1905 OFFICERS OF THE STATE. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT. (Terms expire the first Monday in January, 1907.) Bryant B. Brooks Governor Cheyenne A. J. Mather Private Secretary Cheyenne Fenimore Chatterton Secretary of State Cheyenne Curtis L. Hinkle Deputy Secretary Cheyenne William C. Irvine State Treasurer Cheyenne Fred B. Sheldon Deputy State Treasurer Cheyenne LeRoy Grant State Auditor Che>enne Frank J. Niswander Deputy State Auditor Cheyenne Thomas T. Tynan Supt. Public Instruction Cheyenne Lillian Mason Deputy Superintendent Cheyenne CONGRESSIONAL. Francis E. Warren, U. S. Senator. .Term expires Mch. 4, '07. . .Cheyenne Clarence D. Clark, U. S. Senator. . .Term expires Mch. 4, 'n . . . Evanston Frank W. Mondell, Representative. Term expires Mch. 4, '07... Newcastle JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT. SUPREME COURT, CHEYENNE. Charles N. Potter, Chief Justice. .Term expires first Monday in Jan., 1911 Cyrus Beard, Justice Term expires first Monday in Jan., 191 3 Josiah A. VanOrsdel, Justice Term expires first Monday in Jan., 1907 Wm. H. Kelly, Clerk Sup. Ct Appointive. At pleasure of the Court DISTRICT JUDGES. Name. District. Term Expires. PostoiHce. Richard H. Scott. . . . .First. . . .First Monday in January, '09. .Cheyenne Chas. E. Carpenter. . .Second. .First Monday in January, '09. . .Laramie David H. Craig Third. . .First Monday in January, '11. . .Rawlins Carroll H. Parmelee. .Fourth. .First Monday in January, 'n. .. .Buffalo STATE BOARD OF LAW EXAMINERS. PostoiHce. John W. Lacey, President '.Cheyenne Charles W. Burdick, Secretary Cheyenne Charles E. Blydenburgh . ( Rawlins Nellis E. Corthell Laramie Melvin Nichols \. .... Sundance STATE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. STATE BOARD OF LAND COMMISSIONERS (ARID LAND -BOARD). Bryant B. Brooks, President Fenimore Chatterton Thomas T. Tynan STATE BOARD OF SCHOOL LAND COMMISSIONERS. Bryant B. Brooks, President William C. Irvine Fenimore Chatterton Thomas T. Tynan COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC LANDS AND SECRETARY OF LAND BOARDS. Robert P. Fuller STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. William C. Irvine, President LeRoy Grant, Secretary Fenimore Chatterton STATE BOARD OF CHARITIES AND REFORM. Bryant B. Brooks, President LeRoy Grant Fenimore Chatterton Thomas T. Tynan, Secretary William C. Irvine Fred B. Sheldon, Clerk INSURANCE COMMISSIONER. LeRoy Grant PURE FOOD OFFICIALS. Henry G. Knight State Chemist Laramie Ross B. Moudy Assistant State Chemist Laramie Ed W. Burke Food and Oil Commissioner. . . Cheycnr.c Hi ~t ' V THE STATE OF WYOMING A Book of Reliable Information Published by Au- thority of the Eighth Legislature EDITED AND PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF BRYANT B. BROOKS, GOVERNOR 1905 SHERIDAN, WYOMING: SHERIDAN POST COMPANY, PRINTERS. 1905 pr.t m/f (gONTENTS. PAGE: AGRICULTURE: AND HORTICULTURE: 79 ALBANY COUNTY 12 BANKS AND INTEREST 141 BIG HORN COUNTY 14 CARBON COUNTY 17 CLIMATE AND ITS BENEFITS 126 CONVERSE COUNTY 21 CROOK COUNTY 23 EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES 122 ELEVATION OF CITIES AND MOUNTAINS 144 FREMONT COUNTY 25 FRONTIER CELEBRATION AT CHEYENNE 133 How TO OBTAIN A RIGHT TO USE WATER IN WYOMING 76 HUNTING AND FISHING 130 JOHNSON COUNTY 27 LARAMIE COUNTY 29 LIVE STOCK 49 MANUFACTURES 119 MINERAL RESOURCES 84 NATRONA COUNTY 35 OIL 112 PREFACE 5 PUBLIC BUILDINGS 140 PUBLIC LANDS AND IRRIGATION PROJECTS 54 PUBLIC LIBRARIES 143 RAILROADS AND STAGE ROUTES 136 SHERIDAN COUNTY 37 STATE FAIR AT DOUGLAS 133 STATE LANDS 68 SWEETWATER COUNTY 39 TAYLOR EXCHANGE 2/17 4 THE: STATE OF WYOMING. TAXES AND PUBLIC INDEBTEDNESS 141 THE STATE 9 UINTA COUNTY 41 WESTON COUNTY 44 WYOMING AT A GLANCE 7 WYOMING AT THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION 135 WYOMING WANTS 139 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 46 REPACK In the preparation of this work upon the resources and possibilities of Wyoming, the editors have made no effort at high-sounding rhetoric or beautiful diction, simply contenting themselves with presenting, in a plain, straight-forward man- ner, such facts as they have been able to gather relative to the great agricultural and mineral possibilities of a state which has within its borders more undeveloped virgin soil than any other state in the Union. A special effort has been made to give succinct informa- tion relative to the gigantic irrigation projects already taken up under the reclamation service of the United States Geolog- ical Survey, the vast enterprises under the Carey act, the big private irrigation enterprises, the agriculture of the state, the live stock industry, the geology in detail, and some of the openings for the investment of capital, as well as brief men- tion of the political, educational and social conditions that exist. To gather this information, it has been found necessary to call upon many of our prominent men for material. Wher- ever possible, proper credit has been given. To all those who have assisted in the work, thanks are returned. For other reward, they must look to an appreciative commonwealth. Wyoming at a Glance. Area, 97,890 square miles. Mean temperature, 44 degrees. Wool clip for 1905 worth $6,000,000. Peerless in its educational facilities. Area of coal land, 20,000 square miles. Cattle in 1905, 700,000, worth $14,000,000. Highest grade of soft coal known to man. Finest trout fishing known to mortal man. Mean elevation, 6,000 feet above sea level. Area covered with timber, 10,000,000 acres. Population (estimated), July i, 1905, 120,000. Tons of stream tin have been mined and sold. Lofty mountains, rolling plains, vast plateaus. Iron, copper and coal enough for a vast empire. Five million head of sheep, valued at $17,500,000. Finest natural plaster on earth, manufactured at Laramie. Area subject to irrigation and cultivation, 10,000,000 acres. Father of modern irrigation law and the reclamation act. Foremost in the application of the Carey desert land act. Hundreds of miles of railroad construction laid out for 1905. Nutritious grasses, furnishing abundance of feed for live stock. Bank deposits in Wyoming, November 10, 1904, $8,846,- 135-44- Amount received from rental of state lands, 1904, $178,- 829.48. Thirteen counties, four judicial districts, four irrigation districts. One hundred cars per day of iron ore shipped from Sunrise to Pueblo. Natural gas in commercial quantities discovered south- west of Douglas. Average interest rate in Wyoming, about 8 per cent, in- dicating good business conditions and a strong demand for 8 THE STATE OF WYOMING. money. Gilt-edged security, of course, brings money at a lower rate. In round numbers, the life insurance policies aggregate $5,000,000. Great opportunities for making money in sheep, cattle and horses. Greatest wonderland of the world, the Yellowstone Na- tional Park. All the materials necessary for the manufacture of the finest glass. Coal mines are being operated in all the counties of the state, save one. Area subject to entry under the land laws of the United States, 48,000,000. The property of Wyoming is insured against fire to the extent of $7,000,000. Most famous rendezvouses in the world for large game; the hunter's paradise. Source of the Columbia, the Missouri, the Colorado, the Rio Grande and the Platte. One million acres of land now being reclaimed under gov- ernment and private enterprises. Vast iron deposits, second to no state in the Union, cheaply mined and high in value. Finest hot springs on earth, equal to Carlsbad in mineral properties, located at Thermopolis and Saratoga. All the mountain ranges contain gold and silver deposits, awaiting the hand of the prospector and the miner. Resources practically undeveloped. Greatest field on the continent for moneyed men to get in on the ground floor. Sulphur, asbestos and plumbago are among the minerals discovered in quantities considered commercially valuable. Grand opportunity for making money in the fattening of lambs upon field peas and alfalfa raised upon Wyoming soil. The rate of taxation throughout the state has decreased in the aggregate during the past ten years two mills on the dollar. Semi-anthracite coal has been discovered in Johnson County, and coking coal has been discovered in two or three localities, notably at Newcastle. County bonds have sold as low as 4 per cent ; school district bonds, 4^ per cent, and municipal bonds at the same price, showing in the most conclusive manner that the credit of the state is very high. THE STATE. Wyoming enjoys the unique distinction of having been under more rulers and more kinds of government than any other state in the entire Union. According to Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard's excellent work on "The Government of Wyoming," it has been under Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles L, Philip II., Philip III., Philip IV., Charles II., Philip V., Ferdinand IV., Charles III., Charles IV., Ferdinand VII. and Joseph Bonaparte of Spain ; Francis L, Henry II., Francis II., Charles IX., Henry III., Henry IV., Louis XIII., Louis XIV., Louis XV., Louis XVI., the Republic and the Consulate of France, and Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Ne- braska, Washington, Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming of Amer- ica. It is the only state that contains lands obtained from all four of our principal annexations which form the territory west of the Mississippi River. The state takes its name from the wonderful Wyoming Valley, in Pennsylvania, and is supposed to be a corruption of the Indian name "Maughwauwame," meaning large plains. Wyoming was organized as a territory July 25, 1868, from what was then the southwestern portion of Dakota, north- eastern part of Utah, and eastern part of Idaho. July 10, 1890, the territory was admitted as a state by act of Congress, being the forty-fourth state in order of admission. Its geographical location classes it among the states of the inter-mountain or arid region, being bounded on the north by Montana, on the east by Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado and Utah, and on the west by Utah, Idaho and Montana. Its length from east to west is 355 miles; width from north to south, 276 miles. Its area is 97,890 square miles, or 62,645,120 acres. The region now comprised within the limits of the state was traversed by Canadian explorers and other venturesome persons at an early date, but the first white settlement appears to have been established at Fort Laramie, in the eastern part of the state, in the year 1834. Subsequently trading post were established in other localities, and still later the building of the Union Pacific railroad and the adaptation of the west ern country to the cattle business led to further settlement. In general appearance the country is mountainous, wit valleys, rolling plains and plateaus, the latter covered wit grasses of great nutrition and furnishing admirable past io THE STATE OF WYOMING. live stock, while the mean elevation is 6,000 feet above sea level, with extremes ranging from 3,000 to 14,000 feet. Prob- ably 10,000,000 acres of the total area of the state are covered with timber. Flowing east or west, according as their source is on the eastern or western slope of the main range of the Rocky Mountains, which cross the state from north to south, are numerous streams, among the number being the North Platte, Snake River, Green River, the Big Horn, the Shoshone, the Laramie and the Yellowstone. None of these streams are navigable in a commercial sense, but they furnish water for the irrigation and development of the surrounding country, and in some instances are used for the transportation of timber. The soil is a light, sandy loam; dark and rich in the valleys. When reclaimed by the application of water, bounti- ful returns of agricultural products, with the exception of such as thrive only at low altitude and in warm, damp climates, are secured. It is estimated that 10,000,000 acres of the area of the state are suitable for agricultural purposes by irrigation. There are thirteen counties, four judicial districts, four irrigation divisions and many school districts. The capital is located at Cheyenne, in the southeastern corner of the state. The climate is similar to that of the mountain region of Italy, and is not, as sometimes erroneously supposed, extraor- dinarily severe in the winter. The average mean temperature for the year is about 44 degrees, varying somewhat according to elevation, and the atmosphere is rarefied and pure, with but few cloudy days. Winds sometimes prevail during the spring and fall, but cyclones and tornadoes are unknown, while the dryness of the atmosphere tends to ameliorate the effects of extreme cold. Snow storms are usually followed by chinook winds, which serve to uncover the pastures, so that live stock get the benefit of the grasses cured by the summer sun, and as the cured native grasses retain their nutrition, it enables the stockman to support his stock upon the open range with little, and in the case of sheep raising, no additional food. Western blizzards have been largely exaggerated, and some people consider the mountain climate synonymous with con- stant storms, dangerous to life. Nothing could be farther from the truth. But few climates are more bracing, healthful 0r pleasant than the climate of the mountain region of the western states. The almost constant sunlight is not only pleasant, but beneficial from a sanitary standpoint, and it is a well recognized fact in the medical profession that certain diseases, notably pulmonary affections, are much benefited THE STATE. n by change from the states of lower altitudes to Wyoming or adjacent states. (See article on Climate.) Gold, copper and coal mining, petroleum production and raising live stock are the most important business interests of the state. (See articles on these resources.) As will be no- ticed elsewhere in this publication, the supply of coal under- lying the state is apparently inexhaustible, and constant employment is furnished to a great many miners. The raising of live stock in its departments, however, probably now claims the attention of more people than any other industry, and the facilities for prosecuting that business are such as to commend it to the attention of prospective set- tlers. It is a noticeable feature of the present condition of the state that many of the former large herds of cattle have, in recent years, been reduced, without, however, materially re- ducing the total number of cattle in the state, while the num- ber of small herds owned by ranchmen and farmers has largely increased, and it is doubtful if any other state can show an agricultural population whose financial condition averages better than that of Wyoming's ranchmen. Many are here to testify to the benefits and profits derived by them from the use of the free pasture lands of the open range, with its nutri- tious native grasses, the opportunities of acquiring government land, cheap fuel and healthy climate, and the large area of the state in proportion to the present population is sufficient evi- dence that opportunities by which others have heretofore profited are still offered to the prospective settler. The state is destined in the very near future to become the richest, in its diversified natural resources, of any in the Union. The minerals listed in another part of this pamphlet are here in quantity. There are vast coal fields as yet unopened and sub- ject to entry under the United States statutes. There is an enormous area of oil land, most of which is still open for loca- tion. There are mountains of iron ore ; there is probably more copper than in any other state veins from four to twenty-five feet wide, running from 15 per cent to 70 per cent and many rich gold bearing lodes. Hot springs abound, which not only equal but surpass the famous Carlsbad Springs of Europe. The analysis of the waters and the results of their use have demonstrated this to be true. The only thing necessary to make the state all and more than is claimed for it in this pamphlet is more transportation facilities railroads operated in the interest of local develop- ment and not solely for trans-continental traffic more capital invested on a business basis, and more men of brains, push and honest purpose. To such fortune stands upon the Con- 12 THE: STATE: OF WYOMING. tinental Divide, with winning smile and outstretched arms ; to such Wyoming extends a hearty greeting and a co-operative hand. g w J *S fl . i B COUNTIES Jl ! IJI 11 It o 3 C ^'^ O p b> o 4-3 O TJ S p ,-^t* . o l O o . o *7* Q O . o "*"* Q O oO 6> > p t ^ W QjM MftS PH Pk % H &* H Albany 13,084 2,558 5.115 2 386 12,214 2,676 13,687 Big Horn 4,328 1,368 3.163 1,789 5,687 2,860 9,046 Carbon 9,589 3*038 3 167 3 027 9,586 3,400 10,767 Converse 3,337 1,228 2.717 1^289 3,492 1,570 4,265 Crook 3,137 1,271 2.590 1,350 3,496 1,581 4,094 Fremont 5,357 1,538 3.505 1,536 5,383 1,700 5,958 Johnson 2,361 937 2.519 1 050 2,644 1,247 3,141 Laramie 20,181 3,821 5.281 3,643 19,238 4,644 24,525 Natrona 1,785 812 2.198 1,006 2,211 1,120 2,462 Sheridan . 5,122 2,095 2.444 2,145 5,242 3,286 8,031 Sweetwater . .. 8,455 1,948 4.340 2,020 8,767 2,184 9,478 Uinta 12,223 3,832 3.189 4,031 12,855 4,543 14,488 Weston 3,203 923 3.470 857 2,973 1,086 3,768 *92,162 25,459 26,138 93,788 31,897 113,710 *Not including Yellowstone Park. Albany County Albany County was named by a representative from the then unnamed county to the Dakota Legislature, who, being a former resident of Albany, New York, named the new county Albany. It has an area of 3,248,640 acres; of this, 1,077,754 acres are listed for taxation. Total valuation of county, $4,360,099.86; total tax levy, including state levy, 20 mills; bonded indebtedness, $112,000; mean elevation, 6,500 feet. Agriculture. Twenty-five years ago those who suggested that agricultural products might be raised with profit in Albany County were ridiculed. Today hundreds of citizens are not only making a living, but are reaping large profits. The soil of the Laramie plains is suitable and the season at an elevation of 7,000 feet is sufficiently long for all kinds of small grain, alfalfa (two crops), nearly all the vegetables, sugar beets, etc. A ready market is found for all kinds of farm pro- duce at prices far in advance of those prevailing in Kansas and Nebraska. Recent experiments on a somewhat extended scale have proved the value of the field pea, and quite an acreage is being planted during the current season (1905). This crop is used ALBANY COUNTY. 13 in the fattening of lambs, for which purpose it takes the place of both corn and alfalfa and is much cheaper. Stock Raising is still the principal industry, more than $2,000,000 being invested in domestic animals. The days of the large outfits have passed, but the business has not declined in consequence and is far more profitable. Under existing conditions, the ranchmen of Albany County keep just the number of animals that can be well cared for in the winter time, making it a universal rule to provide sufficient hay to carry them through in good condition. A constant evolution from the large to the small ranch is in progress, and in the near future all the large holdings will doubtless be divided into small, well equipped farms and ranches. Land owners are rapidly learning that it is more profitable to bring their lands under cultivation than to hold them solely for range purposes. The City of Laramie is the county seat and principal town. Its population, census of 1900, is 8,207. Here is located the University of Wyoming; the public school system is of the very best. Among the manufacturing cities of the state, Lar- amie takes first place. Just to the south of the city, and within its limits, is located the factory of the Acme Cement Company. It owns about 1,000 acres of plaster land, which has a deposit of natural plaster from six to eight feet in thickness. It is put through a calcining process and becomes the finest of building material. It is used throughout the west, the output of the plant being from six to ten car loads per day. Another plaster mill, belonging to the Rocky Mountain Plaster Company, is located nine miles south, at Red Buttes station. Its product is made from gypsum, and it is what is known as a hard-rock mill. Very fine plaster of paris and four other grades of plaster are manufactured here. The two plaster concerns employ about fifty men. At Laramie the Union Pacific operates large shops and a tie-preserving plant. The ties are brought here from the moun- tains and undergo a pickling process which prolongs their life perhaps two and one-half times. In the shops and at the tie plant 150 men are employed. It is a freight division on the Union Pacific, and many railroad men have their homes estab- lished at this point. Lumber is manufactured in the adjacent mountains, and an excellent quality of brick is made in the city. A pressed brick plant is in operation. Building material and labor are more reasonable than in most western cities, hence buildings for homes and business purposes can be constructed at fair rates. 14 THE STATE: OF WYOMING. A large quantity of limestone is shipped to the beet sugar plants and smelters of Colorado from quarries just to the east of Laramie. The Union Pacific has constructed a spur to these quarries. This limestone is the purest discovered in the United States and is practically inexhaustible. It was used some years ago in the manufacture of glass. All the other ingredients for the manufacture of glass of a superior quality are found at Lar- amie, and it is within the realm of reason to predict that this industry will soon be in a flourishing condition at this point. Enough has been done to demonstrate its feasibility. The State Fish Hatchery is located five miles southeast of Laramie. At this institution more than a million small fry are hatched annually and distributed among the streams of the state. With two exceptions, the streams of Albany County were naturally without trout, hence the State Hatchery has been of untold value to the local angler, as well as to those who enjoy the delicacy of trout upon their tables. No better trout fishing is enjoyed by the people of any section than is had by the people of Albany County. Fruit Growing. Many of the residents of Albany County are successfully raising small fruit, such as raspberries, cur- rants, gooseberries, strawberries, etc., and some attempts have been made at raising apples and other large fruits. One ranch- man, Mr. Jacob Lund, has for several years raised a quantity of Wealthy apples at his ranch near Jelm, elevation 7,400 feet. There is no reason to believe that fruit in almost endless variety cannot be raised in portions of Albany County ; in fact, results already attained prove that it may be done. Mining. See Mineral Resources, this pamphlet. In conclusion, it may be said that Albany County holds out to the man of small fortune much that is alluring. Here is an opportunity to make a comfortable home in a country that is prosperous and in a climate that is unsurpassed in all that pertains to the health of mankind. Albany County is in the Cheyenne United' States land office district. Big Horn County Big Horn County was named from the Big Horn or Rocky Mountain sheep, which abound in the Big Horn Moun- tains, on the east side of the Big Horn Basin. The county was organized in 1896. Bonded indebtedness is $34,000 ; tax levy, 18^/2 mills; total assessed valuation, $3,005,256; average ele- vation of agricultural portion, 4,000 feet. BIG HORN COUNTY. 