Miles City Irrigating and Ditch Company
From birchyHistory
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| + | As the [[Miles City, Montana]] area was settled, people found that crops and gardens wouldn't survive the dry August heat. At first, they assumed that they were having a run of unusually dry summers, but when year after year found their plants gasping in thirst, it became apparent that irrigation was mandatory. Some visionaries did the math and figured that about 137 160-acre farms could benefit from a 28 mile irrigation system on the two-mile wide east side of the [[Tongue River]] valley. An estimated $300,000 per year was being spent for hay, grain and other crops from sources outside the valley and this money would benefit the local economy if it was circulated locally. Calculations were that one could get between 1 and 1.5 tons of hay per acre, priced at $10-15 per ton. (Multiply these figures by 27 to get an approximate current value.) | ||
| + | In addition to irrigation, it was speculated that, with a drop of 80 feet along the ditch, a suitable head of pressure could be tapped for firefighting in the future. | ||
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| + | The irrigation ditch was first imagined in 1881 by [[Joseph Leighton]] and [[W. B. Jordan]] and was formed by them with assistance from some officers at [[Fort Keogh]] and a few other locals. In 1882, Capt. [[R. L. Edwards]], a civil engineer, determined the route and contracts were let and completed to dig the first version of the ditch. In 1883, preparations for a dam were made at the head of the ditch. At a cost of $9000, [[W. B. Gaw]], an engineer, put in the dam during the winter of '83-'84 using cottonwood timber and piles on so faulty a basis that when the ice broke in the spring of '84, it took the new construction downstream. It was also discovered that the ditch had been dug too narrow and deep to be of service. Having spent about $40,000 for a failed project, it languished until it was sold by the sheriff in the summer of 1885. [[W. B. Jordan]] purchased it and formed a new company under the name of "Miles City Irrigating and Ditch Company". Needless to say, some were reluctant to pour good money after bad, but optimism carried forward and the new stockholders included: Leighton and Jordan; Maj. [[Simeon Snyder]], Lt. [[C. B. Thompson]], Lt. [[W. H. Sage]], the wife of Capt. [[Mason Carter]], Capt. [[T. F. Forbes]], all of the fort; Dr. [[Ira L. Sanderson]], Gen. [[W. A. Rucker]], Dr. [[P. F. Harvey]] all of "U.S.A."; [[T. J. Bryan]], [[William Macqueen]], [[William Courtenay]], [[Konrad Schmid]], [[Louis Payette]] and [[J. McGurk]] all of Miles City; [[Maurice Auerbach]], [[R. E. Stower]], both of St. Paul; and Dr. [[G. W. Ellis]] of Philadelphia. It was determined that it was cost as much to dig a new ditch as it would to fix the old one. A 12 foot wide bottom was planned, sides at 45 degrees. | ||
The original trustees were: | The original trustees were: | ||
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[[15 Mar 1886]]: Annual stockholders meeting at the [[First National Bank]]. Monday, 2 pm. [[W. N. MacQueen]], secretary. Elected trustees: [[W. B. Jordan]], [[William Courtnay]], [[W. N. MacQueen]] and [[Major Snyder]]. Officers: Jordan (President), Courtnay (VP), [[E. B. Weirick]] (Treas.) and [[F. B. Robinson]] (Sec.). | [[15 Mar 1886]]: Annual stockholders meeting at the [[First National Bank]]. Monday, 2 pm. [[W. N. MacQueen]], secretary. Elected trustees: [[W. B. Jordan]], [[William Courtnay]], [[W. N. MacQueen]] and [[Major Snyder]]. Officers: Jordan (President), Courtnay (VP), [[E. B. Weirick]] (Treas.) and [[F. B. Robinson]] (Sec.). | ||
| − | On [[1 Apr 1886]] they advertised for bids for "the cutting and delivery of about 800,000 feet of logs, to be delivered at a mill to be located upon the head of Stebbins and Greenleaf creeks, [[Wolf Mountains]], Montana." | + | On [[1 Apr 1886]] they advertised for bids for "the cutting and delivery of about 800,000 feet of logs, to be delivered at a mill to be located upon the head of Stebbins and Greenleaf creeks, [[Wolf Mountains]], Montana." By mid April, the lone bidder [[E. A. Lay]] and [[Frank Sebastian]] were awarded the contract. The timber will be sawed at a point about 30 miles upstream on the [[Tongue River]] and floated down to a site about 13 miles above the mouth and stockpiled, in preparation for building a small dam. To be successful, the logs had to be rafted down during the June rise. The company had built a sawmill at Stebbing Gulch and would ship it from Rosebud to the Tongue site, which had received special approval of the Interior Department. The sawmill had a capacity of 18-20,000 feet per day at 12 hrs per day, but was expected to have to run 16 hrs per day to make the schedule. The mill was actually situated 15 miles from the river and 15 four horse teams were used to get the lumber to the river bank. Work on the dam and its flumes was scheduled for September when the water level would at its lowest before winter. |
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| + | By [[ 17 July 1886]] all the lumber had been cut and was being floated down the river. | ||
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| + | [[28 Sep 1886]]: [[Fritz]] and [[Leonard]] closed a contract to do surface work for the ditch. They began work on the same day and expect to work through the winter to meet a [[1 Apr 1887]] deadline. The large contract includes grading the big bluff near {Grimmit]]'s. | ||
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| + | By Dec 1886 $60,000 had been spent on the new ditch and dam. | ||
On [[6 Feb 1894]] they announced that the ditch was almost completed and warned potential subscribers that they should secure their subscriptions before they are gone and have to buy them from scalpers. | On [[6 Feb 1894]] they announced that the ditch was almost completed and warned potential subscribers that they should secure their subscriptions before they are gone and have to buy them from scalpers. | ||
[[17 Jun 1894]]: "The monster steam dredge recently bought by the Miles City Irrigating & Ditch Co. is being slowly taken out to the scene of its labors. The machine weighs 60,000 lbs, and is propelled by a traction engine, but it is so heavy that it cuts down in the solid road, which renders it necessary to use plank upon which to move it. However, it will be taken about 10 miles up the ditch and there commence operations. Large boats are being built in the canal, and from its position in there the big excavator is expected to take out 2 1/2 cu yds of dirt per minute. In this way, the capacity of the ditch, which is now thoroughly taxed, will be trebled, and there will be ample water for all the ranches under it." | [[17 Jun 1894]]: "The monster steam dredge recently bought by the Miles City Irrigating & Ditch Co. is being slowly taken out to the scene of its labors. The machine weighs 60,000 lbs, and is propelled by a traction engine, but it is so heavy that it cuts down in the solid road, which renders it necessary to use plank upon which to move it. However, it will be taken about 10 miles up the ditch and there commence operations. Large boats are being built in the canal, and from its position in there the big excavator is expected to take out 2 1/2 cu yds of dirt per minute. In this way, the capacity of the ditch, which is now thoroughly taxed, will be trebled, and there will be ample water for all the ranches under it." | ||
