Report of the Special Committee of the United States Senate on the Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1890 Excerpt: ...LAKE CITY. The Chairman. Where is Devil's Lake City? Mr. Whipple. It is on the north shore of the lake. The Chairman. Iu what part of the State is that? Mr. Whipple. About 90 miles east of Grand Forks, on the Manitoba road leading to Helena. The Chairman. What is the condition of your country; does it require irrigation? Mr. Whipple. I should think it did. This year we have lost all our crops. I do not know where we are going to get water. '1 he Chairman. What are the facilities lor getting water! Mr. Whipple. I do not know; perhaps on the west, coming out of the mountains in the spring. The Chairman. Have you ever considered the feasibility of storing water in the ponds? Mr. Whipple. No. The Chairman. You have water-sheds f Mr. Whipple. I suppose we have; but Devil's Lake has no inlet or outlet. The Chairman. How deep is that lake t Mr. Whipple. Under the bluffs it is quite deep. The Chairman. How much area does it cover! Mr. Whipple. Fifty five miles by 15 miles. The Chairman. And is it so low that you could not get an outlet t Mr. Whipple. No; we would not have any trouble about an outlet; several years ago there was an outlet into the Ked River, where it enters into Fargo. The Chairman. Why do you not secure an outlet f Mr. Whipple. We do not wish to do it; we want that lake there; there has been no overflow of that lake for the last fifteen or twenty years. The Chairman. If an outlet were cut you could then draw the water off in dry seasons for irrigation; you could have a dam to stop up the outlet and let the lake fill again. Mr. Whipple. The hist year that lake has receded; it is 28 feet lower on its shores thau it was 22 years ago. The Chairman. And it will continue on until you have rainy seasons t Mr. Whipple. Yes. The Chairman. Then it will fill ...