15 It was the last organized county of the state, and consists of that portion of the northwestern corner known as the Big Horn Basin. This is, in many respects, one of the most re- markable basins situated on either side of the great Conti- nental Divide. This is true, whether we consider its great area, the lofty mountains enclosing it on all sides except the north, its equable climate or the fertility of its soils. On the east looms up the Big Horn Range, some of its peaks rising 12,000 feet above sea level; on the west tower the equally high peaks of the Shoshone Range, spurs of the great Con- tinental Divide; on the south is the Owl Range, a spur of the Continental Divide connecting it with the southern end of the Big Horn Range. The usual elevation of the divides connecting these peaks is from 9,000 to 10,000 feet above the sea level. Among these mountains are found some of the finest examples of mountain and canon scenery to be found on this continent. Passing centrally through this basin in a northerly direc- tion, its meanderings covering more than one hundred miles, is the Big Horn River. Its entrance into the basin has been made in some past convulsion of nature, through the Owl Range, by an impassable canon of about four miles in length. Its exit from the basin to the north has been made by cutting through the northerly end of the Big Horn Range by a very remarkable canon of about twenty miles in length, its walls rising almost vertically 1,200 to 1,500 feet above the water. Intermediate between these canons this river passes through Sheep Mountain, a secondary and detached range, by a canon of about three miles length, but equally as interesting as the other two. The Big Horn Range, west of its lower canon, is designated Pryor Mountain, which gradually recedes in height until it drops to the level of the plain bordering Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone. Around the base of this mountain is the natural outlet from the Big Horn Basin. Agriculture and Stock Raising. It is within bounds to assert that every square mile of the area of this county, ex- cept a- small percentage forming the slopes of the high moun- tain peaks, can be utilized in summer .or winter for agriculture or the grazing of stock, as proven by the experience of ten years with cattle, horses and sheep. The high mountain plateaus, with their intervening valleys, up to an elevation of 10,500 feet, in summer and until covered with snow in the fall, produce grass of sufficient fattening properties for summer feed. At elevations of from 7,500 to 10,500 feet all stock keep fat for four months of -the year. : Agriculture. The greater part 'of the irrigable lands have an altitude varying' 'from 3,460 feet to 4,400 feet. Oats yield 16 THE: STATE; OF WYOMING. from forty to eighty bushels per acre, wheat thirty to sixty, rye twenty-five to fifty-five, barley forty to sixty, corn thirty to fifty, and is as sure a crop as in Iowa ; alfalfa three to seven tons, other grasses two to four tons per acre. In this county the state, under the Carey Arid Land Act, has segregated 400,000 acres of land, which will shortly be placed under irrigating ditches, and which will provide homes for thousands of people. (See article.) There is no better location in the west than this section for a beet sugar factory. Within the belt lying between 5,500 and 6,500 feet eleva- tion timothy and redtop do exceptionally well ; alfalfa pro- duces two cuttings. Below this belt, with ordinary good man- agement, alfalfa will yield three good cuttings. Its seed comes to full maturity and is of good quality. It is believed that in no locality of the world are small grains of superior quality or in larger yield per acre. All the roots, such as potatoes, car- rots, rutabagas and beets of all kinds, thrive excellently well up to 6,500 feet elevation. It is not uncommon for beets and rutabagas, where well cultivated, to attain weights of ten to fifteen pounds, and solid to the core. Of melons, the cantaleup matures of excellent quality ; so does the watermelon, though to less extent. The potato is a large yielder, and of quality unsurpassed anywhere. Such garden vegetables as radishes, lettuce, cauliflower, beans and peas do well at all altitudes. Radishes, lettuce and cauliflower come to perfection above 5,500 feet altitude and are of unsurpassed quality and flavor. Horticulture. All the small fruits, such as raspberries, currants, strawberries and gooseberries, grow wild, and tame varieties do well. Apple and peach trees of two years' growth promise success. Irrigation. In addition to the large volume of water de- livered by the Big Horn River, running centrally through the county, its large and numerous tributaries furnish a super- abundance of water for irrigating large bodies of land that can be gotten under ditch. From the east flow Kirby, No Wood and Shell Creeks; from the west comes Owl Creek and its much larger tributaries of Grey Bull and Wood River; then the two forks of the Shoshone River, and still farther to the north the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone. More extended reference to minerals, agriculture, stock raising, climate, hot springs, etc., will be found elsewhere in the articles upon Geology, Agriculture, Climate and Health, and Stock Raising. In this county are situated the cities of Cody, Meeteetse, Garland, Basin, Byron, Cowley, Lovell, Burlington, Germania, Otto and Bonanza. At Bonanza there has recently been dis- < c/2 w H CARBON COUNTY. 17 covered lubricating and illuminating oil, and it promises to develop into a very rich oil district. There are business op- portunities in all of these towns. From Cody tally-ho stages run to Mammoth Hot Springs, in the Yellowstone National Park, a distance of fifty miles, through scenery which is not equaled in the Alps. (See article, this pamphlet, entitled "Yellowstone National Park/') Big Horn Hot Springs. These springs were ceded to the state in 1897, together with ten miles square of land from the Shoshone Indian Reservation, and are located on the Big Horn River, just opposite Thermopolis, about fifty-four miles in a northerly direction from the center of the state. The main spring is on the east side of the river, about 500 feet back from the bank of the stream, and comes to the surface at the foot of Monument Hill, which rises about 250 feet above the spring. The surface of the spring is about forty-five feet above the river. The stream running from the spring to the river is about seven feet wide and two and seven-tenths feet deep, and carries about 18,600,000 gallons of water every twenty-four hours. The temperature of the spring is 135 F. The spring is situated on the east side of a slightly sloping plateau, which contains about ten acres of land, which is covered by a heavy coating of alkaline salts and sodium, which have been depos- ited by the hot mineral waters spreading over the surface. This coating is from ten to forty feet thick, and is naturally of a pure white color. There are many terraces on the edge of the formation, making a very picturesque appearance. There are many traces of volcanic action to be seen surrounding; the springs and formation on the east, north and west sides. These springs equal, in every respect, the famous European springs of Carlsbad and Aix-la-Chapelle, or the Arkansas springs, and are equal in curative properties to the Saratoga Hot Springs. The United States land office for this county is at Lander, except for a few townships in the eastern part of the county, which are in the Buffalo land office district. Carbon County Carbon County was organized in 1870 and was named from the immense coal deposits which underlie the county. It has an area of 11,061 square miles, is noted for its vast herds of sheep, its fine cattle and, above all, its rich coal and mineral deposits. It is the richest county in mineral resources and i8 THK STATE; OF WYOMING. stands second to none in its stock raising. The total number of acres listed for taxation is 1,218,353, and the valuation of all real estate in the county, including town lots, is $2,409,217.50; bonded indebtedness, $129,200; tax levy, 18 mills; the total value of assessable property in the county, $5,569,094.33. Rawlins is on the Union Pacific railroad, and is the county seat of Carbon County. Altitude, about 7,000 feet. It has a population of about 2,500; has roundhouses and extensive machine shops. It is a distributing point for an outlying coun- try, both north and south of the railroad. Daily and tri-weekly stages leave here for points north and south. The new State Penitentiary, costing $100,000, is located here, and also a sub- stantial stone court house and a fine public school building, which cost, respectively, $50,000 and $35,000. Here are located and operated fine building stone quarries, the Rawlins sand- stone being shipped out of the state both east and west. The beautiful new government building at Cheyenne was built of this stone, as was the State Capitol. Here also are located the great mineral red paint mines (known as Rawlins Red), from which the paint for the Brooklyn bridge was originally pro- cured. This ore is shipped to Denver and much used by the smelters as a flux. The city is also the supply point for and the headquarters of a vast sheep and wool industry. Saratoga, a beautiful town of 1,000 inhabitants, is situated twenty-three miles south of the Union Pacific railroad, in the heart of the great Platte Valley, and is the gateway to the renowned Grand Encampment mining district, and is noted for its medicinal hot springs. The temperature of the water is 135 Fahrenheit. From their chemical analysis, we would say that these springs were alkaline-sulphur, in combination with salines and calcareous salts. They closely resemble in their different properties the famous European springs of Carlsbad, Marienbad, Ems, Teplitz and Aix-la-Chapelle. Their properties may be summed up as stimulating, ab- sorptive, alterative and reconstructive, and clinical results have proven all the claims made for them by their chemical analysis. It is difficult to state what diseases are most benefited by a course of baths at these thermal waters. Among the list of those maladies which have been relieved at the springs may be mentioned all as acute, sub-acute and chronic diseases of all mucus membranes, such as catarrh of the nasal passages, the mouth and pharynx, the throat, bronchial tubes, the stom- ach and the whole alimentary canal ; dyspepsia, due to hyper- acidity of the stomach and gastric ulcers; congestion of the liver, due to catarrh of the bile ducts and a sluggish portal circulation, and beginning cirrhosis, acute and chronic catarrh of the whole genito-urinary tract. The water acts not only by CARBON COUNTY. 19 its chemical ingredients in these instances, but also mechan- ically as a sluice upon the system. It is well, therefore, for patients to drink it liberally. The water has undoubted bene- ficial influence upon gravel, lithiasis and the uric acid diathesis. Sanitary analyses have been made showing that this water is entirely free from every kind of contamination. These waters when bottled are unsurpassed by any in the United States for drinking purposes, for they are not only pure and as pleasant as the Manitou or Idaho waters, but have the advantage also of the medicinal qualities so beneficial to the stomach and kidneys. The North Platte River, in which are three wooded islands, -runs through the city. It is an ideal place for a summer resort and sanitarium. The Sierra Madre Mountains on the west and south, and the Medicine Bow Range on the east, are each within two or three hours' drive, and present a beautiful view at all times. The trout fishing in the river and the mountain streams is unsurpassed. The summers are delightfully cool, there being no night when a blanket is not needed. With the completion of the Union Pacific's proposed connection, thou- sands who are in search of pleasure, health and business will yearly be attracted to this section. There is an old saying, "See Rome and die," but the legend of the west is, "See Saratoga and live." By reason of the destruction of the Hot Springs Hotel and bath house .by fire, a new large, modern hotel and bath facil- ities are needed. This presents one of the best opportunities for investment in the west. Encampment is a town of recent origin, brought forth by the prospects of the new gold and copper mines opened in the Grand Encampment district, and has a population of about 1,000. It has a smelter, concentrating works and tramway to the top of the Rockies for conducting the ore. It is situated on the Grand Encampment River, twenty miles south of Saratoga. (See article on Mineral Resources.) Schools. The county has a good public school system. The number of schools is thirty-nine and the number of chil- dren of school age is 1,500. Live Stock. One of the chief industries of the county is its live stock interests. Of sheep there were, for the year 1904, 489,069, valued at $917,773; of cattle, 27,953,: valued at $488,- 546; of horses and mules, 6,277, valued at $163,114. Agriculture. This industry has for many years been an important one, continually on the increase, and has assumed large proportions in the Upper Platte Valley country and on the tributaries of the North Platte River. Wheat, oats and 2o THE STATE OF WYOMING. barley are raised in large quantities and command a ready price for home consumption. The wheat is a very fine, plump grain, making the very best of flour. The oats are of a superior quality, and run from forty-five to fifty pounds to the bushel. All of these crops yield abundantly. Hay is an important crop, and the yield per acre is always satisfactory. Timothy and redtop grow luxuriantly, but the native hay, of which there is a large quantity raised, is much in favor. Alfalfa or lucerne is a prime favorite, and there is a large acreage devoted to the production of that crop. It yields from three to four tons per acre, each year, of a very superior quality, much esteemed by the stockmen for its fat-producing qualities. All kinds of veg- etables and small fruits grow abundantly, and the entire home market is supplied by home production. All farming is by irrigation. There are still many thousand acres of upland, on either side of the Platte River, that are open to settlement, and this stream furnishes water for an almost unlimited acreage. The feeding of cattle and sheep for spring market is largely engaged in by the inhabitants of this county, who annually ship large numbers of sheep and fat beeves to eastern markets, commanding the highest market prices. Mining. See article on Mining Resources. Climate. The climate of Carbon County is beautiful, brac- ing and invigorating, mild and pleasant during the summer months and not severely cold or uncomfortable in the winter. It is peculiarly suited to the building up of weak lungs, and is conducive to health and longevity. Water and Timber. Carbon County is well watered by mountain streams, the North Platte River flowing the entire length of the county from south to north. Nearly every por- tion is abundantly supplied with water for irrigation purposes. The numerous mountain ranges in the county are covered with an excellent quality of pine timber suitable for building pur- poses and for the manufacture of lumber, as well as for fuel. Game and Fish. Carbon County streams, while originally barren of trout, have been well stocked with every variety of that kind of fish, and are today the finest trout streams to be found anywhere. Trout weighing from ten to twelve pounds are frequently taken from the North Platte River, and every stream swarms with the finny tribe. Game of all kinds, in- cluding bear, elk and deer, are to be found in the mountain ranges and timber; sage hens and grouse inhabit the plains and mountains, and the streams and lakes are well supplied with ducks and geese. This county is in the Cheyenne United States land office district. CONVERSE COUNTY. 21 Converse County This county was organized in 1888 and named after A. R. Converse, a pioneer cattleman, who had large interests in that section. It has a population of 3,337 and an area of 7,000 square miles. The North Platte River, with its many tribu- taries, flows through the central portion of the county, afford- ing a bountiful water supply for thousands of acres of land which have been brought under cultivation, and its wide plains are among the best pasture lands of the state. The Chicago and Northwestern branch railroad traverses its entire length from east to west, and the Colorado and Southern railroad gives an outlet to the south. The total assessed valuation of the county in 1904 was given as $2,540,232.45; the county bonded indebtedness, $36,900; rate of taxation, i&% mills. Until a very late date, the tract of country known as Con- verse County was given up to stock growing. Today there are thousands of acres of land under cultivation. Most of the cultivated acreage can be classed as bottom or low land, bor- dering upon streams, although in the southeastern portion lands are producing good crops of corn, wheat and oats with- out irrigation. The principal crop in small grain is oats. With irrigation, oats have reached the enoonous yield of eighty bushels to the acre, with a stool of six feet. Wheat will yield fifteen bushels on sod and twenty bushels on old ground. Rye and barley produce twenty bushels to the acre. Tame grasses timothy, clover and millet reach a luxuriant growth. Alfalfa does well without irrigation, but when placed under ditch, affords two and three full crops per year. Corn makes a good crop in the eastern end of the county. Vegetables, under irrigation and in the bottom lands adjacent to streams, attain a growth equal to California's famous products. Pota- toes yield several hundred bushels to the acre. Pumpkins and squashes reach a weight of 100 and even 160 pounds; cabbage, twenty-three pounds ; turnips, twelve to fifteen pounds, and other vegetables in like proportion. Converse County's chief mineral resources are coal, iron and copper. The finest coal found west of the Mississippi River is in the Shawnee Basin, fifty miles west of the Ne- braska state line. Near Douglas is found a superior article of lignite, unsurpassed as a stove coal and a good steam fuel, but the vein is only two and one-half feet thick. At Inez, 22 THE STATE OF WYOMING. sixteen miles west of Douglas, the vein is seven feet thick, with a sandstone roof. At Glenrock, twenty miles further west, the vein is about six feet thick, with a sandstone roof. A new mine has just been opened at Big Muddy, near Glen- rock. Coal "crops out" in greater or less veins in a hundred localities throughout the western portion of the county, and particularly in the northwestern portion. Assays of $68 in silver and gold, $240 in "horn" silver, and forty to fifty per cent in copper have been obtained from prospect holes all along the Laramie Range in this county, and particularly from Spring Canon, some fifteen miles south of Douglas. Lime- stone is found in abundance, and quarries of a superior quality of sandstone have been located. Marble equal in grain and variety and beautiful color to the best has been discovered in several localities, while gypsum, from which is made the plaster of paris of commerce, exists in inexhaustible quanties. Large deposits of mica, glass sand and potters' clay have also been located. Plenty of timber grows in the mountains and foothills, principally pine and spruce, and native lumber is supplied at reasonable prices. There is plenty of good land in the county subject to location, but it is being rapidly taken up. Lubri- cating oil is found in different portions of the county. Capital is at present engaged in developing this industry. Douglas, the county seat, is located on the North Platte River and on the line of the Fremont, Elkhprn and Missouri Valley railroad, and has a population of about 1,000. The town is quite prosperous, being the center of a large and growing trade. The high prices received for cattle, sheep, wool and all farm, products add greatly to its present pros- perity. Its numerous business places, substantial dwellings, well graded streets, sidewalks, waterworks and other im- provements attest the prosperity of the place. Its bonded indebtedness is $17,000. There are large oil fields within a short distance of Doug- las, and gas was recently struck in commercial quantities within eight miles of the town. (See article, this pamphlet, on Oil.) There are gold and copper mines south of Douglas. O.ther towns of importance are Glenrock,, Lusk and Man- ville, the former a coal mining, town of about 600 population, and the two latter .towns to which agricultural and stock raising districts are tributary. The United States land office for this county is at Douglas. CROOK COUNTY. 23 Crook County Crook County was organized in 1875, and was named after General George Crook, the noted Indian fighter. This county is situated on the northeastern corner of the state. It is 102 miles long by sixty wide, and has an area of 6,120 square miles. Lands assessed, 228,953.45 acres; total assessed value of all property, $2,336,929.28; tax levy, 20 mills; bonded indebtedness, $51,500; number of schools, 45; number of school children, 1,132; population, 4,094. The county is traversed by the Burlington railroad. County Seat. The county seat and principal town is Sun- dance, with a population of about 500, situated at the foot of Sundance Mountain, on the banks of Sundance Creek, a beau- tiful mountain stream, and in the center of a fertile district. The city owns its system of waterworks, substantial city hall, fire apparatus, etc. Merchandising in all its branches, banking and commercial interests are well represented. The municipal bonded indebtedness is $14,725, at six per cent interest. Altitude and Climate. The altitude of Crook County av- erages about 4,000 feet above sea level; the air is dry, bracing and healthful, with a mean annual temperature of 41.1 degrees. The yearly precipitation averages twenty-four inches. Agri- cultural products are grown throughout the county without irrigation. Agriculture. Agricultural pursuits claim the attention of many of the citizens of the county, and wheat, oats, rye, corn and every variety of garden vegetables are raised with profit, in many instances both the yield and the quality of the product being worthy of particular mention. Wild fruits of the smaller varieties are especially .abundant, and considerable progress has already been made in the cultivation of the tame varieties. The soil throughout the county is, a dark, rich loam of great fertility, and the fact that crops can be raised without irriga- tion facilitates agricultural pursuits. Wheat yields twenty bushels, oats thirty bushels, rye thirty bushels, corn twenty- five bushels, potatoes 100 bushels per acre; alfalfa, two cut- tings, three tons per acre each cutting; millet four tons, tim- othy two tons. Apples do well, as do all kinds of small fruits. This is the only county in the state where agricultural crops are generally raised without irrigation, and this is very 24 THE STATE OF WYOMING. . fortunately so, as there are but few streams of sufficient size and fall to furnish sufficient water for irrigation purposes. This county is very much in need of railroad connections. A branch line from the Burlington would add greatly to the development of the county. Live Stock. In connection with agricultural pursuits, all kinds of live stock are raised extensively. The present return for assessment shows 38,382 neat cattle, 8,146 horses and 68,308 sheep, with a total live stock valuation of $1,111,764.50. Mining. Gold, silver, tin, copper, lead and manganese have been found in considerable quantities, and extensive fields of a good quality of semi-bituminous coal are being developed. Much of the future wealth of Crook County will undoubtedly come from the development of the coal fields of that locality. Quite extensive gold placer mining operations have been con- ducted on Sand Creek and vicinit}^, with profit to the operators. Granite, porphyry, limestone and other building stones and fine marbles are found in great variety in abundance. A railroad has been built from Belle Fourche, South Dakota, to the Aladdin coal mines, near Barrett, Wyoming, a distance of eighteen miles. There are also extensive oil fields. Streams and Topography. The county is traversed by the Belle Fourche, the Little Missouri and the Little Powder Rivers. The water of the streams generally is pure and suit- able to domestic uses. Along these streams are fertile valleys of fine farming lands, and between the streams are found extensive plateaus, suitable for grazing. Low ranges of moun- tains, well timbered, traverse the county, adding to the at- tractiveness of the landscape. Timber. The timber found on these mountain ranges is a heavy growth of spruce and pine. Oak, ash and cotton wood, trees also abound. Fishing. A branch of the State Fish Hatchery is located in Crook County, not far from Sundance, and many of the streams of the county furnish excellent sport to those who enjoy the pursuit of game fish. Natural Curiosities. A remarkable formation known as the Devil's Tower, a solid basaltic column rising abruptly to a height of 1,300 feet, and making a landmark that can be seen for miles in every direction, is a notable feature of the topog- raphy of this county. This county is in the Sundance United States land office district. FREMONT COUNTY. 