land A Water company, and even from this project water wa-ter i were iuted dowhMhe old eh.intiel. As has already pfteiL referred to there Hoami to huvs beenotiargely through nnt inni ami physical sag, egatlon, a dl vldlng lln- between what Is known as the (Sail and Weal hide of Wtllard eounty The Mast side oonalata f the landl ad-la ad-la cent t t he mountains and Is repre Rented lergtly by wide and lertile aagf brush benches. These lands are adapted to dry farming; frulti alfalfa, etfalta lead, ugar beeti, grain and other diveratfled farming, stock ralsina is neceitaartly an important faotof in this aaoUoaj on no- BT AGRICULTURAL EMPIRE DEVELOPING kgoBto frm ITaowiiu. r.i.) TLmsal ht '"' ' t: 11 stiNuarJ .. tvvo f.i n ! mm-'"11 mm-'"11 a it kHa atv '" '"vf.is ivr th .- ' ' Esjitns out. how . :-. in t ivll. Jllstti factors that will .vnrvt''ut.' ' "... , J fT.s.. feet i!t t! I u'CSt M. t0-i ELito I aartlvulai . ... -t t. Hi. . . - 1 t '-Fv '-Fv .Ut M r.f.i.' I' " 1 "''M lR.."w. n( of all tha .vuim.m I'.irin ' ,Z th it n 1 ' - Km mn all part WhllS fll' II, . ; ; , ,.. .... Is mosi iBCL. thero arc Mit to t IK. a... hair U raWl b i EtrtilVv so t-.it this v.t':..- h.is I 2w twlmtton n . i . - alfalfa so.! prvilu.vt In j s ili'S. The o Cl lit I'lll- Sfe sit ther must ho an alnu'st p -i -Cfeirolaatlon of condition Tli s.. JJJiltUws mlllhl l-o Htvt.y ilimrai :,' sssWS , (Th( pi v IJj type. Xiicc niuit ho Siu of I'liltwl States, are ontlrelv i T ELjfr-' T!M Srtixt nM oarly frosts In :)-. ;., I ro import . Otttude I is liv - In Ihto factor r ore must r of wind i aj, pJ!Tttation. Areas of hot winds are fc-..'."' : ACll 1 ' '' - "x ' KO.ld st bo a certain amount . .i . v wdltl Kfenes mas he near Kce sv 11' r '.'s oi . K - fi, ea t - C ?rat fritty ras. ? per cont Interest Kq 52tl0 $::ov per i.r- s felrtv :r.'c are idah'ed to the oroiiuctlon of ttars.' others " rrsjtiula and others fruit, a.' - mmt lUaaiil from I'.i i per acre-. h$t Side Developing. Vte eaiirrt p.-t of t. Bl bench la:' is. h-'reto' i".: '. Sim ' . a k r. t i . i- ; r i. (.,- ks- n Ifce nnffl taese mfl; -ith pi s . tr:j rjrr aijTvrs-- n. noir seems 'aU in diss . s. t Wj f ' '.- jn -'':.' i" UrcetT covered hy a lu of netanh. it la her ' ftLI.tds ef srr : - . r-'-spond reader read-er a tile ;reteete i froa f It - ' srtkM and flow- M a-' t - thlaCT that bwomj aucri ini,ortant fnctors In hoautlfyltiK the hotin. fhnirish In profiiaion. In clRaalfjIiiK ,hc total nron of these nenchoa, it u MtlmMtd that iSo.oihi crea, or that portion of the land above the hUh-line canal of the Savtar River l-iml Water comlanv, 14 parllcnlarlv adapted to dry fanhW. A cortnm p.r-ntajre p.r-ntajre of these lands are now under eumvatlOQ through Irrigation from moun-tMn moun-tMn streams and now hrtns ujion the market from $150 to J200 per acre. There are altAU.i ft.-: Is In these old fields that have era producing hay without replant-tn replant-tn for over haif century. These lands under the new hlith-llne canal and which will ultimately I... lirl-Kate.1 lirl-Kate.1 thn.Ui; i tills svstettl ii dnuht represent rep-resent a total acreage iff 60,000 acres. Another (A.W0 acres may lm IrrlKdtvd tlvni art. slmi w, lis. Years aso. khan Oria-lmm Young. In the early town of Killmoro, prophcslisl thir. soma day all iho vast acres would be navlnjt fields of praln and other crops and that eiirlna of water wo'iid gush forth from the .arth. Ma followers at that time lltti realised In lust what way this almost ridiculous i fsllctlnu would He made to come true. Dry farming has con-trltute.! con-trltute.! larsely to the fulfillment of this prophecy, and when almut four years ago Rrlghara . Thompklnson of " Fillmore htMUKht In the first artesian well m ihc valley and which spooled a stream of ensraj water which, when measured, showed that It wiw flowing two cubic feet of water par sood, thera began the fulfillment ful-fillment of the prophecy farilin sprtnKs of water." Sine the I Tinging In of this first well, more than 100 wells have been dug which are perhaps pro-dnctax pro-dnctax ljo second f. et of water or fifteen times as much na the Volume whk'h flows down Ohalk creek In low water time, and upon which stream the lnhahltants of the town of Fillmore have