Show bu box P advant va i ley millions voted for irrig irrigation district that promises to be to have a t ef the most fertile garden in the intermountain country i 77 A x t V I 1 S a f W y Q X 46 sa W 4 S r 4 fi W J f f H r My K jS Z itt 1 f wayt A t 4 al ri 14 4 hs ia i 1 I V t sr W if t IC tim IM aara a arr v w tsy sf fi en 0 lf at as fc ia i 1 A i v w i 1 v sai S A view of the sevier bridge dam 1300 feet long 93 feet high largest irrigation project in this section Sett settlers lets adopt pla plan n to use sevier river water with Dis swit y ing atlig vote reproduced froni from alie deseret news ly by biquet Ki lit in millard county utah near fill moro the first capital of the state lies HOB otty thousand acres of soil boll such as aa agriculturists havo have dreamed of at but eldom found formed through tho the lona ions ot of silt anti and fertility of alt all the ages in which the process has been going on this ideal valley lacked only the water to make inako it the garden spot of utah around fillmore from time to time artesian wolla wells were struck and whenever water was turned on tho the soll surprising results were observed sugar beets as aft largo large its aa onos ones head and other marvelous results wore were obtained recently governor simon hamberger bamberger borger lit in company with state roeln bilgin george F mcgonagle McGona glo slid and tile tho state land board hearing of tile tho remark ablo fertility ot of tho the valley mado made an unheralded and unexpected trip to this district tile the governor was waa shown a farm with almost every tin agi crop being krown grown on it lie ho had bad strawberries and other delicacies k served at luncheon as aa well as peanuts all grown tile the first year tile the land was waa brol broken con tho the state executive head expressed himself at thol the tun us as astounded uy tile prod u et ivaness ot at tho the soil away up ui above the Pali valley aird north ot at lynndal lynndyl Lynn Lyun dyl tho the sevier river land and water company had the year previously completed what js said bald to bo be tho the finest dam ot of its kind in tho the united states impounded hero here wore were the waters ot of tile sevier sevlar rier which it was panned to uso use on somo some thirty dvo thousand acres ot of the company s land as well as confide considerable r state lands under tile the sevier kovler irrigation pro Lct PEOPLE ani 1 11 after tile tho governors trip to fillmore the people off that district a to the tact fact that somo some steps should bo be taken jo 0 obtain water tor forr tho the Pa livant lands anti and meetings were called tito the officials of 0 tho the sevier river land and water company wore were invited to attend these meetings and were asked under what terms could sufficient water bo be furnished to irrigate thia enormous enor moua district tito the company 0 als wore were inclined to aid tho the Pa livant settlers sett lors and ancl frankly told thorn them tho the conditions under which they could obtain water tito the cost was waa to bo be only 36 an ail acre which Is remarkably low considering the tact fact blint all tile the period of development of water resources hall had been gone bono through with and all tile risks of millions ot of investment had been taken by the company on oil november 24 an ail election was waa held and tho the Pali vaut irrigation district formed under tho the state laws lit in this election strange to state there thore was only ono one dissenting voto vote anti anil it is ia probably tile first ever neld in tho the state that was so nearly un aninious in january or more in fit fionda will lie bo voted to provide water for tile the entire trad 1 I am not given to enthusiasm said georgo cargo F mcgonagle McGona glo state lit in discussing tho the Pali project but tho the land in fit this district will bo be tho the best lit in utah itoh when the tha water Is on oil it the portion of tho the acres Is a clay loam anti and tho the southern bouthern halt hall is sandy loam it 1 has as an ail excellent slope Is free reo from alkali and will never require drainage VINENT LAND IN STATI 11 tho state Engin engineer vor said that tile the fillmore rill moro district inevitably will be como come tho the garden spot of utah lie ile called attention to tho the fact that the abo state owns between and acres lit in ills his district and Is naturally interested in seeing the project a success ile iio figured that by ono one stroke will bo be added to the state s wealth ile ho added tito tho new district la Is 25 miles long and has an ail average width of nearly 4 miles for complete and to got this immensely wealthy pro area under cultivation will require much labor and now new settlers aro are urgently needed to do this within