25 Fremont County Fremont is the west central county of the state, and has an average width, north and south, of 100 miles, and a length, east and west, of 125 miles. It was organized in 1884 and was named after General John C. Fremont, the noted pathfinder and first presidential candidate of the Republican party. The rate of taxation for 1904 was 22 mills ; the number of acres of land in the same year was 68,444, while the valua- tion of all assessable property in the county was $2,089,585. The bonded debt of the county is $32,200. There are no railroads in the county, but two are prom- ised prior to the opening of the Wind River Reservation, June 15, 1906. It is reached by daily stage from Casper, on the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley railroad, and Rawlins, on the Union Pacific railroad. The mean annual temperature is 42. The approximate elevation, outside of the mountain ranges, is 5,000 feet. It is destined to become a great agricul- tural district, though at present farming is engaged in only for the purpose of supplying a local demand. Nearly a million acres are susceptible of irrigation, including the land which will be left in the Shoshone Indian Reservation after lands have been allotted to all of the Indians. This land, when irrigated, produces most excellent crops of wheat, oats, alfalfa and other kinds of hay, every variety of vegetables and small fruit, and, in the more sheltered parts, fine orchards of the Wealthy and other varieties of early apples are yielding a crop which is superior in flavor to any apple seen in the irrigated counties. The average crops per acre are : Wheat, thirty to forty bushels; oats, forty to sixty bushels; potatoes, 200 bushels; alfalfa, two to three tons each cutting, and other grasses, about three tons of hay. The yield of other vegetables is in proportion to that reported for potatoes. The county is famous for its rich agricultural lands and its abundance of water for irrigation. It is also noted for its fine apple orchards and abundance of small fruits. The wool clip of the county for 1903 was 1,200,000 pounds. There are many small cattle ranches in the county, which have been operated successfully for many years. Wheat is grown in the Lander Valley, and it has been a profitable crop annually for the last fifteen years. There are three improved flouring mills in the county, one located at Lander, another in Milford, the third at the Shoshone Agency. All these mills turn out 26 THE STATE; OF WYOMING. high patent process flour, and the product is equal to the best anywhere. Oats and all kinds of garden vegetables grow to perfection. Alfalfa and timothy yield abundantly, and native hay grasses abound everywhere. < There is an abundance of timber for building purposes and saw mills to cut up the lumber. A fine quality of coal is found in inexhaustible quantities all along the valley, which provides a cheap fuel for domestic and steam purposes. There are a number of oil springs in the county, and ten miles south of Lander are thirteen flowing wells, with a capacity of 200 barrels per day each. These wells are plugged at present, awaiting the advent of a railroad. (See article on Oil.) White and red sandstone, for building purposes, is found in every part of the county. Eight miles west of Lander there is a deposit of gray marble, and near it an abundant supply of granite. Both of these are susceptible of a high polish. The streams of Fremont County are numerous and of a lasting character. The Big Horn, Wind River, Little Wind and the numerous branches of the Popo Agie are the fountain heads of the Missouri River. They take their rise in the Wind River Range, whose mountains are among the loftiest of the Continental Divide. Fish abound in all the streams of this section, and trout fishing is the pastime of many. There is an abundance of elk, deer and antelope, and a number of varieties of bear in the Wind River Range and Owl Creek Mountains, which extend nearly the whole length of the county. Southern Fremont County has numerous gold deposits, both in placer and quartz. (See "Mineral Resources," this pamphlet.) Lander, the county seat, is centrally located, and is sur- rounded by hundreds of improved farms. The court house is a fine, large brick structure. The public school building is of brick and contains nine large rooms. The school is graded, and the graduates of the high school are admitted to the State University. Three religious societies have church edifices, namely, Methodist, Episcopal and Catholic. The population is 737. The town of Thermopolis is situated on the west side of the Big Horn Hot Springs Reservation, and contains about 300 inhabitants. This town was started in September, 1897, and is growing rapidly. The Big Horn Hot Springs are just across the river, in Big Horn County, and are a source of considerable revenue to the town. (See "Hot Springs," Big Horri County.) For information relative to the opening of the Wind River Reservation, June 15, 1906, see article thereon in the ^chapter pertaining to land and irrigation matters. JOHNSON COUNTY. 27 The United States land office for this county is at Lander, except for a few townships in the southeastern portion of the county, which are in the Cheyenne land office district. Johnson County Johnson County was organized in 1879, and was named after E. P. Johnson, a prominent attorney of Cheyenne. It has an area of 4,046 square miles. The total assessed valuation of the county in 1904 was $2,092,425.98; county bonded indebt- edness, $50,800; tax levy, 20% mills; the population of the county, 2,361. With its rolling plains, extensive forests and fertile valleys, it is justly regarded as one of the best sections of the state. The Big Horn Mountains have an elevation of 14,000 feet, while many of the valleys are less than 4,000 feet above the sea level. The resources of the county are varied. Stock raising is the chief industry. The vast open range and abundant streams of pure water make it a paradise for cattle. There are thou- sands of acres of grazing lands, and sufficient land can be irri- gated to produce enough hay, grain and alfalfa to make winter feed for all the live stock that the range will support in sum- mer. The county is one of the best watered counties in Wyo- ming, being well supplied with small streams heading in the Big Horn Mountains, and flowing generally to the northeast and northwest. The northern part of the county is a good farming coun- try and easily accessible by means of the Burlington railway. All kinds of vegetables are successfully raised ; cabbage, tur- nips, rutabagas, lettuce, parsnips, cauliflower, beets, carrots, celery, broomcorn and sorghum cane are all grown with suc- cess, while melons and small fruits of unequaled flavor and excellence are cultivated. Yield of oats per acre is forty-^five bushels and upwards; potatoes average 400 bushels; alfalfa produces two crops per year, of from four to seven tons per acre; and other crops in proportion. There are 30,000 acres -under irrigation, and 200,000 acres are susceptible of irrigation and only await the advent of the industrious settler, who can here obtain a good home cheap, and there are 2,000,000 acres of available grazing land. Pas- ture lands sell for $2, irrigated from $15 to $25. Prices of products obtained by ranchmen are as follows : Alfalfa, $3.50 ; timothy, $6; bluestem, native, $8 per ton ; oats, $1.25 per cwt. ; 28 THE STATE OF WYOMING. wheat and potatoes, $i per cwt. There is a large supply of pine timber taken from the mountains, which is well suited for building purposes. Along the streams are thrifty groves of cottonwood, and experiments have shown that timber of various kinds can be as successfully grown here as in the prairie states of Kansas and Nebraska. Minerals are yet undeveloped, but valuable prospects in gold, silver and copper are found in the Big Horn Mountains. Oil is found in large quantities, but because of a lack of trans- portation facilities is not worked. This county is, without doubt, one of the best range coun- ties in the state. It has one of the finest winter ranges in the west, where stock can roam at will, secure from winter storms in the shelter afforded by the high hills and deep gulches, while on account of the protection given by the location of the Big Horn Mountains and its spurs, lying to the west and north, blizzards are unknown, and the fall of snow is the least, es- pecially on the head of Powder River and its tributaries, of any place in the same latitude in the United States, with the prob- able exception of a small strip on the Pacific coast. The hills are covered with a thick sod of buffalo and other native grasses, and the cattle on the range in the central and southern parts of the county keep in as good condition as many of those in pastures where they have been fed nearly all the winter. Buffalo, the county seat, has always been a prosperous town, and at the present time has a population of 1,000. It is the business center of a fine grazing and agricultural district and has superior natural advantages. Clear Creek could furnish water power for a hundred fac- tories, besides irrigating several thousand acres of land. At the present time Buffalo is thirty-two miles from the Burlington railroad, but at no distant day expects to have a railroad con- nection. Its citizens have been very enterprising in building up the town, having erected a $40,000 court house, a $15,000 school house and numerous brick buildings. The city also maintains an electric light plant, flouring mill, waterworks and two newspapers. Two stage lines are operated, one leaving daily for Sheridan and the other for Clearmont, the nearest railroad point. The town of Buffalo needs an electric railway connection with the Burlington Route, a distance of forty miles down Clear Creek, where water power can be obtained therefor. The Government, under the National Irrigation Act, con- templates using the waters from Lake De Smet for the irriga- tion of a vast tract of land, which, if done, will open same to settlement, with water on the land. LARAMIE COUNTY. 29 Here is located the State Soldiers' Home, upon 1,270 acres of fertile land. The buildings cost over $100,000. The United States land office for this county is at Buffalo. Laramie County Laramie County was organized in 1879, and was named after Jacques Laramie, a French fur trader, who was killed near the mouth of the Laramie River about 1820. The Lar- amie River, Laramie Peak, Fort Laramie and Laramie County were named after this pioneer. The county indebtedness is $400,000, and the rate of tax- ation is 20% mills. The total number of acres of land listed for taxation is 1,083,266.19, and the value of all real estate in the county, including town lots, is $3,113,731.50; total value of all assessable property in the county is $6,782,438.32. This county is located in the southeastern portion of Wyo- ming, and comprises an area of 7,000 square miles. It ranks first in population and wealth, and was one of the original four counties of the Territory of Wyoming. The rolling plains along the eastern slope of the Black Hills Range, varying in altitude from 4,000 to 8,000 feet, are its natural features. These plains are peculiarly adapted to grazing. In all parts of the county are found numerous streams.' The total acreage of the county is 4,520,000, of which 3,000,000 acres are fine grazing land and 1,000,000 are susceptible of being made rich agri- cultural lands. It is full of undeveloped resources ; has iron, coal, copper, gold and silver, sandstone, marble, granite, mineral paint and mica. The land is generally free from stones and other ob- structions, and is easily broken and cultivated, and is very fertile. Laramie County has passed from a purely pastoral condi- tion to one of mixed husbandry. Stock raising, farming, dairy- ing and gardening are practiced in varying degrees. The average temperature is about 60 F. ; the rainfall fourteen inches. All field crops common to the west succeed well. The development through irrigation has not been confined to any particular locality. The soil is exceedingly fertile, the water reliable and the altitude sufficiently low to warrant the planting of any of the ordinary field crops. The creeks are lined, therefore, with the farms of ranchmen, who, combining farming and stock raising, are prosperous. 30 THE STATE OF WYOMING. County Seat. The City of Cheyenne is the county seat of Laramie County and the state capital, and has a population of 14,000. Owing to the rapid advancement of Cheyenne after the settlement in 1867, it gained the title of "The Magic City," and has always been noted for the wealth and enterprise of its citi- zens. The city was designated as the capital when Wyoming Territory was organized in 1869. It is 516 miles west of Omaha, on the line of the Union Pacific. It is also the junction point of the Colorado and Southern and the terminus of the Bur- lington Route. Cheyenne has an extensive system of waterworks, the latest and most approved sewerage system, fire department and fire alarm system, telephone exchange, arc and incandes- cent electric lighted streets, besides gas for general use ; has a new opera house building in process of construction, to cost $80,000; a $30,000 club house, fine business blocks, elegant private residences, two banks, eleven churches, two daily news- papers and state capitol costing $300,000. Among the other institutions are the federal building and postofnce, costing $350,000; Elks' home, costing $30,000; Masonic temple, $50,- ooo; five public school buildings, built at an average cost of $30,000; convent school, erected at a cost of over $50,000; a county hospital, a county court house and jail, and extensive railroad shops, employing 700 men. Andrew Carnegie gave $50,000 for the construction of a public library, which has been built. The city is the supply point for an immense stock rais- ing and agricultural country, and its citizens are among the largest live stock owners in the state. Fort Russell, three miles from the city, is the largest and most important military post in the Department of the Mis- souri. There are several manufacturing establishments in the city, and the volume of business transacted annually amounts to many thousands of dollars. A creamery established several years has a big business and draws trade from a large section of country. Strangers view with delight the miles of smooth stone flagging and cement sidewalks that line almost every street in Cheyenne. The beauty of many of the streets and avenues is greatly enhanced by the bright green turf on either side of the walks, which, together with long lines of trees, forms an agreeable feature of the city's landscape. Nowhere can be found more delightful drives. Nature has provided roads equal to the smooth gravel roads of Central Park, New York. The people of Cheyenne have made it one of the most at- tractive places in which to live in America. LARAMIE COUNTY. 31 One of the greatest attractions of the city is its pure and healthful climate. Its air is an invigorating tonic, cool in the summer, mild in winter. No better summer climate can Ji>e found in our land. The Wheatland Colony. No more important enterprise has been undertaken and carried out to successful results in the reclamation of arid lands than that of the Wheatland Colony by the Wyoming Development Company of Chey- enne. Each year since the initiation of the enterprise the company has done much for the betterment of the system. Its great irrigation plant now means the successful and ulti- mate reclamation of fully one hundred thousand acres. The lands reclaimed and being reclaimed are in the northern half of Laramie County, by railroad ninety miles from Cheyenne, on either side of the Colorado and Southern railroad. In the selection of a locality for an irrigation plant, many things should be considered, among which are, a market for the agricultural products, the soil, water supply and acces- sibility to timber. The Wheatland Colony has all these ad- vantages. The altitude, 4,500 to 4,800 feet, is the happy medium for the cultivation of lands with the aid of irrigation. The water is taken from the Laramie River, the Sybille and Blue Grass Creeks, through three canals. Number one is thirty-four miles long, has a width of twenty feet on the bottom and a depth of four feet. Canal number two is twenty- two miles long, has a depth of three and one-half feet and a width on the bottom of twenty-two feet. Canal number three is twelve miles long, has a width of fifteen feet on the bottom and a depth of three feet. The water is turned from the Lar- amie River to the head of Blue Grass Creek by means of a tunnel. The Blue Grass carries the water to Sybille Creek, and from that stream the water is conducted by the above mentioned canals across the lands to be irrigated by laterals, distributed wherever necessary. To reinforce the water sup- ply in case of drouth in any season, water has been turned into natural reservoirs. Number one has a shore line of eight miles. No more extensive reservoir has yet been found in the United States than number two ; it is seven miles long, averaging two and one-half miles in width. Its greatest depth is thirty-five feet, and its average depth is eighteen feet. It covers 6,600 acres, and has a shore line of thirty-five miles. It carries 118,800 acre feet of storage. A timber supply of sufficient abundance for all domestic purposes is near at hand. The soil is a black loam, well adapted for all small grains grown in the temperate zone, alfalfa, clover, potatoes, sugar 32 THE: STATE OF WYOMING. beets, vegetables and some varieties of Indian corn. The ex- periments with growing apples, cherries, plums and all small fruits have been satisfactory. That the soil is well adapted for the production of wheat, oats, barley, rye, potatoes, tur- nips, flax, beets, cabbage and certain varieties of corn, has been shown by repeated tests and experiments. Timothy does exceedingly well, and crops of alfalfa produced mark the country as one of the best for growing this profitable for- age plant. Experiments in growing sugar beets have been so successful that doubtless before long a sugar beet factory will be established in the colony. Experts of two of the sugar beet companies of the United States have made very favorable reports to their companies on the Wheatland Colony as a place for the establishment of a sugar beet plant. The school system is of the very best. There are nine good schools in the colony. The colony is supplied with rural mail delivery and collection. The City of Cheyenne, the towns of Guernsey, Hartville, Wyncote, Torrington and Sunrise, and the mining and stock raising sections afford good markets for everything raised in the colony. Sheep and cattle feeding are no longer experimental in the colony. It has become a very profitable business. Alfalfa is the foundation of successful sheep and lamb feeding. The hog business is proving very profitable around Wheatland. Hog cholera is unknown in Wyoming. The climatic condi- tions are very favorable for stock growing and feeding. The thrifty town of Wheatland is in the center of the colony. It is on the Colorado and Southern railroad, which connects at Cheyenne with the Union Pacific and Burlington systems, at Orin Junction with the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley railroad (a part of the Northwestern system), and at Hartville Junction with the Burlington. The town has a population of six hundred, made up of a fine class of people, intelligent, hospitable and public spirited. It has fine school buildings, three churches Methodist, Con- gregational and Roman Catholic a library and a good library building. The town is supplied with a telephone exchange, and has long distance connections with all the large towns of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Idaho. There are five general stores, a drug store, two livery stables, two hotels, one bank, a harness and saddle manufacturing establishment, two black- smith and carriage shops, two newspapers, five secret orders, a good hall and a modern roller mill with a capacity of 125 barrels a day. Coal is cheap. Wood is abundant and may be had for simply the cutting and hauling. Good native lumber is worth LARAMIE COUNTY. 33 $15 per thousand, or from $7 to $10 at the mills. Building stone is plenty and bricks are made in proximity to the town. Wheatland has a good outlook, and is one of the many sections of the state that promise good and speedy returns for capital invested. The agriculturalist who is looking for an ideal farming country; cattle and sheep producers who are desirous for the most advantageous conditions for stock rais- ing; the business man who is seeking the new town full' of promise, with a growing surrounding country, and those bro- ken in health who seek a favorable climate, will find good openings at Wheatland. The lands are selling rapidly for from $22.50 to $35 per 'acre. Ten years' time is given, with equal annual payments, at six per cent interest. No payment except the interest has to be made the second year, which gives the settler an opportunity to pay for his farm even though his means be limited. A perpetual water right goes with each piece of land, and a purchaser of a Wheatland farm cannot be deprived of an equal water right with every land- holder any more than he can be deprived of the land itself. The land and water go together. When the lands and water have all been sold, the irrigation works will be absolutely un- der the control of those holding lands in the colony. During the winter just passed 25,000 head of sheep were fed at Wheatland, all of which, with the exception of about 1,000 head, were lambs. They were fed by William Ayers, M. R. Johnston, William Trenholm, D. M. Southworth, William M. Clark, Albert McElheny, Duncan Grant, Shep- hard Bros., William Nelson and A. M. Axford. With the exception of Mr. Ayers and Mr. Johnston, each of whom fed 5,000 head, they were fed in small bunches, but all were fed by men on their own lands; all of whom v p reduced a part of the hay required for the feeding. There were 5,000 tons of hay fed and fifty car loads, or 2,500,000 pounds, of corn fed. The feeding was very profitable, as the net profits were from $i to $2.50 per head. The ruling price for the alfalfa hay in the stack is from $3.50 to $4.50 per ton. There was left over a surplus of hay that would have fed as many more sheep. Owing to the increased acreage of alfalfa to be har- vested this season, the Wheatland Colony will be in position to feed and fatten 75,000 lambs during the coming winter. The sheep feeding conditions are most favorable at Wheatland. Guernsey. The new town of Guernsey, which is the nat- ural railroad and business center of the iron region known as the Hartville Iron Range, and described elsewhere in this book under Mineral Resources, is located at the base of the 34 THE STATE: OF WYOMING. Iron Range in the Valley of the Platte River. It is beautifully situated below the mouth of the Grand Canon in a broad sweep of intervals in a bend of the river. With the develop- ment of the mining and stock industries and railroad build- ing, with which its interests are identified, and from which it sprang into existence, its future growth is assured. Its location, marks it as one of the coming industrial cities of Wyoming. It already has two railroads, and with the western extensions of the Burlington, will become a division headquarters on its continental system, and will have connec- tion with the mining camps, not only of the Hartville Range, but those of Halleck Canon, Plumbago Canon, Squaw Moun- tain, Horse Shoe Park, North Laramie and the Peak Range. North of Guernsey are the mining camps of Whalen Canon, Wildcat, Muskrat and Rawhide Buttes, which will be reached by a spur on the eastern slope of the mountains. The establishment of industrial enterprises at Guernsey is to be promoted by the building of a big dam at the mouth of the canon, where the immense volume of Platte River water will be utilized for electric light,. power and water sys- tems second to none in the west. The electric power gen- erated here will not only furnish light, but will in time operate all the mines of the range, while the water supply will irrigate thousands of acres of land along the valley, as well as provide an admirable water system for the City of Guern- sey, with its mills, smelters and workshops, at a small expense. Sunrise is the headquarters of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company's mines. Development work on some of the mining claims at Sunrise and Hartville show indications of good gold values, and a gold mining district may be developed. Dry Farming in Laramie County. Laramie County has not only the greatest irrigation enterprise in Wyoming, but it has millions of acres susceptible of profitable cultivation by a scientific system of dry farming. Hon. W. C. Deming, of the committee having the important work in charge, makes the following statement: "Cheyenne is the center of the dry farming movement in Wyoming. There are two distinct and active movements now in progress along this line. "The Agricultural Department of the United States has contributed $2,000; the Union Pacific railroad, $1,000; the Bur- lington railway, $1.000; the State Agricultural College at Lar- amie, $500: the Colorado and Southern railroad, $350; the Cheyenne Board of Trade, $150; making a total of $5,000 for experiments to be carried on over a series of years. The farm, embracing about 100 acres of land, is located near Cheyenne, NATRONA COUNTY. 