Show ATER ON BLUE IS 15 PROBABILiTY I Effort Is Being Made To Combine The Two Districts If Ie Project Can Bo Be B Put Through Now Will Mean Great Deal of Relief Em plo Two irrigation districts were formed on the Blue Bench in 1908 Two separate surveys were made of course to cover this land In 1909 Ed Harmston of Roosevelt made a survey for a di ditch to cover cover cover cov cov- er the upper part of the bench Surveys were made to cover the lower part of the bench The lower district contained about one half the land on the Blue Bench and the upper people had the theother theother theother other half An effort was made to have the two sections combine in the building building building build build- ing one ditch The upper people account of the domination that existed in the board of directors of the lower district the lower district district district dis dis- dis- dis went ahead with their survey survey survey sur sur- vey and later interested Jesse Knight in the project and the ditch was constructed for the lower lowr lower low low- er r part of the bench Maintenance I ance on this ditch has always been very expensive resulting in inthe inthe inthe I the final abandonment of this I ditch this year The upper people people people peo peo- have spent about with nothing to show for fox it A good part of this expense was caused by parties in control having more enthusiasm than judgment A great many thousand dollars I in bonds are held by different people people people peo peo- on account of the building of the Knight project and with the of their ditch this year their bonds are practically worthless unless they can get water water water wa wa- wa- wa ter from some other source There has been an effort made to combine the two districts and build one ditch for the whole blue bench and two meetings have now been held with the Federal Water Commission in an effort to raise money for this purpose The Upper Upper Upper Up Up- UpI I per people are willing to combine with the lower people for this purpose pur pur- pose The of this this' depends largely on the action of the people holding the bonds of the lower project We have a committee representing represent represent- ing the upper Blue Bench people and they report the water commission commission commission com com- mission very friendly to our cause We expect them to make an in investigation investigation investigation in- in soon as to the feasibility feasibility feasibility of the project Our committee should follow this matter closely and meet with the water commission as often as asit asit asit it seems best Mistakes and circumstances have been potent factors in holding holding holding hold hold- ing back the development of ot this section At the opening of the Reservation Reservation Reservation Reserva Reserva- tion people came from all parts of the country to take a homestead homestead homestead home home- stead and when they reached the Blue Bench they were satisfied with t the le land and proceeded tomake tomake to tomake make their locations there There is no better land in the state forhay for forhay forhay hay grain potatoes and any kind of crop you wish to raise and the failure of the development of this bench has disappointed many a homesteader that came for the purpose of making his future future future fu fu- fu- fu ture home here A great many of these people are still waiting for an opportunity to come back Continued on last page WATER VATER ON BLUE BENCH IS PROBABILITY Continued from page 1 and make their homes here when conditions develop that make it possible We Ve should ge busy now and correct correct correct cor cor- the mistakes by getting to together together together to- to gether and building a ditch for forthe forthe forthe the whole bench This Improvement improvement improvement improve Improve- ment would be of incalculable value too not only to this particular particular cular r c ular section but to the county in r general There has been no time in our history that people needed work so badly as they do now and there has never been a time when public works could be done as economically economically economically ec ec- as now There will be money for projects projects projects pro pro- of this kind and the section that hollers the loudest and the most often will be the one to get the benefits |