tho the next few years As rogarda regards the water situation I 1 an ail say that ample provision has been mado made lit in tile tho formation of 0 this district for all ot of tho the water necessary to insure success wic eess it has been agreed to release aero acre feet at tho the reservoir for tho the aero acre feet to cover coor tho the land ians 1 ills ample allowance for all seepage anti bosq lit in addition to this acre feet the land Is located tit in what Is now known KB as tile tho Fill fillmore moro artesian bell where there them are arc many wells tito unac abc atc is of chalk creek meadow crook creek and whiskey creek are also available there Is another fact that must not be overlooked continued ANI mr r mcgonagle anil and opt that Is 18 that the av aragi ia rainfall 0 e a period ot of years at fillmore Is 1437 hi inches elies taking this fact into consideration an ail acre toot turned on oil this land in july will bo be sufficient to produce magnificent crops IN 1 SAYS 1 I would suggest to tile tho farmers however tha a man mail with say 80 acres should irrigate halt of it tho first year and set it in fit shape before breaking in the other 40 only one mistake can call bo be made and that will be the error ot of endeavoring to do it all at once I 1 have no lie doubt whatever it if tho the ranchers and settlers will go ahead slowly but surely the pah vant district will provo prove ove ot of tile greatest projects in utah and one ot of its most fertile and wealthy distri districts ctR when questioned regarding the possibility of a shortage of 0 water mr air said that no shortage Bli of water need over ever be anticipated except lit in tile the event of an extremely try dry year icar lit in that event lie he said bald the state of utah owns considerable water in the tha pluto and projects pi ejects which it has not sold tito the state would bo be willing to sell this surplus water to those who needed it under the alie system in case ol of shortage lie ho said and that provides a greater margin of safety for settlers than any other project I 1 know of IN WOULD tito the mammoth sevier river project known as tho the sevier bridge dam la Is larger than all other irrigation projects in anh combined Is the best dirt lam dam in fit tho the united states and Is tho the largest dam over ever built in this country government aid this probert pro jert ct financed by utah capital and built by utah men will stand for generations to come as ono one of tho the best beat and most moat economically built irrigation projects lit in history tito tho sevier bridge dam at tho the site of the old road bridge on oil the sevier river near jual juab utah was planned and promoted ted by first one company and then another for several years yeara before the project took definite form lit in the way of construction handicapped by years of struggle and the settlers near oasis deseret and Il luckley undertook the regulation of tho the sevier river filing lit in 1902 on oil tho the reservoir site and the surplus water to supply acres of land lit in 1908 tho the old dam was completed to tile tho 67 foot lovel level with a width of spillway lit in solid rock at an ail elevation of GO 60 teet feet lit in 1912 after somo some years delay in litigation plans tor for tile tho enlargement of 0 tho dam dain were submitted to the state engineer and tile the installation of a concrete co core wall was begun in 1913 the sluicing plant was ln in siai iea ana mauu for or tile tho fill downstream down stream from the old dam early in the tha batison ot at 1014 1914 the sluicing was begun for the downstream fill MANY 3 t PROBLEMS MET the time tile tho plant was finally operation tile the reservoir inah about an elevation of 69 feet with tile the downstream down stream fill at an ail elevation of GO feet the water was run through the 50 toot tool spillway lit in march 1914 and tho the structure ire was practically completed to tho the 90 toot level in juno june 1910 1916 tito the construction problems met with in this dam were many and vexing but bufa were met with intelligence and engineering ingenuity that ae ac marvelous results tor for tile tho amount 0 of money expended tito the enormous total of over GOO cuble cubic yards ot of earth was waa piled from mountain to mountain by hydraulic power that Is sluicing boxes were built across tile the upper tipper works of 0 the dam water was forced feet up to a veritable mountain of gravel which by the way was ideally suited stilted to tho the pui pur posa and this gravel was driven down tho the sluicing boxes on tho the dam by water thus the work 0 of filling in was done dona very cheaply and had not nature provided the materials at hand it Is estimated that this dam would have cost at least to bid b id iv |