35 and the experiments will range from absolute dry farming to winter irrigation and summer irrigation by windmills. The experiments are in charge of Prof. Elwood Mead of the United States irrigation office, State Engineer C. T. Johnston, Prof. B. C. Buffum of the State Agricultural College. John H. Gor- don is superintendent. "The other movement is on a larger scale, so far as im- mediate work is concerned. "Laramie County, the City of Cheyenne and the Chey- enne Board of Trade have raised an experimental fund and placed the work in the hands of the following committee : W. C. Deming, Chairman ; H. B. Henderson, Secretary-Treas- urer; C. B. Richardson, Chairman Executive Committee, and Dr. V. T. Cooke, Director. "Dr. Cooke is a practical farmer from East Oregon, who has fanned successfully for twenty years without irrigation. He is located at Cheyenne, and is now superintending fifty different tracts within twenty-five miles of Cheyenne, each varying from one to fifty acres. "The Cheyenne system is an application of common sense principles to farming in an arid region. It embraces thorough preparation of the soil by deep plowing and frequent harrow- ing, allowing the soil to summer fallow, thereby gaining two years' moisture for each crop. From hay and forage alone, land hitherto worthless, except for grazing purposes, is being quadrupled in value. "Dr. Cooke, like W. H. Campbell of the Campbell system, guarantees remunerative results in potatoes, dry land alfalfa and all cereals which grow by irrigation, if seeds adapted to the arid region, and developed from dry land farming, are used, and careful and intelligent methods of cultivation pursued. "Many Laramie County ranchmen have met with mod- erate success in dry farming for years, but expect to materially increase their yield under the personal direction of Dr. Cooke." The United States land office for this county is located at Cheyenne. Natrona County. Natrona County was organized in 1888. It derives its name from the natural deposits of natron, or carbonate of soda, found in the numerous basins or lakes that abound in that section of Wyoming. Located in almost the geographical center of the state, it covers an area of about seventy miles 36 THE: STATE OF WYOMING. square. The Platte River, with its numerous tributaries trav- ersing its entire length, a distance of seventy-five miles from east to west, furnishes an abundant, supply of water for irriga- tion, and as the mean elevation is 5,500 feet, the farmers of the county can raise all the hardy grains, vegetables and fruit common to the northwestern states. At the present time the live stock interest leads all other industries in this county. The Fremont, Elkhorn and Mis- souri Valley railroad, a branch of the great Northwestern sys- tem, affords an outlet to eastern markets. The assessed wealth of Natrona County in 1904 was $2,035,491.92. The county in- debtedness is $15,900, and the rate of taxation for the year 1904 was 20 mills. The raising of sheep overshadows all other industries. The fleece of a Natrona County sheep will average seven pounds, and the total wool clip for 1905 approximates 3,000,- ooo pounds. But it is the undeveloped resources of Natrona County that offer the greatest inducement for the investment of cap- ital. Already the oil industry has reached an important stage of development. (See article on Oil.) Steam coal exists in Natrona County. Lignite coal, vary- ing from a few inches to several feet in thickness, is found in various parts of the county. The inexhaustible deposits of sulphate and carbonate of soda, which are formed from natural springs, will some day be the basis of a great and profitable industry, and only await the magic touch of capital and skill to develop their greatest possibilities. Among the natural wonders of Natrona County are the Alcova Hot Springs, which possess medicinal virtues for the treatment of rheumatism and kindred diseases. These springs- are located on the North Platte River, in the mountains, and are surrounded with beautiful scenery. Considerable develop- ment has been made in the mining of precious metals. De- posits of gold and silver ore are found in the mountains. Low grade ores, which assay from five to ten dollars a ton, are abundant, and in time can be profitably mined. Coal, copper, iron and valuable building stone are found in various localities. The best developed copper claims in Casper Mountain assay from 37 to 40 per cent copper. Asbestos is also found. Casper, the county seat of Natrona County, is a thriving town of 1,200 inhabitants. It is the western terminus of the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley railroad, which gives it a large and important freighting business and trade with the country west of Casper, including the prosperous counties of Fremont and Hig Horn. Its fine business blocks, churches SHERIDAN COUNTY. 37 and school houses attest the liberality of the people. Among the recent improvements are fine waterworks and a steam plant for shearing sheep. There are about 7,000 acres of land irrigated, while there are 50,000 acres susceptible of irrigation and 3,700,000 acres of pasture lands. The United States Government is constructing an im- mense dam above Alcova, turning the Grand Canon of the Platte into a storage reservoir and affording water for recla- mation of arid lands. (See article on North Platte project.) The United States land office for this county is located at Douglas. Sheridan County. Sheridan County was organized in 1888, and was named for General Phil Sheridan. It is situated in the central part of Northern Wyoming. It is ninety miles east and west, and thirty miles north and south, containing 2,700 square miles. This area is divided as. follows : Three hundred and seventy- eight thousand acres mountainous, 350,000 acres irrigated or capable of irrigation, 1,000,000 acres grazing lands. There are now, approximately, 200,000 acres under cultivation. The assessed wealth of Sheridan County in 1904 was $3.433,524.15; rate of taxation, 20 mills ; bonded indebtedness, $21,700. The principal products of the county are cattle, hay, oats, wheat, potatoes and coal. Farming, in connection with stock raising, is the chief occupation of the people, being by far the best paying business. This county combines in an exceed- ingly favorable manner crop raising and stock raising. The range grasses here are considered by stockmen to be unex- celled. An evidence of this is in the fact that range beef from this county usually brings the highest price for that class of beef in the Chicago market. Referring to the crops, they also receive the highest awards, both for quality and quantity. The climate here is good. The chinook or warm winds from the Pacific Ocean keep the range open during the winter. The annual output of coal is 500,000 tons, the greater part of which is shipped to the Black Hills and points in Nebraska. Of wheat, 200,000 bushels are raised each year, the acreage being on the increase, but by far the largest acreage in crops is given to the raising of hay, principally alfalfa. This is the case where the business is that of stock raising. It is notable, 38 THE STATE OF WYOMING. however, that as farmers come into this country from eastern states the farm is made to produce greater profit in the raising of grain, potatoes and small fruit. This county secured at the World's Fair in Chicago a medal for the best spring wheat raised in 1893. The mountainous part of Sheridan County shows pros- pects rich in copper, and good samples of gold, silver, nickel and other minerals are found. This part of the county con- tains a large number of natural basins for the storage of water, which insures a vast development at no distant time in the production of crops requiring late irrigation. With abundance of water, the prospects in the mountains being developed into mines, the whole country being underlaid with coal, Sheridan County combines the resources essential as a foundation upon which to make a rapid and permanent development on a sound basis. One of the pleasing features is the excellent trout fishing to be found in all of the twenty-two streams flowing from the Big Horn Mountains. These streams were found in early days to be the natural home of the Rocky Mountain trout. Of late years most of the streams have been stocked with the eastern brook trout. The Big Horn Mountains afford the finest places for summer camping. Summer resorts have been erected at some of the lakes in the mountains where the fishing is the best, and here one can walk over great drifts of snow, which never entirely disappear. The Burlington and Missouri railroad has a line travers- ing the entire length of the county, and has projected lines in other directions. There are ten churches, numerous excellent schools, flouring mills, brick yards, a brewery and a number of small manufacturing concerns. The Town of Sheridan is the county seat of this county, charmingly located at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains. It has a population of five thousand, and has every improve- ment necessary for the enjoyment of a thoroughly up-to-date city and has the rural mail delivery system. There are eight churches, lodges of all fraternities and a club. Within three miles of the city is situated Fort McKenzie, garrisoned by United States troops. About twelve miles north of the city is the south boundary line of the Crow Indian Reservation, from which Indians come to Sheridan in large numbers to trade. At Sheridan, also, is located a State Hospital. This county is one of the best agriculturally developed counties in the state, and is a splendid example of what will shortly be done in this line in other counties. The United States land ofHce for this county is located at Buffalo. COUNTY. 39 Sweetwater County. This was originally called Carter County, after a pioneer, Judge Carter, when a part of Dakota, but upon the organiza- tion of the Territory of Wyoming, in 1869, the name was changed to Sweetwater, after the Sweetwater River, which was so named by General Ashley in 1823. The chief industries are coal mining and stock raising. In the year 1904 the total assessed value of property in the county was $4,072,054.91. The total bonded indebtedness is $76,700 ; the rate of taxation, 20 mills. Green River, the county seat of Sweetwater County, has a population of about i,.2OO, and is essentially a railroad town, being a division point on the Union Pacific. Extensive repair shops are operated here by the railroad company. The sur- rounding country is devoted largely to the grazing of sheep and other live stock. A system of waterworks has been con- structed at a cost of nearly half a million dollars, for the pur- pose of pumping water from Green River to Rock Springs, a distance of eighteen miles, where extensive coal mining opera- tions are carried on by the Union Pacific. Large quantities of ice are annually stored at Green River, and during the summer season between four and five hundred thousand rail- road ties and mine props are floated down the river and distributed at this point. A saw mill is maintained for the manufacture of rough lumber. The most promising industry in Green River, at the pres- ent time, is the production of sal soda, which is likely to assume vast proportions in a short time. Several wells have been sunk on the bottoms of Green River, that yield an in- exhaustible supply of water containing an average of twenty- five per cent of soda crystals, or, in other words, twenty-five pounds of sal soda to every one hundred pounds of water. The development of this industry at first was very much retarded by the failure to secure freight rates that would en- able the chemical company to place their product on the market. A few months ago rates were obtained that enables this product to compete at Missouri River points and on the Pacific coast. The result was that in September last the com- pany shipped 150 tons of sal soda, which had a market value at Omaha of $24 per ton. Wyoming sal soda is superior to that manufactured from salt, and has been given the prefer- ence wherever installed. 4o THE STATE OF WYOMING. Rock Springs. Eighteen miles distant on the line of the Union Pacific is located the town of Rock Springs. Here are operated the largest coal mines in the state. It has a popula- tion of 5,000, composed very largely of miners, and is one of the most active business points in Wyoming. It is well built, having fine business blocks, a water system, electric light plant and a magnificent $25,000 city hall. At this point is located the Wyoming General Hospital, maintained by the state. The citizenship of Rock Springs is cosmopolitan. Twen- ty-five languages are spoken, and almost every important country on the face of the earth is represented. Rock Springs is a great wholesaling point. Here is found some of the greatest stocks of merchandise in the state, and the merchants push their trade into the mining districts of Central Wyoming and the cattle and sheep country lying in all directions from this enterprising market. Industries. The county is well suited to sheep raising, and many citizens are so engaged. The broken and diversified character of the country, covered as it is with white sage and nutritious grasses, furnishes just the conditions conducive to the successful management of that class of live stock, 450,000 head being run upon the plains. The entire county is underlaid with veins of coal, which, however, have been more extensively developed at Rock Springs than elsewhere, and the term Rock Springs coal is synonymous throughout the west with coal of exceptional quality. The output is 2,000,000 tons per annum. There are vast areas of undeveloped coal lands in the county, principally to the north of the railroad, much of which on being prospected shows excellent coal in veins from three to twelve feet thick. The Red Desert, lying in the eastern half of Sweetwater county and the western portion of Carbon County, was long thought to be absolutely valueless, but in recent years it has proved of great worth as the winter range of many thousands of sheep. There are no streams to provide water for sheep in summer, but just as soon as the winter snows arrive the sheep thrive thereon wonderfully well and the desert is transformed into a scene of animation. This range, aside from the railroad lands, is without charge to the flockmaster. The United States land office for this county is located at Evanston, except for a few townships in the eastern portion of the countv, which are in the Cheyenne land office district. m UINTA COUNTY. 41 Uinta County Uinta County was organized in 1869, and was named for the Uintah Indians. It lies in the extreme western portion of the state and extends from the northern boundary of Utah to the southern boundary of the Yellowstone National Park. It covers over 15,000 square miles, and much of this vast area is unentered government land. The Union Pacific railroad crosses the county in its southern portion, and the Oregon Short Line in the south central portion. The elevation ranges from 5,000 to 8,000 feet. Topography. The county is characterized by a charming alternation of wooded hill and arable valley, of rolling upland pasturage and well drained meadow. Some parts of the county are very mountainous, but broad extents of valleys and plateaus blend with the hills in charming and picturesque beauty. The mountains are cut by a number of swift rivers running through deep canons, and the valleys are threaded by the numerous forks and tributaries of these rivers. Fair lakes are embosomed in the hills and feed great rivers and streams. Streams. The rivers of the county are the Bear, Green, Salt and Snake. The principal tributaries of Bear River are Black's Fork, Twin Creek and Smith's Fork. Those of the Green are Horse, Cottonwood, the three Piney Creeks, La Barge, Fontenelle and Henry's Fork Creeks. Those of the Snake are Buffalo Fork, Gros Ventre and Hoback's Rivers from the eastward, and John Day's and Salt Rivers from the south. Besides the lakes and rivers, there are about forty named creeks of considerable size traversing the surface of the county. Statistics. Lands and improvements are assessed at $1,797,666; total assessed valuation of all property, $5,747- 805.31; rate of taxation, state and county, 19 mills; county debt, $99,500 (bonded) ; number of schools, 69 ; teachers, 81 ; districts, 21 ; school children between five and seventeen years, 4,408; population, census of 1900, 12,223; present population, about 16,000. Principal Towns. The county seat is Evanston ; popula- tion, 2,110. It is pleasantly situated in the Bear River Valley; has many natural advantages, and is one of the most progres- sive and attractive towns in the state. It is the home of 42 THE: STATE; OF WYOMING. prosperous merchants, cattlemen and sheepmen. Union Pa- cific shops are located here, and there are two banks, two newspapers, five churches, commodious brick school house, large court house and jail, electric light plant, waterworks and three hotels. The State Insane Asylum is situated here and also the United States land office for Evanston district. Diamondville, Kemmerer, Cokeville and Cumberland are the principal towns on the Oregon Short Line, and are large coal producers. The coal of Uinta County is but slightly exposed, being largely covered by the tertiary; and it is only where recent erosion has occurred that the coal outcrops. Owing to this fact, it may be years before the full extent of the coal lands of Uinta County is thoroughly known. The output is extensively used by the smelters of Montana, the railroads of Utah, Idaho, Oregon, California and Nebraska, for which purposes it is admirably suited. Star Valley, a fine agricultural section, 125 miles distant from the county seat, is traversed by Salt River, Cottonwood Creek, mountain streams and many large canals and laterals. The population is about 3,000. The people, mostly Mormons, are thrifty and prosperous. They raise timothy and alfalfa, hay, oats, barley and winter wheat, large crops of potatoes and garden truck, and in agricultural wealth and splendid ranges for cattle, rival the people of the southern end of the county. In this beautiful valley several creameries have been established, and their products have become famous through- out the west. They not only supply the local demand, but ship butter and cheese to Butte, Anaconda, Helena and the cities and towns of Oregon and Washington. There are many thousand acres of good agricultural land open for settlement under the homestead and desert entry laws of the United States. This land is admirably adapted for the cultivation of hay and small grain crops, and there is an abundance of water for irrigation purposes. Settlers would be welcomed, and there are good opportunities for those who have a little capital, as good land already brought under cul- tivation can be purchased for from four to ten dollars per acre. School, road and mail facilities are already well estab- lished, and railroad communication is easy of access. This county has developed wonderful oil fields. (See article on Oil.) The famous Jackson Hole and Jackson Lake lie in the northern part of the county, south of the Yellowstone National Park. Jackson's Hole was named in 1828 after David E. Jackson, a wealthy partner of the Rocky Mountain Fur Com- pany. Jackson Hole is an extensive valley of fertile land and UINTA COUNTY. 43 some good farms, and is traversed by Snake River and num- erous creeks. Prior to 1871 Jackson Hole was practically unknown to others than the hardy trapper and prospector, and it was not then supposed that this great valley would one day become an important part of the body politic of the State of Wyoming, and that magnificent farms and homes would cover its fertile expanse, or the range of the wild game, in its last retreat before the perpetual blow of the advance of civilization. The soil of Jackson Hole is a rich sandy loam, and while the principal crops produced are native hay and tame grasses, vegetables and small fruits mature and are raised in sufficient quantities to supply all local demand. All kinds of cereals will mature, and while the approximate elevation of the valley is 6,200 feet above sea level, the surrounding moun- tains protect it from the killing winds and insure its becoming one of the future agricultural districts of the state. The stock interests consist entirely of cattle and horses. Owing to the location and conditions surrounding it, the valley is not a good place for sheep. Stock is generally fed and sheltered during the more inclement part of the winter. Hay in great quan- tities is raised and is worth from $2.50 to $3.50 per ton. A ton of hay will feed each head of grown stock. Ranchmen following the cattle business have without exception become well-to-do, building large irrigation canals, comfortable resi- dences and large barns for the shelter of their stock. Im- provement is everywhere evident, and for a new community Jackson Hole has as many valuable ranch improvements as any other new community in the state. Prospects have been found that indicate that there is mineral in the vicinity of this valley. Since 1860 the bars on the Snake River have been worked for placer gold, and good wages can be and are now obtained by sluicing or rocking the gravel. Where the gold comes from has never been de- termined ; that it is there is beyond question. Coal beds of vast dimensions and superior quality lie on the east side of the Gros Ventre River. (See article on Game and Fish.) Soil. The soil is of three distinct classes : First, the bottom or meadow lands, usually possessing a rich, black and somewhat heavy soil, lying next to the streams, always easily irrigated, and on that account generally the most desired by settlers; second, the bench lands, rising terrace-like toward the neighboring hills, possessing as a soil a warm, sandy loam, always easily drained, usually presenting no great obstacle to irrigation, and now being generally recognized as the soil capable of the widest range of production; third, the high bluff lands, watered by numerous streams, usually too sandy 44 THE STATE of WYOMING. for cultivation, but naturally affording the most ample and nutritious pasturage for horses, cattle and sheep. Climate. The winters are not severe, and the summers are always temperate. Clear, frosty days, with an occasional exceptionally cold night ; usually severe weather in March ; some very warm days in summer, but always cool and reviv- ing breezes in the night. Agriculture. The production of timothy and wild hay, alfalfa, oats, potatoes, winter wheat, and in some sections barley, occupy the whole attention of Uinta County farmers. Possessing a soil singularly fertile and lasting, this county offers exceptional inducements to the agriculturist, with the assurance that the waters will never fail, that his crops will never be blighted by drought, and abundant harvest will surely follow seed time. Timber. Throughout the county timber is abundant on the hill sides for lumber, fuel and mining purposes. Yellow and white pine, some cedar and spruce, cottonwood and aspen, are the principal growths. Saw mills are in operation in many portions of the county, and much lumber is produced. The United States land office for this county is at Ev- an ston. Weston County. Weston County was organized in 1890, and was named after a gentleman of that name, who was interested in build- ing the Burlington railroad through that section of the state. It is 100 miles long by forty-eight miles wide, comprising 3,133,440 acres, and has a population of 3,203. The total as- sessed valuation of 'all kinds of property in 1904 was $1,862,- 842.34, divided as follows : Farm lands and improvements, $316,046.36; town lots and improvements, $118,301; cattle, $559,337; horses, $98,151; sheep, $287,894.30. County in- debtedness, $33,820; rate of taxation, 19% mills. Weston County, although enjoying an altitude between 4,000 and 5,000 feet above the sea level and possessing good soils, is not so well watered as other sections of the state, owing to the absence of large streams having their sources in the lofty mountains of the snowy ranges. The rainfall, however, is considerably greater than at a higher altitude, averaging from eighteen to twenty inches per annum. The dark, loamy soils, in part of the county, are quite productive WESTON COUNTY. 