lived for half a century. Future Da Assured. The total porut-Hlon of eastern Millard county today la COCO people. The total irrigated ir-rigated area upon which these people ure ilvlug is i:.0O acres. It Is apparent that with the irrigation of 50.000 acres of land ur.der tha project of the Sevier lllver land A Water company and another 60,-000 60,-000 acres of land through the development of wa:cr irons suhlesrauieaA sources, or fiowin; wells, and with the dry farms fa.t developlnc. that eastern Millard county Is entitled to support a population of lOtLOOO people. This estimate Is not Inconslstenf when It la rcmcmhered that there are two irrigated acres per capita In these towns at the present time; that upon this basis the increased irrigated area would maintain 60.0OU peopjerthat wo would have a riKht to rut down the acreage per capita SO per cent hy reason of Intensive farming" that win toalqw the dOVOlopmeiVt of the country. The LIO.Q00 acres of dry farm lands are certain wlih-ln wlih-ln the nogt few years to he placed under Cultivation and vleld up their lens of thousnnds of bush, 'Is of wilder Wheat Thousands ,,r ncres uf hill lands Covered Willi dense growths Of oak And other i, rouse, together with grasses and flowers and tools will afford rich and profitable paaturea for the grsjilnji herds that the developed country will maintain. This section with lis altitude of 5100 feet Is famous ror its ealuhrlous climate. Heer al oiind In these mountains, antelope ante-lope In the valleys and ilueks and will fowl In the lakes anil rivers While there has heen considerable development de-velopment In this valley during the last t v Mars, this thetloh Just now siands on the threshold of an enormous development develop-ment that Is dally gaining momentum. At a bond election held on Hopiruiher SO of tills year bonds Were Voted, which, together with federal, and state appropriations, appro-priations, means the expenditure of t."00 0iio on lh(S nf ,1,1, valley Courelng through the eastern part of the countr and the towns named them will run the transcontinental highway known as the Arrowhead Houte. In the rond-huildlng plans a paved highway win connect lhe east wllh tin-weal tin-weal side. This rood wdl run from the town of llolden to Delia. Valuation Increases. Not many years ago the assessed valuation valu-ation of this valley was 13.600,000. T.-itiy It Is 1. 000,000. and by no sorloua stretch of tho Imagination one can realize that the time may como when It will bo ten limes this last-named aniount. New Towns will and ore alroadv springing up ;n the great Irrigated tracts that He under the high-line canal of the Sees River Land si W ater company. The town of Mcformlck Is already a developed de-veloped fact. This town Is located on the proposed paved highway from Hidden to l'eltu. West from llolden about five miles. Just beneath the new canal, at the point where the road system from l-rll-morc to lelta converges with the paved road from llolden to lielta. and In the edge of the artesian belt, has already been platted the town or flre.nwnod. A sohnolhn ise has already heen constructed here and regular sessions are already being be-ing held. The waters are stored, the canals are dug. the artesian well cones are demonstrated, dem-onstrated, moneys are provided for the I building of the roads, towns are platted. I transportation Is an assured fact, but what now must come is the human element ele-ment the home-seeker and the farmer, through whose efforts this great VaueV I will develop Into Individual units represented repre-sented by highly cultivated farms. Nearly nil of the land of the old project proj-ect have been sold. Twin Falls tanners have recentlv purchased 1&DQ0 acres rrom the Deaeret Irrigation company. Vhll- practically ail these Ian dp arc bold priv;il-lv, the present average individual in-dividual unit Is entirely too large. A great many farmers own 320 acres others more. Theve lands ultimately must be oat up into smaller farms and Use settler ivho now holds a half section of land must be, and is no doubt willing to share his farm with three other neighbors, neigh-bors, who will Coma with capital and hew life to Join him in the reclaiming ol these unusued acres. |