45 without irrigation, and the reddish gypsum soils found at the base of table lands retain the moisture and are very fertile. Precipitation is mainly in the spring and early summer, and crops make rapid progress from germination to maturity. Wild fruits of the smaller varieties, such as plums, goose- berries, currants and strawberries, grow plentifully. All the farm products known in the northern latitudes are produced in this region, even Indian corn, and the yield is most excel- lent. Wheat of the spring varieties yields over fifty bushels, rye over forty, oats seventy to even one hundred bushels, and corn, of the flint, dent and squaw varieties, also makes good returns. Timothy, alfalfa, red clover and other tame grasses are cultivated with success, as are also potatoes, rutabagas, turnips, carrots and sugar beets, the last named producing as high as six tons per acre, with twenty per cent of sugar, as shown by analysis. Stock growing makes an excellent ac- companiment of farming throughout this region. Shorthorn, Hereford, Sussex and West Highlands cattle find favor for the range. Horses also receive much attention and are in- creasing in value. There is good pine timber in the Black Hills, and numerous saw mills supply the wants of the settler. Gypsum is found in inexhaustible quantities, and superior quality of building stone, granite and lime. Salt producing springs have been discovered near Jenney's Stockade, and an oil district in the same locality covers over 400 square miles. (See article on Oil.) Weston County is famous for its coal, which finds a ready market in the adjoining states of South Dakota and Nebraska, and along the line of the Burlington railroad, which traverses the entire length of the county, east and west. Newcastle, the county seat, is a thriving town. The first building was erected in September, 1889, the Burlington rail- road having reached that point in the previous month. After the discovery of coal the population grew very rapidly, and in 1900 was 756. In 1890 extensive waterworks were con- structed at a cost of over $100,000 by the Cambria Mining Company, which furnishes an abundant supply of water for Newcastle, Cambria and the great coal mines. A $6,000 town hall and $12,000 school building have been erected. Within the immediate vicinity are several oil wells, the first discovery being made fifteen years ago. Salt wells have been opened in the vicinity of Newcastle, and promise to develop into a large and profitable industry. All lines of business are well repre- sented and prosperous. Cambria is a coal mining town, the population being actively engaged in that industry. The quality of coal mined 46 THE STATE: OF WYOMING. is excellent, and is described elsewhere in this publication. Modern equipment and methods are the characteristics of the mining plant. The coal here is of a coking quality, and coke ovens are in operation. The population of the Cambria dis- trict is 962. The United States land office for this county is located at Sundance. Yellowstone National Park, The Wonderland of America. If all the other resources of Wyoming could fail, it would still be known to the world through the Yellowstone National Park. The park was discovered by John Colter in 1807, but its final disclosure to the world was the work of three exploring parties in the years 1869, 1870 and 1871. It was finally re- served as a national park by act of Congress in 1872. It lies in the northwest corner of Wyoming ; is sixty-two miles long by fifty-four miles wide. Its government and control is under the special authority of the federal government. The scenery of the park is not equaled by anything in the world. It is too grand, its scope too immense, its details too varied and minute, to admit of even an attempt at its descrip- tion within these pages, for nearly every form, animate or inanimate, in dream or fancy, ever seen or conjured by the imagination, may here be seen. Its colors and blended tints baffle the artist's brush, and language is inadequate for its portrayal. It is here in this vast solitude that one stands in silent awe and hears the deep diapason of nature's mightiest and most mysterious anthem as it swells in thunder tones or sinks into sweetest, softest melodies. Here, too, is found much that is chastely beautiful, hidden -away in some dim- lighted alcove or bower, while all about is the grim-visaged and towering strength of the silent mountain sentinel. The eye is never weary, for the scene is ever shifting, ever becom- ing more and more grand, imposing and impressive. Placed as it is upon the very apex of the continent, its seasons are "July, August and Winter." In the summer, July and August, the long-imprisoned vegetation bursts into full life and beauty, and in this short period occur the changes which require months in lower altitudes. The average snow- fall, from November to April, is ten feet. YELLOWSTONE; NATIONAL PARK. 47 The tourist season lasts from June until October, and nowhere can be found a more delightful summer climate. Every year shows an increase in the tourist travel to this region, which the government so wisely controls and protects for the enjoyment of the public. The park can be reached by wagon routes, which make very pleasant camping trips through beautiful and diversified scenic country. Probably the most picturesque route is from Cody on the Burlington and Missouri railroad, from which point a new road has been constructed by the government. This trip is fifty miles long, and can be made on splendid tally-ho coaches managed by Colonel Cody (Buffalo Bill). Tourists can stop over mid- way and rest and fish for the speckled trout, and also make side trips into the famous Jackson Hole country. The scenery on this route equals, if it does not surpass, anything in the Alps. Guides and camping outfits can be obtained at Cody. This makes a very pleasant method of seeing the park. The park can also be reached from Rawlins on the Union Pacific railroad through the Shoshone Indian Reservation; also from Casper on the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Val- ley railroad through the Indian Reservation. By wagon this makes a delightful trip, passing nearly all the way through a country of wonderful scenery and abounding in game and fish. The government has expended $40,000 in making this route an enjoyable one for the park visitor. Many visitors choose a northern entrance, coming by way of the Northern Pacific to Livingstone on the main line ; thence a branch road fifty miles long drops almost directly south to Cinnabar, Montana, eight miles from Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, and Fort Yellowstone, where the itinerary of the tourist choosing this route commences. The trip as planned by the Yellowstone Park Transporta- tion Company occupies five days, and includes the main points of interest, but each hotel may become the center of enjoyable side trips, if the visitor has time and means to tarry. The Union Pacific and its branch, the Oregon Short Line, bring the travel to Monida, a station on the boundary of Montana and Idaho. Here he exchanges the Pullman for the modern Concord coach, which the Monida and Yellowstone Stage Company has in readiness for him. Although a day's ride from the boundary of the park, a tourist is seldom found who cares to forget that first day's coaching. The invig- orating air, the ever-changing view of mountain and lake, good horses, a good driver and good meals at every station, combine to drive into the background the cares of his worka- day life. This route connects with the belt line at the Foun- tain Hotel in the Lower Geyser Basin. 48 THK STATE: OF WYOMING. All stage lines are equipped with the best and most mod- ern coaches. Necessary hand baggage is carried, and trunks are stored free of charge. Parties coming in by one route and desiring to leave by the other may have their baggage trans- ferred without cost. Hotel rates are four dollars per day. There are four modern hotels, with electric light, baths and telegraphic com- munication with all parts of the world. These are so situated that coaches reach them before an early dinner hour and leave after breakfast. The midday meal is procured at lunch sta- tions conveniently placed between the hotels. The Wylie Camping Company furnishes still another way of doing the park. It stands in about the same relation to the two just described that an accommodation train does to the Pullman flyer. One travels the same road and has the same views, but from a two-horse spring wagon instead of. a four- horse Concord coach. He sleeps in a tent, dines from a camp table, and pays thirty-five dollars for his week in the park. Last of all comes the independent camper, who cooks his meals in the geyser w r ells, finds plenty of suitable camping places, and may have a very good time with small expense, if he is careful to quench his camp fire, and keeps his dog tied under the wagon, or, better still, leaves him at home. The government has spent $40,000 in the construction of wagon roads leading from the south and east; the former from Fort Washakie to Jackson Lake, directly south of the park. From this point a good road connects with the belt line at Yellowstone Lake. The traveler taking this route passes within the shadow of the Grand Teton and along the margin of Jackson Lake, a combination of water and mountain scenery unsurpassed for grandeur and beauty. As the United States has sole and exclusive jurisdiction over the park, its protection and improvement are under the direction of government officers. Fort Yellowstone, located at Mammouth Hot Springs, is a two-troop cavalry post. The commanding officer is the acting superintendent of the park. The United States Commissioner, who has civil jurisdiction of all crimes and offenses committed within the park, is sta- tioned here. There are also ten outposts throughout the park, at each of which are stationed a non-commissioned officer and a small squad of men, who patrol the entire area of the park both summer and winter. All roads are constructed and kept in repair at the expense of the government. The road leading south from Mammoth Hot Springs at Norris Geyser Basin, twenty miles from Mam- moth Hot Springs, intersects the belt line, which describes a m Two WYOMING INDIAN CHIEFS OF RENOWN. . I LIVE STOCK. 49 circle of one hundred miles, and upon which is situated nearly all the most prominent points of interest. Twenty miles of the one hundred can be covered by steamer across Yellowstone Lake, if the traveler so elects, for an extra fare of three dollars. The English language is rich in adjectives, and all have been brought into service, but failed to picture the park. In spite of the attempts of the word painter, it has not been de- scribed. Each one must see for himself to appreciate the generosity of Mother Nature, who has planned entertainment for every mood of every character. The poet may find his theme, the artist an inexhaustible supply of studies, the scientist a rich field for work. The lover of the grotesque will linger in the hoodoos. The mud geyser will satisfy a craving for the horrible. Spluttering pools and boiling springs will testify that the stokers of the lower regions are never off duty. The geysers bear a family resemblance to one another, but each has an individuality in cone and action. The Grand Canon, with its many-hued walls, might alone invite the world to be its guest. Fish are waiting to be caught, but deer and other game seem to realize that they are the wards of the government, and only pose for the admiration or the camera of the visitor. Bears never fail to furnish the after dinner amusement at the hotels. Live Stock. The live stock industry of Wyoming, which for a long time was its only industry, has a history as varied and romantic as a Sixteenth Century tale. When the country now com- prised in this state was first discovered a luxuriant grass covered the prairies, upon which nothing but buffalo and .wild game grazed. Her first herds were gathered and reared by men who preceded the first attempts at actual settlement of the territory. Lying in the pathway of that great migration to the Pacific coast, which began in the middle of the past century, her territory was necessarily traversed by countless long trains of ox teams, many of which, through accident or disease, were destined never to reach their journey's end. Sick, injured, footsore and poor, these animals were abandoned to live as best they might, or become a prey for the wild ani- mals of mountain and plain. That many of them lived through the winter following and were fat enough for beef in the early springtime proved a revelation to the man accustomed to long 50 THE: STATS OF WYOMING. and expensive winter feeding, and forced his attention to the fact that our mountain grasses must possess nutritious qual- ities of marvelous worth. To raise cattle, horses and sheep was, for our earliest settlers, an easy matter, but to keep them was quite a different proposition, for the Indian had little respect for the rights of ownership, and no horse was safe beyond the reach of a bullet from his owner's trusty rifle. When the white man came to stay he brought vast herds of cattle that thrived on the strong and nutritious grasses of the open range. Fast following these early days of settlement, of danger and accumulation, came the "boom" in the cattle business during the '8os, marked by the investment of millions of dollars by men who knew nothing of the business in which they so recklessly embarked. The period of unwarranted speculation, fancy prices and extravagant waste was of short duration, and, naturally enough, was followed by rapid de- pression of prices and the consequent failures of the inex- perienced. Following this appeared the ranchmen of moderate means, having smaller herds of cattle, who had learned from bitter experience that feed must be provided for severe winters. Thus ranches were settled and irrigated alfalfa, hay and other feed provided rendering the business that was formerly so precarious a safe and steady avocation, and one that is rapidly giving our people wealth and independence. The live stock industry has been the most remunerative business of this section of the west ; mining and agriculture are fast becoming close competitors. As to which branch of the business cattle, sheep or horses one should adopt, no advice can be given. One should follow that for which he is best adapted. Large fortunes and many comfortable com- petencies have been and are being made in each branch. CATTLE. This great industry, combined with farming, offers splen- did opportunities for profitable investment. Today cattle are successfully grown in every section of the state. We still have forty million acres of free government range upon which our farmers graze their herds, and doubt- less over half the cattle in Wyoming are run on this open range during the entire year; although our stock growers generally appreciate the importance of winter feeding and are rapidly increasing hay and grain production. Wyoming can grow better beef at less cost than almost any other section, for the reason that land values are very low as compared with other states. And there is ample free LIVE: STOCK. 51 range upon which the cattle graze over half the year; more- over, alfalfa, hay and oats combined form a perfect ration for the correct and complete development of bone, muscle and flesh, while our natural buffalo grass and bluestem hay excel the famous bluegrass of Kentucky. Under irrigation, these can be quickly and cheaply grown, while our cloudless summer skies permit us to harvest these crops so as to retain all nutritive properties. Blood and feed, combined with ideal natural conditions, in a land where disease is unknown, enable us to defy the world in breeding live stock. Our winters are dry and mild, and in most sections cattle graze in the open fields during the entire season. All "beef" breeds do well and show marked improve- ment in this high altitude. Many pedigreed herds could be established here successfully, while experiments made by our more progressive ranchmen have demonstrated conclusively that steers can be hay-fed and matured during the winter with great profit. Dairying is also a paying branch of the cattle industry. SHEEP. Since 1883 the sheep industry has grown enormously, and many heretofore poor men have become rich, some owning as many as 65,000 head. Sheep are grazed in the mountains in the summer, and in the winter upon the plains, where they find the cured grass, as Nature provides it, together with the browse furnished by the sage brush. A sheep man needs no ranch and makes no preparations in the way of harvested feed for the winter, but, like Abraham of old, movies about with his flocks, in the summer living in tents in the cool shades of the mountains, and in winter in a "sheep wagon," which is fully equipped with spring bed, stove and kitchen outfit. Sheep are subject to no disease except scab, which is easily cured. The wool, at fifteen cents per pound, a little more than pays all the cost of running the sheep a year, so that the increase and mutton are the accumulated net profit. Wyoming leads all the western states and territories in the price per head of its sheep, and leads every state in the Union in total value of its sheep, the number and value of its lambs, and the amount and value of its wool clip, and the average weight of fleece prqduced. As the sheep have multiplied and the free range dimin- ished through settlement and segregation, our flockmasters have been keenly alive to the importance of improving the quality of the wool and the necessity of early maturity in mutton ; hence we now find the lambs going to market in 52 THE: STATE: OF WYOMING. an ever-increasing flood, while winter feeding of lambs is rapidly becoming an important branch of the sheep industry. Lambs are fed on alfalfa hay, together with grain of some sort or peas, and in one hundred days of winter feeding made to weigh eighty to ninety pounds. Mutton so produced is considered by epicures the best in the market. Sheep on the open range seem to stand more severe winter weather than cattle. Nevertheless, it is only a question of a few years until our flockmasters must expect to feed some hay or grain dur- ing the winter. Fortunately, the great government irrigation projects now under way will doubtless be completed in time to supply this growing demand. HORSES. It has been proven beyond question that horses raised on the foothills and mountains, in the pure light air of an eleva- tion of from 5,000 to 10,000 feet, have better lungs, stronger and better developed bone and muscle, and tougher hoofs, than horses from any other country.' This is borne out by the fact that not only the United States Government, during the Spanish war and since, but the English Government, for service in South Africa, have purchased as many thousand head of horses in Wyoming as could be obtained. No horse in the world can compete with the Wyoming horse in endurance of all kinds of hardship to which horse flesh is subjected by man. This is a broad statement, but we make it without fear of refutation ; every horseman and horse in the state stands ready to back it up. Embracing about 98,000 square miles of territory, nearly every acre of which is clothed in a mantle of the most nutri- tious grasses 'and sage brush browse, Wyoming presents a territory for grazing purposes 40 per cent larger than is found in all the eastern states combined. Add to this vast food supply the most delightful climate in the world, with cool summers and dry, mild winters, and it is but little wonder that Wyoming has been called the "Stockman's Paradise," and that it has become an important factor in supplying beef, mutton and wool to the eastern and western markets. The requisites for success in the business are a few cattle, sheep or horses, and attention to their wants under the con- ditions of the country and climate. The man who can do this for a few years will, with common prudence, find himself independent of the world, and his old age may be spent in peace and with plenty. The cut on opposite page is a picture of "Wyoming," the horse presented by the City of Douglas to President Roose- velt when he made his famous sixty-mile ride during his visit to the state in May, 1903. LIVE STOCK. 53 "Wyoming/* the Horse Presented to President Roosevelt. This horse, taken from the range, is a marvel of equine intelligence, is possessed of five different gaits, and is a swift and easy traveler. The horse is now in the White House stables in Washington. Wyoming horses are unexcelled. SWINE. Swine do remarkably well in our state, hog cholera being unknown, and it is said that young shoats born in our high altitude are not liable to contract the disease when shipped east to be finished on corn. Swine do well the year round on alfalfa. In the summer they are turned in to the green alfalfa fields and in the winter fed on the dry hay. The best of pork can be produced very cheaply on a combination feed of alfalfa, roots, small grain or peas. Today Wyoming imports a large proportion of the salt pork, bacon and ham consumed by her citizens, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars' worth each year. The freight rate from the eastern market is very high, and this meat could be produced in Wyoming with great profit. 54 THE STATE: OF WYOMING. Public Lands and Irrigation Projects And the Laws Under Which They Are Being Administered. GOVERNMENT RECLAMATION SERVICE. In the arid states the people are of the opinion that they will derive greater benefit during the next decade through the operation of the act of Congress approved June 17, 1902, than through all other agricultural channels. Wyoming takes particular pride in this act, for the reason that its con- gressional delegation was the great moving force in securing its enactment. In season and out of season its representa- tives in the halls of Congress have advocated the reclamation of the arid lands of the mountain states, and the reclamation act is the result of their tireless efforts. Under this law all the moneys received from the sale of public lands goes into a fund for the building of reservoirs and canals for the storage of water and the irrigation of lands. More than twenty-seven millions of dollars have already been placed to the credit of this fund, and numerous projects have been entered upon by the Geological Survey, the Bureau of the Department of the Interior having direct charge of the work. Wyoming has not been neglected. For two big enter- prises, the Secretary of the Interior has set aside $3,250,000 $2,250,000 for the Shoshone project and $1,000,000 for the North Platte project. For the information in this chapter relating to these projects, we are indebted to Mr. John E. Field, engineer in charge of the reclamation work on the North Platte River, and Mr. Jeremiah Ahern, engineer in charge of the work on the Shoshone River. It may be safely stated that there will be expended in this state by the federal government during the next decade fully ten millions of dollars. This vast sum will mean great prosperity to many people. The men who will take up the land under the big reservoirs and canals will undoubtedly be given an opportunity to perform a great deal of the work in constructing the dams and ditches. In this way they will be enabled to maintain themselves during the entire building period, and at the same time they will find oppor- tunity to improve their homesteads. PUBLIC LANDS AND IRRIGATION PROJECTS. 55 NORTH PLATTE PROJECT. This project contemplates, first, the building of the res- ervoir on the North Platte River, fifty miles above the town of Casper. The river will be dammed at a point three miles below the mouth of the Sweetwater, the location being a granite canon, about 200 feet deep, 80 feet at the bottom and 175 feet at the top. The dam will be of masonry, and the area covered about 22,000 acres, the capacity being one million acre feet. The entire flow of the Platte River at this point passes through the reservoir and can be stored. The stored water will be turned loose and allowed to run down the river to the headgates of the several ditches under con- templation, thus giving assurance of an ample supply' of water at all times. The Chicago and Northwestern railway reaches Casper from the east, which line may be reached over the Colorado and Southern railway from Cheyenne. The wasteway will be over the granite ridge at both ends of the dam, no water being allowed to flow over the dam. Power may be developed here whenever necessary. The elevation of the reservoir is about 5,800 feet above sea level. Canals. The first canal, contemplated below the reservoir, heads about eight miles above the town of Casper, on the south side of the river, and extends easterly to a point about opposite Douglas, Wyo. The amount of land under the canal is about 30,000 acres. Preliminary surveys and estimates only have been made. These estimates show that the cost of reclama- tion will probably exceed $25 per acre. Most of the land is in private ownership. The second canal is on the north side of the river, heading about opposite Glenrock and extending to Orin. It controls about 20,000 acres. The cost will prob- ably be in excess of $25. Most of this land is in private ownership. Preliminary surveys only have been made. The Groshen Hole Canal heads at the town of Guernsey, where a diversion dam 100 feet high is necessary. The length of the canal will be about 140 miles, of which six miles are in tunnel. The area of land covered is about 150,000 acres, a large part being public land. The cost of reclamation has not been definitely determined, but it will probably be in the neighborhood of $35 per acre. The feasibility of the canal has not yet been passed upon, further investigation being necessary. 56 THE STATE OF WYOMING. Fort Laramie Canal, heading about eight miles above old Fort Laramie, on the south side of the river, covers some 50,000 acres, about equally divided between Wyoming and Nebraska. Twenty-five thousand acres are included in the estimate of the 150,000 acres under the Goshen Hole Canal. Preliminary surveys only have been made, but the indica- tions are that the project is feasible. The Interstate Canal heads at the same point as the Fort Laramie Canal, namely eight miles above old Fort Laramie. There will be a diversion dam of concrete, 300 feet long, raising water ten feet above the bed of the river. This canal will be an enlargement of the Whalen Falls Canal. About 20,000 acres lying under the canal will be irrigated by the Whalen Falls' Canal Company. It is expected that the water will- be available for this land in the summer of 1906. Con- tracts for the first forty-five miles of this canal were let May 16. This first forty-five miles carries the canal nearly to the state line, and it is expected that the contract for the next fifty miles of canal will cover some 10,000 acres in Wyoming and some 50,000 acres in Nebraska, almost all of which is public land. The canal, w r hen completed, will cover probably 100,000 acres of land, and it is hoped that it will extend as far east as Bridgeport. The cost per acre will probably not exceed $35. The Whalen Falls Canal has a priority calling for 280 cubic feet per second of water, but has no reservoir right. It is proposed to build- all the laterals from the main canal, reaching practically every farm area. These farm areas will probably consist of eighty acres of good arable land, the homestead entry being limited to that amount. It is also proposed to build other canals on both sides of the river in Nebraska, probably by the extension of existing canals. This matter has not been investigated, but it is hoped to bring 50,000 acres more under cultivation by this means. The area to be irrigated, especially that in Nebraska and in the Goshen Hole, is comparable with land in and about Greeley, Colo. The elevation is about 4,000 feet and the rainfall about thirteen inches per annum. The character of the soil is a sandy loam, with little alkali and little adobe. The Burlington railroad runs the entire length of the Goshen Hole and Interstate Canal lands. It is some 500 miles from Omaha and some 250 miles from Denver. The prevailing winds are from the northwest, the maximum velocity for 1903 being forty-five miles per hour. The mean temperature was about 45, with a maximum of 98 and a minimum of 20. Humidity, 66%. The evapo- ration over the area to be irrigated is about the same as for Eastern Colorado. Corn is successfully grown, frosts seldom interfering with its maturing. PUBLIC LANDS AND IRRIGATION PROJECTS. 57 Agricultural Possibilities. The value of the non-irrigable land is from one to five dollars per acre. The value of irri- gated land from forty to seventy dollars per acre. Alfalfa is the principal crop of the region, though oats of superior qual- ity are grown extensively. Throughout the district in Ne- braska and the Goshen Hole sugar beets and potatoes will form the principal crop for intensified cultivation. The crops are about as follows : Alfalfa, three crops, four to six tons per acre. Sugar beets average about fifteen tons per acre. Potatoes, 200 bushels. Oats, 60 bushels. . Corn, 40 bushels. Wheat, 35 bushels. The domestic water supply is good, water being obtain- able at almost any point by wells 200 feet or less in depth. Sugar beet and starch factories will probably be built when the district is settled. The ranges surrounding the district will furnish sheep and cattle to be fed on the farm products. Good grazing land lies to the north, south and west of the district. The fuel supply is obtained from Northern Colorado and from Sheridan and Hanna, Wyo. Coal sells from five to seven dollars per ton. Markets. Agricultural products will probably find their best markets to the west for feeding in winter. The price of alfalfa per ton during the last year was $4; potatoes, 40 cents per bushel. This was very low, due to the big yield in other sections. Beets should bring $5 per ton and wild hay $12. Oats sold for $i per cwt. The market for cattle and sheep would be Denver, Omaha and Kansas City. Supply Markets. Supplies are obtained from Omaha, St. Joseph, Kansas City and Denver. The cost of provisions is somewhat higher than in Denver, though with an increase of consumption the prices would be practically the same. SHOSHONE PROJECT. Works Proposed. The storage reservoir will be on Sho- shone River, in Township 52 North, Range 103 West. It includes the lower portions of the North and South Forks of the river. Capacity at proposed flow line, 230 feet above bottom of river channel, 456,0000 acre feet. Area of flooded area, 6,600 acres. Mean depth, 69 feet. The storage dam is located at the head of Shoshone Canon, in Section 7, Township 52 North, Range 102 West. It will be seventy-five feet long at bottom of river channel, 200 feet long on top, and about 300 feet in height above its 58 THE STATE OF WYOMING. foundation, which is about sixty feet below the bottom of the river channel. It will be an arched dam of concrete. Waste- way will be 250 feet in length and connecting with a tunnel through the granite wall, which will discharge the surplus water into the river bed below the dam. There will be two outlet conduits, leaving the reservoir at ten feet and sixty feet, respectively, above the bed of the river. The one leaving the reservoir at the elevation ten feet will be a tunnel ten feet by ten feet in cross-section, 500 feet in length, and will discharge the water, which will be controlled by suitable gates, into the river channel below the dam, from which point it w r ill flow down the channel to the lower diversion point near Corbett, a distance of sixteen miles. The upper conduit will be divided into four sections. Section I will be six feet by seven feet through granite, 3,230 feet in length, grade 2.64 feet per mile, capacity 500 second feet. Section 2 will be a tunnel through granite and sand- stone, 2,593 f eet in length, and will have the same cross- section, grade and capacity as Section i. Between Sections I and 2 suitable waste gates will be placed. The water in Sections I and 2 will be under pressure from the reservoir. Section 3 will be an open cut, fourteen feet wide on the bot- tom ; side slopes, i l / 2 to i; depth of water, 7 feet; grade, 2. 1 12 feet per mile; length, 3,000 feet; capacity, 500 second feet. Section 4 will be a tunnel through limestone, with con- crete lining; cross-section, 8 feet by 8 feet; grade, 7.92 feet per mile ; length, 8,660 feet ; capacity, 500 second feet. At the end of this section the conduit reaches the upper portion of the irrigable land. Canal Lines. High line starts from lower end of outlet tunnel. Bottom width, 26 feet; depth, 6 feet; side slopes, i on 2; grade, 1.056 feet per mile; capacity, 500 second feet; length, 22 miles. Will irrigate 20,000 acres. At Eaglenest Creek it will be divided into three main laterals for irrigation of 20,000 acres north of Ralston. Low line canal heads in Shoshone River, sixteen miles below the damsite, or near Corbett station. A low diversion dam will be built. The first section will be a tunnel three and one-half miles long through sandstone and shale and will be lined. Water sec- tion will be 10 feet by 10 feet; grade, 6 feet per mile; ca- pacity, 1,000 second feet. Below the tunnel the water will enter the main low-line canal, which will extend to Frannie, a distance of forty-two miles, irrigating 80,000 acres. For ten miles the section of the canal will be : Bottom width, 38 feet ; depth, 7.5 feet; side slopes, i on 2; grade, 1.056 feet per mile; capacity, 1,000 second feet. Below this point the canal will be gradually decreased in size. PUBLIC LANDS AND IRRIGATION PROJECTS. 59 The area of the reclaimed land will be about 120,000 acres. Cost per acre, $30. Practically all this land is public domain, and is, therefore, subject to the conditions of the reclamation act. The farm unit has not been determined. Roads. A wagon road from the lower end of Shoshone Canon to the damsite, a distance of four miles, is being built. The road will be extended around the reservoir to replace the portion of the road between Cody and Yellowstone Park, which will be covered by the reservoir. Location. Big Horn County, Wyo. Latitude, from 44 30' to 45 o' N. ; longitude, from 108 30' to 109 20' W. Townships 52 to 58 North, Ranges 96 to 103 West, 6th Prin- cipal Meridian. The town of Cody is in the upper portion of this tract. The Cody branch of the Burlington railroad trav- erses the tract. Distances by rail from Cody via Burlington railroad : To Omaha, 982 miles. To Chicago, 1,461 miles. Topography. Irrigable lands are gentle rolling bench lands ; elevation, 4,000 to 5,000 feet. The drainage area above Cody is 1,480 square miles; above the damsite, 1,380 square miles. It includes the eastern slope of the Continental Divide in Yellowstone Park ; elevation, 10,000 to 12,000 feet. The major part of the drainage area is in Yellowstone Park and the Yellowstone Forest Reserve. Climate. Rainfall, from 8 to 16 inches. Run-off at Cody during 1903 was 1,027,900 feet, of 13 inches. Prevailing direc- tion of winds is from the west. Temperature : Maximum, 95 ; minimum, 20; mean, 42. Humidity, 65 per cent. Agricultural Possibilities. Value of non-irrigated lands, $1.25 per acre. Value of irrigated lands, $25 to $75 per acre. Types of soil, clay and sandy. Crops, alfalfa (two crops), oats, wheat, barley and vegetables. Range lands, ample. Fuel, coal, widely distributed. Time of Completion. Owing to the magnitude of the project, the time for its completion cannot be definitely stated. It is expected, however, that about 40,000 acres will be under ditch in about two years from the time of beginning construction. THE RECLAMATION ACT. The following is the law under which lands under the foregoing projects may be located: "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 60 THE: STATE OF WYOMING. That all moneys received from the sale and disposal of public lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mon- tana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Okla- homa, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyo- ming, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 3Oth, 1901, including the surplus of fees and commissions in excess of allowances to registers and receivers, and excepting the five per centum of the proceeds of the sales of public lands in the above states set aside by law for educational and other pur- poses, shall be, and the same are hereby, reserved, set aside and appropriated as a special fund in the Treasury to be known as the 'reclamation fund/ to be used in the examina- tion and survey for and the construction and maintenance of irrigation works for the storage, diversion and development of waters for the reclamation of arid and semi-arid lands in the said states and territories, and for the payment of all other expenditures provided for in this act. * * * * "Sec. 2. That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby au- thorized and directed to make examinations and surveys for, and to locate and construct, as herein provided, irrigation works for the storage, diversion and development of waters, including artesian wells, and to report to Congress at the be- ginning of each regular session as to the results of such ex- aminations and surveys, giving estimates of cost of all con- templated works, the quantity and location of the lands which can be irrigated therefrom, and all facts relative to the prac- ticability of each irrigation project; also the cost of works in process of construction as well as of those which have been completed. "Sec. 3. That the Secretary of the Interior shall, before giving the public notice provided for in Section 4 of this act, withdraw from public entry the lands required for any irriga- tion works contemplated under the provisions of this act, and shall restore to public entry any of the lands so withdrawn when, in his judgment, such lands are not required for the purposes of this act; and the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized, at or immediately prior to the time of beginning the surveys for any contemplated irrigation works, to withdraw from entry, except under the homestead laws, any public lands believed to be susceptible of irrigation from said works : Provided, That all lands entered and entries made under the homestead laws within areas so withdrawn during such withdrawal shall be subject to all the provisions, limita- tions, charges, terms and conditions of this act ; that said surveys shall be prosecuted diligently to completion, and upon the completion thereof, and of the necessary maps, plans and estimates of cost, the Secretarv of the Interior shall determine PUBLIC LANDS AND IRRIGATION PROJECTS. 61 whether or not said project is practicable and advisable, and if determined to be impracticable or unadvisable he shall thereupon restore said lands to entry ; that public lands which it is proposed to irrigate by means of any contemplated works shall be subject to entry only under the provisions of the homestead laws in tracts of not less than forty nor more than one hundred and sixty acres, and shall be subject to the lim- itations, charges, terms and conditions herein provided: Pro- vided, That the commutation provisions of the homestead laws shall not apply to entries made under this act. "Sec. 4. That upon the determination by the Secretary of the Interior that any irrigation project is practicable, he may cause to be let contracts for the construction of the same, in such portions or sections as it may be practicable to con- struct and complete as parts of the whole project, providing the necessary funds for such portions or sections are available in the reclamation fund, and thereupon he shall give public notice of the lands irrigable under such project, and limit of area per entry, which limit shall represent the acreage which, in the opinion of the Secretary, may be reasonably required for the support of a family upon the lands in question ; also of the charges which shall be made per acre upon the said entries, and upon lands in private ownership which may be irrigated by the waters of the said irrigation project, and the number of annual installments, not exceeding ten, in 'which such charges shall be paid and the time when such payments shall commence. The said charges shall be determinted with a view of returning to the reclamation fund the estimated cost of construction of the project, and shall be apportioned equit- ably : Provided, That in all construction work eight hours shall constitute a day's work, and no Mongolian labor shall be employed thereon. "Sec. 5. That the entryman upon lands to be irrigated by such works shall, in addition to compliance with the home- stead laws, reclaim at least one-half of the total irrigable area of his entry for agricultural purposes, and before receiving patent for the lands covered by his entry shall pay to the government the charges apportioned against such tract, as provided in Section 4. No right to the use of water for land in private ownership shall be sold for a tract exceeding one- hundred and sixty acres to any one land owner, and no such sale shall be made to any land owner unless he be an actual bona fide resident on such land, or occupant thereof residing in the neighborhood of said land, and no such right shall per- manently attach until all payments therefor are made. "Sec. 6. That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby au- thorized and directed to use the reclamation fund for the 62 THE STATE OF WYOMING. operation and maintenance of all reservoirs and irrigation works constructed under the provisions of this act : Provided, That when the payments required by this act are made for the major portion of the lands irrigated from the waters of any of the works herein provided for, then the management and operation of such irrigation works shall pass to the owners of the lands irrigated thereby, to be maintained at their ex- pense under such form of organization and under such rules and regulations as may be acceptable to the Secretary of the Interior : Provided, That the title to and the management and operation of the reservoirs and the works necessary for their protection and operation shall remain in the government until otherwise provided by Congress/' Other sections of the law, not necessary to quote herein, provide for the administration of the act by the Secretary of the Interior. This act was approved by the President June 17, 1902. WIND RIVER RESERVATION. By act of Congress of March 3, 1905, the Shoshone or Wind River Indian Reservation will be opened to the public, June 15, 1906, for settlement under the homestead act. This reservation comprises some of the most fertile land in the entire nation. It lies at an elevation of from 4,300 to more than 6,000 feet. Probably 250,000 acres of the tract is good farming land and the remainder is grazing land. There is some timber in the mountainous portions, and there is be- lieved to be coal and minerals of various kinds within its limits. Two great railroad lines are heading toward this reser- vation, and promise to be ready to carry passengers and freight to that section at the time of the opening. Brief but specific information relative to this opening has recently been given to the public by Hon. W. A. Richards, Commissioner of the General Land Office, as follows: "The ceded portion of said reservation, which embraces the land lying north and east of the Big Wind River, is to be disposed of under the provisions of the homestead, townsite, coal and mineral land laws of the United States, and will be opened to settlement and entry on June 15, 1906, and that by proclamation the President shall prescribe the manner in which such lands may be settled upon, occupied and entered by per- sons entitled to make entry thereof, and no person will be per- mitted to settle upon, occupy and enter said land, except as prescribed in said proclamation, until after the expiration of sixty days from the date when the same is open to settlement and entry. PUBLIC LANDS AND IRRIGATION PROJECTS. 63 "It is also provided that the rights of ex-soldiers and sailors under Sections 2304-2305, R. S., shall not be abridged. "All persons making homestead entries in said reservation within two years after the opening are required to pay $1.50 per acre, but in homestead entries made thereafter, the sum of $1.25 is to be paid. Fifty cents per acre is to be paid at the time of making the entry, and twenty-five cents per acre an- nually thereafter until the price provided for has been fully paid. Lands entered under the townsite, coal and mineral land laws must be paid for in amount and manner as provided by said laws. "Notices of location of mineral entries are required to be filed in the local land offices of the district in which the land is situated, and unless entry and payment shall be made within three years from the date of location, all rights there- under shall cease. "In case any entryman fails to make any of the payments for the land, as provided, within the time stated, all rights covered by such entries shall cease, and payments which have theretofore been made will be forfeited and the entry held for cancellation. "Commutation of homestead entry may be made of these lands under Section 2301, R. S., but the parties will be required to pay the price for the land, as fixed by the act. "After the expiration of five years from the date of the opening, all the lands then undisposed of, except mineral and coal lands, shall be sold to the highest bidder for cash at not less than $i per acre, and any of such lands remaining unsold after eight years from the time of opening may be sold to the highest bidder for cash, without regard to the minimum limit of price. "The ceded portion embraces about two-thirds of the land within said reservation and contains approximately 1,150,000 acres." In the cultivation of the lands upon this tract of land irrigation will be required. The government, through the reclamation service, has made a preliminary survey with a view of applying to it the provisions of the irrigation act, but nothing definite can be stated in regard to the action of the government at this time. It is believed that this reservation opening will bring to Wyoming many thousands of people, and that they will be delighted with the prospect presented and remain to become citizens of the state. Those who desire further information relative to agri- culture, horticulture, etc., in this particular region are referred to the excellent articles herein on those subjects. 6 4 THE STATE: OF WYOMING. -sip A eo JO oQcZt^ , ci to of crToof OO"D'O" O 1 fi CA 5 TJ c c 0) I bfl I GO CO :S : oj C C 3 ) C<1 LO O Tf iO O Tj^CO * coai 10 c- MM aico on iTHooc^c-Oi rto'cT otcT >t-0 0 * * *-* () C^ ^o &S|1B go ip'ifPi s PH $-4 C^> . M ^ rf Jte +J S * : ** B 1^ ^ ?i Sili |li c^ Nl r^ Tl -U S o o td 2 * AN IRRIGATION CANAL AT WHEATLAND. PUBLIC LANDS AND IRRIGATION PROJECTS. The public lands in Wyoming consist chiefly of grazing, timber and agricultural lands, though there are large areas of coal, oil and mineral lands. The agricultural lands are those lying contiguous to the rivers and streams, and are vast in extent, but crops cannot be successfully raised without irrigation. By the application of water the soil is rendered very productive and is not sur- passed by the states of the Mississippi and Missouri Valleys. The laws under which title to government land may be acquired by citizens of the United States are the homestead law, the desert land law, the timber and stone law and the coal and mineral law. Homestead Law. The homestead law secures to qualified persons the right to settle upon, enter and acquire title to not exceeding one quarter section (one hundred and sixty acres) of public land, by establishing and maintaining residence thereon and improving and cultivating the land for the period of five years. A homestead entryman must be the head of a family or a person who has arrived at the age of twenty-one years. He must be a citizen of the United States, or one who has declared his intention to become such, as required by the naturalization laws. The act of March 3, 1891, attaches the condition that he must not be the proprietor of more than one hundred and sixty acres of land in any state or territory. Where a wife has been divorced from her husband, or de- serted, so that she is dependent upon her own resources for support, she can make a homestead entry as the head of a family or femme sole. A single woman who makes a homestead entry and mar- ries before making proof does not forfeit her right, provided she does not abandon her residence on the land. Parties desiring to commute their homestead entries to cash are required to make proof of settlement and of residence on and cultivation of the land for a period of fourteen months from the date of entry. The following is a table of fees and commissions charged in the mountain states under the homestead act: COMMISSIONS Fees, Acres Class of Lands Payable when entry is Payable when certificate Payable when entry is Total sum made issues 160 80 $2.50* 2 50* $12.00 6.00 $12. 00 6.00 $10.00 5.00 IM.OQ 17.00 40 2 50* 3.00 3.00 5.00 11.90 160 1 25t 6.00 6.00 10.00 22.00 80 1 25+ 3.00 3.00 5.00 11.00 40 1.25t 1.50 1.50 5.00 8.00 *Inside Union Pacific Land Grant. tOutside Union Pacific Land Grant. 66 THE: STATE: OF WYOMING. Desert Lands. All lands, exclusive of timber lands and mineral lands, which will not, without artificial irrigation, produce some agricultural crop, are deemed desert lands, and are subject to entry under the desert land law. The party making entry is required at the time of filing his declaration to file also a map of the land, which will exhibit a plan show- ing the mode of contemplated irrigation, which plan shall be sufficient to thoroughly irrigate and reclaim said land and prepare it to raise ordinary agricultural crops. No person is permitted to enter more than 320 acres of land in the aggre- gate under all the land ' laws of the United States, mineral lands excepted. The right to make desert land entries is restricted to resi- dent citizens of the state in which the land sought is located. The entryman must expend at least three dollars per acre, one dollar per acre during each year for three years, and must file proof thereof during each year, such proof to consist of his affidavit, corroborated by the affidavits of two or more witnesses, showing that the full sum of one dollar per acre has been expended during such year and the manner in which expended, and at the expiration of three years a map or plan showing the character and extent of the improvements. The party may make his final entry and receive his patent at any time prior to the expiration of three years by making required proof of reclamation and of the expenditure of the aggregate amount of three dollars per acre, and of the cultivation of one-eighth of the land. Persons making desert land entries must acquire clear right to the use of sufficient water for the purpose of irrigating the whole of the land, and of keeping it permanently irrigated. Persons making desert land entries before they have secured a water right do so at their own risk. The price of land sought to be entered under the provisions of the desert land act is $1.25 per acre, without regard to the situation of the lands in regard to railroad grants. When proof of the character of the land has been made the applicant will pay the Receiver twenty-five cents per acre for the land applied for. At the time of making final proof the payment of one dollar per acre is required. Timber and Stone Entries. The act of June 3, 1878, pro- vides that surveyed lands in the public land states, valuable chiefly for timber and stone, unfit for cultivation, and conse- quently unfit for disposal under the homestead and desert land laws, may be purchased by individuals and by associations at the minimum price of $2.50 per acre. A party making appli- cation to purchase a tract of this character is required to make affidavit that he is a citizen of the United States by birth or PUBLIC LANDS AND IRRIGATION PROJECTS. 67 naturalization, or that he has declared his intention to become a citizen under the naturalization laws. The quantity of land which may be acquired lawfully under said act by any one person or association is limited to not exceeding 160 acres, which must be in one body. Coal. A qualified person has the right to enter by legal subdivision any quantity of coal lands in the United States, not otherwise appropriated or reserved by competent author- ity, not exceeding 160 acres to such individual person or 320 acres to an association, upon payment to the government of not less than $10 per acre for such lands, where the same shall be situated more than fifteen miles from any completed rail- road, and not less than $20 per acre for such lands as shall be within fifteen miles of such road. Mines and Mineral Lands. Lands valuable for deposits of mineral, such as fire and pottery clay, marble, asphalt, soda, sulphur, diamonds, or of the precious common metals, are subject to sale under the mining laws. A location must be first duly made and recorded, and certain sums must be an- nually expended. Five hundred dollars' worth of labor and improvements must be laid out on each claim before patent can be applied for. The rules and regulations and methods of procedure are too extensive and complex to be reviewed at length in the compass of this brief article. Mining locations defeat all railroad and state selections, if the mines and min- erals were known to exist, or were discovered prior to the time the road and state claims took effect. Homestead, desert and timber and stone entries cannot embrace known mineral lands, unless it be first shown that the lands sought to be entered are more valuable for agricultural purposes than for the mineral they contain. The United States land offices for the several districts in Wyoming are as follows : Albany, Carbon and Laramie Counties, and a few townships in Southeastern Sweetwater and Southeastern Fremont County, at Cheyenne, Wyo. ; Sweetwater and Uinta Counties, at Evanston, Wyo. ; Fre- mont and Big Horn Counties, at Lander; Johnson, Sheridan and a small portion of Eastern Big Horn County, at Buffalo; Crook and Weston, at Sundance; Converse and Natrona, at Douglas. 68 THE: STATE: OF WYOMING. State Lands. There are two kinds of lands state and government. The non-mineral land laws, which have been of the great- est benefit to the arid west, are the pre-emption, homestead, desert land and Carey act. The pre-emption act has been repealed. Under the homestead act, settlement on a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, or less, is required for five, years, when title passes to the settler without any money considera- tion, or after fourteen months' actual settlement the title may be obtained by the payment of $1.25 per acre. Under the desert land act, three hundred and twenty acres may be acquired within three years by the expenditure of $3 per acre in improvements, water rights and cultivation, and the payment to the government of $1.25 per acre. Other acts grant to the states for aid in the support of public schools, Sections 16 and 36 in each township. This grant amounts in Wyoming to 3,001,905 acres. There is also given the state five per cent of all money received by the gen- eral government for the sale of its lands in Wyoming. The interest on this fund is used in aid of the support of the schools. There have also been granted to Wyoming 663,080 acres for aid in support of her several institutions, such as the Uni- versity, Agricultural College, Hospital, Insane Asylum, Pen- itentiary, Soldiers' Home, etc. The rental of these lands, which are mostly pasture lands, bringing an average rental of three cents per acre, and the in- terest upon the fund realized from their sale, at not less than $10 per acre, is used in aid of the maintenance of these insti- tutions. STATE LANDS HOW THEY MAY BE ACQUIRED. There are two classes of state lands : First Those donated to the state for various public pur- poses, and over which the state has absolute control. Second Those known as "arid lands," whose donation to the state is conditional upon their reclamation. Under the provisions of the constitution and statutes, the State Boards of Land Commissioners, consisting of the Gov- ernor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer and Superintendent of Public Instruction, have the direction, control, disposition and care of all lands granted to the state. STATE; LANQS. 69 First Those donated to the state for various public pur- poses, and over which the state has absolute control. May Be Sold. The act of admission provides that school lands, including the grant for the use of the Agricultural College, shall be sold for not less than $10 per acre. The constitution provides further that lands heretofore and here- after acquired shall be sold for not less than $10 per acre, and that such lands shall be disposed of at public auction. May Be Leased. The State Boards of Land Commission- ers lease any legal subdivision of the lands of the state at an annual rental not less than five per cent of the valuation thereof, fixed by the board, conditioned upon the payment of the rent annually and in advance, and for periods of not more than five years. When any lease expires by limitation the lessee may, with the permission of the board, renew the same as follows : At any time within ninety days next preceding the expiration of the lease the lessee or his assigns shall notify the Commissioner of Public Lands of his or their de- sire to renew the lease. If the lessee and the board be agreed as to the valuation of the land, a new lease shall be issued, bearing even date with the expiration of the old one, and upon like conditions. The power given to the board to refuse to renew a lease or to sell state lands at the expiration of a lease, or again to lease to other parties than the original lessee, shall not apply, whenever the original lessee of state land or his assigns shall have, during the period of his lease, or prior thereto, reclaimed the same by irrigation, and shall have provided suitable ditches for its full and complete reclamation, and shall have secured an adequate and perpetual water supply for said land, and shall have continuously cultivated and irrigated one- fourth thereof, or shall have, during the term of his lease, constructed upon any section of state land or legal subdivision thereof, a well, or reservoir, for the purpose of watering live stock, of the value of $200, then, in such cases, the said orig- inal lessee, or his assigns, shall have a preferred right to rene\v such lease for a term of five years, which renewal may be repeated for the same period of five years thereafter, and may again be repeated for a period of ten years thereafter, making a total period not to exceed twenty years ; Provided, That each of said renewals shall be dependent upon the continuous irriga- tion and cultivation of said land or upon the maintenance and use of said well or reservoir; and, Provided, further, That the said lands, at each renewal period, may be appraised by the board having jurisdiction thereof; said appraisement to be made irrespective of any irrigation works or improvements placed thereon by the lessee. 7o THE STATE OF WYOMING. The lessee of state lands is prohibited, in all cases, from cutting or using more of the timber thereon than shall be necessary for the improvement of such lands, or for fuel for use of the family of the lessee, and from the cutting and haul- ing of timber from leased state lands to saw mills. Any lease of state lands procured by fraud, deceit or mis- representation may be canceled by the board upon proper proof thereof. The necessary blanks and information will be supplied any person desiring to lease state lands, upon application to Rob- ert P. Fuller, Commissioner of Public Lands, Cheyenne, Wyo. Second Those known as arid lands whose donation to the state is conditional upon their reclamation. The act of Congress approved August 18, 1894, donated to the State of Wyoming, conditional upon its reclamation, one million acres of arid land. The State of Wyoming accepted the conditions of the grant, and by Chapter 15, Title 9, of Division I of the Revised Statutes, provided for its reclama- tion, occupation and disposal. The general provisions of this law are as follows : Request and Proposal. Any person, or company of per- sons, having constructed or desiring to construct ditches, canals or other irrigation works to reclaim lands under the provisions of this act, shall file with the State Board of Land Commissioners a request for the selection of the land to be reclaimed, and accompany this request with a proposal to con- struct the ditch, canal or other irrigation works necessary for the complete reclamation of the land asked to be selected, and shall make clear to the board their financial .ability to carry out the proposed undertaking. Guaranty. A certified check for such sum as may be de- termined by the board shall accompany each request and proposal as a guarantee that a contract with the state will be entered into according to its terms. Maps and Field Notes. An accurate survey must be made and maps and field notes furnished the board, with a certified copy of a permit from the State Engineer to appro- priate water for the reclamation of the land described. Terms of Contract With State for Construction With Settler for Land and Water Bond. Upon the withdrawal of the land by the Department of the Interior, it shall be the duty of the board to enter into a contract with the parties siib- mitting the proposal, which contract shall contain complete specifications of the location, dimensions, character and esti- STATE LANDS. 71 mated cost of the proposed ditch, canal or other irrigation works ; the price per acre and terms at which such works and perpetual water rights shall be sold to settlers; provided, that such price and terms for irrigation works and water rights shall in all cases be reasonable and just. This contract shall not be entered into on the part of the state until a satisfactory bond is filed by the proposed contractor for irrigation works, which bond shall be in a penal sum equal to five per cent of the estimated cost of the works. Time Allowed for Construction. No contract shall be made by the board which requires a greater time than five years for the construction of the works, and all contracts shall state that the work shall begin within six months from the date of contract; that at least one-tenth of the construction work shall be completed within two years from the date of said contract, and that construction shall be prosecuted dili- gently and continuously to completion. Upon failure of con- tractors to complete ditch or canal under contract, the land board may sell any such incomplete works at auction. HOW TO ACQUIRE A HOMESTEAD UNDER THE ARID LAND ACT. Any citizen of the United States or any person having declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States (excepting married women not the heads of families), over the age of twenty-one years, may make application for a certificate of location upon any of the segregated lands in an amount not to exceed one hundred and sixty acres. The prospective settler must first secure a contract from the irrigation company for a water right for the land upon which he desires to locate. The application and a duplicate copy of the water contract must be filed with the Commissioner of Public Lands within thirty days of the date of issuing said water contract, and be accompanied by a payment of twenty- five cents per acre in partial payment of the land, and a fee of $i for filing the application. If the application is not allowed, the payment of twenty-five cents per acre is returned. The application must be sworn to before a United States Commissioner or other officer authorized to administer oaths. During the first year the settler must reclaim and irrigate not less than one-sixteenth of the land applied for, and within two years must irrigate and cultivate not less than one-eighth of the land. Within three years the settler must make final proof, showing that he has lived upon the land with his family, if any, for not less than a period of six months, immediately prior to date of application for patent, and showing reclama- 72 THE: STATE; OF WYOMING. tion and cultivation of not less than one-eighth of the land, and such further details in regard to crops raised as called for in the final proof blank. The reclamation can be completed and land patented in the first year. Application for patent must be accompanied by the final payment of twenty-five cents per acre on the land and state fees of $2 for filing application and issuing the patent. Patents Water Rights Appurtenant. The water rights to all lands acquired under the provisions of this act shall attach to and become appurtenant to the land as soon as title passes from the United States to the state. Fees. For filing each application, $i ; for filing each final proof, $i ; for issuing each patent, $i ; for making certified copies of papers or records, the same fee as provided for to be charged by the Secretary of State for like services. The money collected for fees shall be paid to the Treasurer of the state, and by him credited to the fund created by virtue of this act. The moneys received by the state for the lands at fifty cents per acre create a fund for the reclamation of other lands by the state itself. This act is now proving to be the most beneficial to this state of any of the land acts, and probably more so to this than to any other state, for the reasons : First This state of all the arid states has the best irriga- tion laws for all kinds of irrigation projects, and especially for those under the Carey act. Second Because the State Land Board has taken special and practical interest in furthering the state's interests under this act; and, Third Because the state and national governments are behind the act and afford perfect protection for the capital invested and to the settler for the title to his land and the per- petuity of his water right. There is no possibility of any fake scheme whereby the individual investors or the settlers can lose. For these reasons and the fact that the soil, climate and altitude of Wyoming are especially adapted to the most pro- fitable crops as the result of irrigation, this state has accom- plished more under this act than has any other of the arid states, and the act is accomplishing more for the settlement and growth in wealth of the state and the furnishing of homes for the poor than any other land act of the general government. Homes .worth $50 per acre are obtainable for from $10.50 to $30.50 per acre, and capital invested is assured a fair profit. o i 111 o o GRAND CANON OF NORTH PLATTE RIVER, NATRONA COUNTY. STATE: LANDS. 73 WHAT HAS BEEN DONE. Under the arid land act the State of Wyoming has segre- gated and contracted for the reclamation of 556,593.39 acres. The first segregation for the Cody Canal, by the Shoshone Irrigation Company, comprised 26,429.94 acres. This land is located near the town of Cody, in Big Horn County. The canal takes its water supply from the South Fork of the Sho- shone River, and the state has obtained patent from the gov- ernment for 19,868.54 acres. Nearly all of this land has been filed upon and a considerable portion reclaimed. The Burlington and Bench Canals, owned by the Big Horn Basin Development Company, Germania and Burling- ton, Wyoming, were originally intended to cover 32,429.94 acres which was segregated. It was found, however, that, on account of the greater amount of water available under the Oregon Basin Canal, it would be more profitable to furnish water from the latter rather than from the proposed Burlington Canal from the Grey Bull River. The state has obtained a patent under the Bench Canal for 11,261.60 acres, part of which is still open for settlement, and has application for pat- ent for a portion of the remainder. The balance will be cov- ered by the Oregon Basin Canal and will not be open for settlement before 1907. The Big Horn Basin Colonization Company : 20,599.64 acres have been segregated under this project and 8,707.64 acres have been patented to the state. These lands are in the main occupied by Mormon colonists and have been generally reclaimed, and exhibit a successful development of the agri- cultural possibilities of the Big Horn Basin. The Lovell Irrigation Company had 11,320.51 acres seg- regated and 7,161.43 acres have been patented to the state. This, as in the case of the Sidon Canal, is also taken up by the Mormon colonists. The North Platte Canal and Colonization Company, Wyncote, Wyoming, has constructed about thirty miles of canal along the North Platte River and has located a number of settlers under the completed portion. As this canal occu- pied a right of way desired by the Government Pathfinder Canal, they have entered into arrangement with the United States by which the government will furnish the water for 14,424.94 acres segregated for their project, and their entire tract will be ready for patent to the state in May, 1905, at which time they will be authorized to locate settlers upon all their lands. Under the part of the canal now completed there is room for a number of settlers. 74 THE STATE OF WYOMING. The Hanover Canal Company, Worland, Wyoming, has 10,682.53 acres now segregated. This company will have a canal about thirty-five m^es long, taking in a considerable amount of land along the east side of the Big Horn River, in addition to the amount now segregated. A portion of their canal has been constructed and they are ready to furnish water to prospective settlers. As the altitude of these lands is 4,200 feet, there is no doubt that one of the most prosperous colonies in the state will be located near Worland. The Big Horn County Irrigation Company, which has re- cently assumed the incomplete Big Horn County Canal, has 16,295.44 acres of land segregated. This company has about six miles of canal, twenty feet wide, partly completed, and ex- pects to reclaim the land in the vicinity of Basin, the county seat of Big Horn County. Their land should be open to set- tlement during the season of 1907, although it is possible that a part of the lands may be open during 1906. One of the earliest applications under the arid land act was that of the Uinta Canal No. 2, segregating 12,698.68 acres of land along the Union Pacific railroad west and east of Granger, in Uinta County, about three miles from the station, near the Blacks Fork River. Owing to its proximity to the Union Pacific railway, this should be one of the best irrigation projects in the west. The company has not fully completed its reservoir system, so it is necessary to wait until there is an ample supply of water before opening the land for settlement. The largest project to be constructed by private capital is that of the Oregon Basin Canal Company (413 New York Life building, Omaha, Neb., and Cody, Wyo.). This company has already segregated 145,384.10 acres, and expects to reclaim in excess of 200,000 acres. The project contemplates storing a large portion of the flood water of the South Fork of the Sho- shone River in what is known as the Oregon Basin, and during the irrigation season carrying it upon a vast tract of land be- tween Burlington and Cody, Wyo. This company also has completed the Sage Creek Canal, covering 784.43 acres, which takes the flood waters of Sage Creek. Patent has been applied for for this small tract. The construction of the main canal will be begun during the present season, and the land should be open for settlement in 1907. The Boulder Lake Canal Company, Boulder, Wyo., has segregated 6,120 acres of land in Western Fremont County, under a fork of the Green River. The canal has been com- pleted and the land is now open for settlement. STATE LANDS. 75 The North Platte and Encampment Canal, Saratoga, has segregated 18,121.27 acres of land between Saratoga and En- campment, along the North Platte River. The construction of the canal has not yet begun, but should be completed in time for settlement in 1907. The Fort Laramie Canal and Reservoir Company made an application for the segregation of nearly 27,000 acres of land in Laramie County, but as their plan conflicts with the government "Pathfinder" project, it is probable that, an ar- rangement will be made by which the government canals will furnish water for this tract of land. The first large canal company in Wyoming was the Wheatland Development Company, which acquired, by pur- chase, a large body of land in Laramie County and furnished water for same by the construction of a canal from the Lar- amie River, cutting a tunnel through the Laramie Mountains. Owing to the diversion of part of the water of the Laramie River, within the State of Colorado, this company found it necessary to construct an immense reservoir in Albany County to store the flood waters of the Laramie, and now, having an excess amount of water, has applied for the segregation of about 8,000 acres of land under the Carey land act, and will be ready to sell water rights to prospective settlers as soon as their application has been approved by the United States General Land Office. Prospective settlers can secure information in regard to these several projects by writing to the companies at the addresses given above. The arid land act is advantageous for small projects, as well as for those requiring investment of large capital. The Fisher Canal, covering 320 acres; the Fitzsimmons Ditch, covering 160 acres, and the John Scott Ditch, 160 acres, have been completing under this provision, and the land under the John Scott and Fitzsimmons Ditches patented. In a former pamphlet issued by the state, reference was made to the Cody & Salisbury segregation, comprising about 80,000 acres to the north of the North Fork of the Shoshone River. This tract of land and the irrigation rights belonging thereto have been turned over to the Government Reclamation Service and is included in the Shoshone project, mentioned elsewhere in this issue. 76 THE: STATE: OF WYOMING. How to Obtain a Right to Use Water in Wyoming. CLARENCE: T. JOHNSTON, STATE: ENGINEER. Section 31 of Article i of the Constitution of Wyoming reads as follows : "Sec. 31. Water being essential to industrial prosperity, of limited amount, and easy of diversion from its natural chan- nels, its control must be in the state, which, in providing for its use, shall equally guard all the various interests involved." The state has provided a regular procedure whereby any- one desiring to make a beneficial use of water may be pro- tected from the inception of the work of construction to the application of water to the ground and the acquisition of the right to use the same. The state has been divided into four water divisions, each of which is supervised by a division superintendent. These four officers, with the State Engineer, constitute the State Board of Control. The divisions are still further divided into water districts, where the immediate con- trol of the water is supervised by water commissioners under instructions from the division superintendents and the Board of Control. The control of water still lies in the state, even though a right to use the same is granted. This right may be compared with a right of way granted by the general govern- ment where the beneficiary has the use of lands for certain purposes, but for the protection of the public the control re- mains in the hands of national authorities. To obtain a right to use water, the party proposing to apply must first survey his ditch line and determine the lands which can be irrigated. He can secure blanks for making the application from the State Engineer's office, and when these have been filled out and accompanied with maps in duplicate showing the necessary information, they can be forwarded, with the filing fee of $2, to that ofiice. A receipt is sent the applicant and the application is taken up in its regular order. If in proper form, and the approval does not seem to be in- jurious to others, it is so approved, and is thereafter desig- nated as a permit. It is recorded in a special record book and given a number. The original map which accompanied the application is filed in the office of the State Engineer under How TO OBTAIN A WATER RIGHT. 77 this number and the permit is returned, with the duplicate map, to the applicant. A letter of transmittal accompanies the permit and map, which explains the steps which are then necessary on the part of the applicant, if he is to perfect his right to use water. Attached to this letter is a stub, which, when filled out, makes a notice of completion of the irrigation works. The applicant is given a limited time to finish con- struction work, and when it has been concluded he tears off the stub, fills in the blank spaces and sends the notice to the State Engineer's office. The State Engineer notes the comple- tion of the works on the records and sends a receipt for the notice to the applicant. Each division superintendent is furnished with a card index, each card of which contains a brief of all the permits which have been issued in his division. When a notice of completion is received by the State Engineer, .the superin- tendent is so informed and he indicates the same on the proper card. His cards are arranged by streams, so that in visiting any locality he can inspect all works for which notices of completion have been received and if the work has been done, and lands irrigated in accordance with the permit issued by the state, he takes proof of the same from the applicant. This proof is evidence of the applicant's having complied with the terms of his permit. The Board of Control meets twice each year: on the second Wednesday in March and the third Wednesday of October. Prior to these meetings the super- intendents advertise all proof they have taken, and if any contests of proof submitted are made, a time and place is set for a hearing and further testimony is taken, which, together with a tabulation and report of all proceedings, is brought to the board meeting by the superintendent. The Board of Con- trol considers the testimony given in the proofs and by contest procedure, and orders the issuance of final certificates of ap- propriation accordingly. These papers grant the use of water as long as beneficial application of the same is made and the rights of others are not interfered with. The certificate of appropriation is first recorded in the office of the Board of Control and then sent to the County Clerk of the county where the beneficial use of water has been made, where they are again recorded. The County Clerk forwards the certificate to the appropriator after it has been duly recorded. By this procedure the public is notified of the extent of the proposed use before work begins, careful plans must be made for constructing irrigation works and reclaiming the lands lying thereunder, and the date of the priority of right to use water is fixed by the filing of the application in the office 78 THE: STATE OF WYOMING. of the State Engineer. The steps leading to the acquisition of a right to use water are in brief as follows : 1. Survey of ditch or reservoir and irrigable lands. 2. Preparation of maps and application. 3. Approval of application by state and issuance of a permit. 4. .Prosecution of construction and reclamation of lands. 5. Notice of completion of construction and the applica- tion of water to a beneficial use. 6. Inspection by division superintendent and the sub- mission of proof. 7. Report of superintendent to board and the preparation of the decree. 8. Issuance of the final certificate of appropriation. While the procedure would seem" 'to be complicated, yet the appropriator does not have to follow the administrative phase of the work. He makes his application properly, builds his irrigation works, reclaims the land in accordance with the permit and makes proof thereof. Under any system he would have to construct the canals or reservoirs and perform the labor necessary to bring the lands under irrigation. Before he could secure a right to use the water undisturbed he would have to make some kind of proof of his having made beneficial application of the same. It costs at least five dollars per acre to reclaim lands by irrigation. When this is accomplished the lands have a value of at least twenty dollars per acre. If the stability of the water right can be insured at an expenditure of fifty cents per acre, no better investment could be made by an irrigator. The Wyoming law and administration provides such in- surance. Presume that it is planned to claim one hundred and sixty acres of land, and a ditch four miles in length is to be constructed. It is found that a surveyor can be secured to make the necessary location, measurements and prepare the maps. It requires three days for him to reach the land, make the surveys and return. For this he charges thirty dollars. He then makes the maps and prepares a portion of the appli- cation. For this work he charges an additional fee of ten dollars. The application is then completed and is sworn to before a notary, who charges fifty cents. It is then mailed, with the maps, to the State Engineer, accompanied with the filing fee of two dollars. After approval, the permit is re- turned to the applicant, when construction can properly be- gin. When the irrigation works are finished and the lands reclaimed, the division superintendent appears and receives AGRICULTURE; AND HORTICULTURE. 79 proof thereon. He collects a fee of one dollar and seventy- five cents, as required by law. Of this fee, one dollar goes to the State Treasurer to reimburse the state for the expense incurred in issuing the final certificate of appropriation, and seventy-five cents is mailed, with the certificate, to the County Clerk to cover the recording fee in that office. The costs may be summarized as follows : Survey and maps $40.00 Notary fee 50 Recording fee, State Engineer's office. . 2.00 Fee for final certificate i.oo Fee for recording in office County Clerk .75 Total $44.25 The total cost of securing the right to use water is, there- fore, a little less than twenty-eight cents per acre. The in- vestment in irrigation works would be at least five dollars per acre, so that the rate of insurance is only about 5^ per cent of the cost of construction. As the value of the lands irrigated depend almost entirely on the water right, the rate of insur- ance would ordinarily not exceed one per cent. Agriculture and Horticulture. Upon the agriculture of a region must its continued and permanent prosperity depend. Poor indeed is any country which has no staple form of agricultural industry, and the more varied are its farming interests, the greater is the inde- pendence, the industrial and financial success of its people. The conditions in Wyoming are so varied that it is difficult to classify them. As a whole the state is located in the heart of the mountain and plateau portion of the arid region. The average altitude of our agricultural land is about 6,000 feet above the sea. There are extensive and well watered plateaus between 7,000 and 8,000 feet which offer especial advantages for the kind of agriculture suited to them, and there are prob- ably larger areas of irrigable land below 5,000 feet altitude than are found in any other portion of the west. The mean annual temperature varies from about 40 F. to 50 F., de- pending on the altitude and the protection of surrounding mountains. The growing season, free from frost, ranges from less than eighty days to more than 150 days. The annual rainfall may exceed thirty inches on the higher mountain 8o THE STATE: OF WYOMING. ranges, is seventeen inches to twenty-one inches in the north- east corner of the state, and perhaps not more than four inches on the dryest interior region known as the Red Desert. The average annual precipitation is about twelve inches for the farming sections of the state, and its distribution through the year is most favorable to the growth of crops, as 40 per cent to 50 per cent of the total falls in the spring months, which secures the germination of seeds and supplies the early growth of plants before irrigation becomes necessary. As a whole the soils of the state are wonderfully fertile, as they have not been subject to leaching by heavy rainfall and contain all the plant food which was in the original rocks from which they are formed. Phenomenal yields are obtained on these virgin soils, and maintaining their fertility is simply a question of farm practice and rotation. It is neither neces- sary nor advisable to use expensive commercial fertilizers. The health factor in the climate cannot be excelled for man, animals and plants. The high quality of Wyoming stock and crops has received flattering recognition and tribute at every international exposition, and at local, state and national fairs. In 1904, at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, Wyo- ming received more grand prizes and gold medals for her agricultural crops for her size in population than any other state, and at the 1904 International Stock Show at Chicago, with a single exception, Wyoming captured every prize for the northwest district. Development. There are few who can appreciate the newness of the western agriculture and its bearing on our development. Farm practices and other human institutions which have been worked out through an hundred or a thou- sand years in pluvial districts have been brought into arid America and made general use of, regardless of the fact that they were not suited to conditions of climate, soil and social relationships so absolutely different from those in which they had become established. Regardless of this fact, our agri- culture has been successful from the first, in that it sustains a people of continuing and increasing prosperity. Thanks to the favoring factors of rich soils and salubrious climate, agri- culture has been profitable in spite of lack of information and mistakes in methods, crops and laws. Our knowledge of so complex a business as agriculture is, of necessity, accumulative, and with the simple and slight beginning already made and the resulting success, the imme- diate future promises vastly more than can be stated or realized. Our first agriculture was the grazing of stock, and so remunerative was the grazing industry that Wyoming be- APPLE TREES AT CAREYHURST, CONVERSE COUNTY. AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE:. 81 came famous for her grass-fed cattle, her range horses and her sheep and wool. With the passing of the open range and the establishment of .ranches where increased amounts of hay and forage can be grown, the stock industry is steadily increasing, and there has been rapid improvement in the class of animals produced. But it is in the cultivation of the soil, both for the pro- duction of supplemental stock food and of salable crops, that our agriculture has developed most rapidly within the past ten years. No other industry has kept pace with this in growth and no other class of citizens have so much to show for their ten years' labor. Ranchmen are prosperous and are building homes worthy the name. With new incite into our farming and the new internal improvements which are now under way in the state, the present cheap lands under irrigation must materially advance in valuation, and new crops and new markets insure more rapid improvement in the future. In the language of the Secretary of Agriculture, there are no bad acres in this state. All are useful for some purpose, and with good management our irrigated lands can all be made to pay 10 per cent or better on a valuation of $100 per acre. The next ten years will be marked by unusual activity in reclama- tion through irrigation, as well as extension of dry farming, which will double and treble both our population and our land values. Several factors make our farming highly profitable. Some of these are, large areas of free public land, good water supply which can be cheaply applied to the land, large home market at high prices for home-grown products, unexcelled quality of both crops and flesh, which demands the best prices wher- ever they may be marketed, large yields from virgin arid soils and quick returns from crops and stock. High Altitude Farming. Perhaps no parts of the state are better adapted to the production of live stock than our ex- tensive high plateaus. The rich native grasses reach perfec- tion of growth on these higher lands and are more abundant and varied than on lower areas where the seasons are longer. We find our short season hay is unusually rich in the flesh- forming element, nitrogen, and with their quick growth, grasses produce less woody fibre and are more digestible when fed to live stock than are grasses that take a longer time to mature. Because of the short seasons and a general lack of understanding about the possibilities of perfecting crops under these conditions, the development of general farming has been slow, even though at least one of the first large irri- gating canals to be constructed was the Pioneer Canal, on 82 THE; STATE: OF WYOMING. the Laramie Plains, covering excellent lands a little more than 7,000 feet above sea level. In 1891 the Agricultural Experi- ment Station was established at Laramie, and the possibility of remunerative cropping has been fully demonstrated. Crops suitable to the season produce large yields, and the problems are no more difficult to meet than those in any farming district. Alfalfa is now a successful staple crop up to 7,500 feet altitude. Early varieties of potatoes and other root crops, oats, barley, rye, wheat, spelts, flax, buckwheat, pease and other things are certain crops, and mixed farming is becoming established. There are still many opportunities to obtain cheap lands in these regions, which can be made to pay for themselves with a single crop. The station records show average yields of wheat, including all varieties tried, of over twenty-five bush- els per acres for a period of ten years. Some maximum yields of other crops are, potatoes, 522 bushels per acre ; alfalfa, 4*4 tons; onions, 38,920 pounds; spelts, 72 bushels; barley and oats, more than 80 bushels, and many other things have given large maximum yields and good average returns. Three years' experiments to determine the cost and profit of growing wheat show an average net profit of more than $10 per acre, where done on a small scale at comparatively large expense. Stock Feeding. Within the past year there has been a large increase in the business of feeding stock at home to pre- pare them for the eastern market. For a number of years Wyoming hay-fed steers have been sold for the block, and in many instances this beef has gone to consumers as corn-fed. At the 1904 International Stock Show, in Chicago, Mr. E. J. Bell of Laramie took second prize on a car load of grass-fed cattle which were in competition with the best corn-fed beef that could be produced in the corn belt of the east. The Ex- periment Station introduced the field pea as food for fattening lambs, and the business of fitting lambs for market on pease promises to become one of the most extensive and best pay- ing stock industries of the state. It has been found, also, that combination rations of barley and alfalfa, of flax seed and alfalfa, with turnips or other roots, produce cheaper gains than corn. Stock feeding will be one of the most remunera- tive and staple occupations of our farmers." Dry Farming. There are about eight million acres in Wyoming which will eventually be brought under irrigation. In addition to this area, there will be a large amount of land which can be profitably cultivated under systems of dry farm- ing. Much has already been done to show the feasibility of such farming, especially in those favorable localities which present the right conditions of soil and soil moisture. There AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE:. 83 are drouth-resistant crops, such as Durum wheats, alfalfa, potatoes, buckwheat, barley, rye, etc., which have been proven successful with a small amount of rainfall distributed as is the Wyoming precipitation. There are many opportunities, also, to divert the flood waters of draws and occasional streams for winter irrigation to store water in the soil for the produc- tion of crops. While such resources are as yet almost un- touched, they offer an inviting field to the man seeking cheap lands which will pay good interest on the investment. Low Altitude Farming. Little may be said about the possibilities of farming under irrigation where the altitude is less than 6,000 feet. Some world-renowned crops have been authenticated, such as the prize yield of potatoes of 974 bush- els and 48 pounds per acre, produced by Mr. Sturgis in John- son County; a yield of 132 bushels of oats, produced in Sher- idan County; an average of 8y 2 tons of alfalfa hay per acre for three years, produced on the Wheatland Experiment Farm. Large areas are being reclaimed in Eastern Wyoming and in the western and northern portions of the state, where the lands lie from 3,500 to 5,000 feet above the sea. Many of these lands are so well protected by surrounding ranges of moun- tains that crops can be grown which would be too tender for other places of like latitude. These lands and water rights under the new reclamation projects are cheap and cannot fail to greatly increase in value within a short time. Horticulture. The gardens of the state are beginning to furnish fresh and unadulterated vegetables for home use. As a general indication of what may be done, .we need only cite the fact that at altitudes of 5,000 feet or less peanuts, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and tobacco are successfully produced. Melons, pumpkins, squashes and other equally tender things grow to perfection at all save the high altitudes, and gardens up to 8,000 feet produce a good variety of vegetables of the best quality. Among fruits the hardier kinds are being grown in all parts of the state. On the Laramie Plains Jacob Lund has an orchard at an altitude of 7,400 feet which matures Wealthy apples each year. Currants, gooseberries, dewberries and strawberries can be grown anywhere that there are agricul- tural lands. The horticultural sections of the state are the low altitude lands and the protected valleys of Laramie, Johnson, Sheridan, Fremont and Big Horn Counties. In Fremont and Big Horn Counties two different ranchmen have ripened peaches with- out other protection than that afforded by hills and tree wind- 84 THE STATE: OF WYOMING. breaks. In these counties a large variety of apples are bearing crops of first quality fruit. Among these varieties may be mentioned the Northwest Greening, Gano, Ben Davis, Wai- bridge, Wolf River, Ganitan, Yellow Transparent, McMahon, Wealthy, Duchess, Pewaukee, White Winter Pearmain, Gideon and others, as well as a large variety of crabs. Several varieties of pears, cherries and plums are yielding good crops. The possibilities of home-making where such fruits and the more useful shade trees succeed will appeal to many. B. C. BUFFUM. Mineral Resources. There are few states in the Union that possess mineral resources as vast and varied as those of Wyoming. The late Prof. Knight of the State University identified 156 of the varieties of mineral noted in Dana's System of Mineralogy as occurring in Wyoming, and this list is constantly being added to as the different formations are opened up and understood. Gold, silver, copper and lead all have been known for years in almost every mountain range in the state, and the work of the past two years has demonstrated beyond a doubt that these ores exist in commercial quantities. The crying need of these resources is railroad transporta- tion, as both the quantity and quality are assured facts, and it only remains to get them to market. With the railroads will come the up-to-date mining investor, with means and brains to make a producing mine out of the long neglected prospects. There is not another Rocky Mountain state with greater possibilities than Wyoming, or that offers better opportuni- ties for mineral investments; certainly none with so much public domain subject to location as mineral land, and, be- sides, the precious metals, the wealth of coal, oil and natural gas will some day make Wyoming as great a producing and manufacturing state as Pennsylvania is today. Gold Mining. Gold mines were first worked at South Pass, Fremont County, in 1867, since which date the industry has amounted to something each year. The annual production has fluctuated from $25,000 to $125,000, the total being esti- mated at $4,000,000 produced. The placer mines that were rich enough to be worked with limited means were worked out long ago. Large tracts of placer gold ground, that can only be worked with great expenditure of money and the most modern and economical MINERAL RESOURCES. 85 devices, remain. These are now owned by large companies, who are arranging to work some of them. The quartz veins, from which most of the gold produced has been taken, are found in all the mountain districts, the most promising of which are as follows: South Pass and Atlantic, in Fremont County; Seminoe, Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre Moun- tains, in Carbon County; Black Hills, Crook County; Sho- shone Mountains, Big Horn County, and the Laramie Hills. Silver and Lead. These metals are found in small quan- tities in all the prominent ranges. Galena is the usual ore carrying silver, but at the Esterbrook mine, in Northern Albany County, a vein of cerusite or silicious lead carbonate has been found. The silver values vary from ten to six hun- dred ounces per ton, and the lead from twenty to sixty per cent in commercial ores. Shipments have been made from camps in Crook, Big Horn, Albany and Laramie Counties. Copper. During the past five years copper in commer- cial quantities has been found in nearly all of the thirteen counties of the state and development work is being actively pushed. The principal ore is usually a chalcopyrite or yellow sulphide of copper, associated with the rarer forms. These forms are usually covered by a capping of oxidized iron, in which the oxidized forms of copper, usually the blue and green carbonates, are found. The Grand Encampment Copper Dis- trict, in Southern Wyoming, is the leading producer, and active camps are established in the Laramie Hills, Shoshone Mountains, Owl Mountains, the Wind River Range and the Big Horn Mountains. Coal. Coal mining has been the leading mineral industry in the state, and will, in all probability, continue in the front rank for a time, though copper is fast gaining upon it. It had its origin with the advent of the transcontinental railroad, and has increased with the development of the state, until today it employs 10,000 workmen and has a production of 4,996,828 tons of coal per annum. The kinds of coal vary from a pure lignite to a high grade long-flamed bituminous variety. The best grades of coal are low in sulphur and ash, and are excellent fuels for locomotives, general steam making, domestic purposes and gas production. A semi-anthracite was discovered in Johnson County in 1887. Coking coal has been discovered in two or three locali- ties, and seventy-four Beehive coke ovens are operated at Cambria, Weston County, having an output of over 20,000 tons per annum. All coke so far manufactured in this state has been made at Cambria, and Wyoming stands eleventh in the coke-producing states. 86 THE: STATE OF WYOMING. .2 " 5 ? *l " " 'S I " 'S .. 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