Bringing Water to the Okanogan
A new twenty-mile irrigation ditch promises to transform arid lands into fertile ground for hops and fruit.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A party of surveyors under the management of Mr. Henry Carr, of Oso, are now leveling a line for an irrigation ditch to tap the Similkameen River and run southward along the west side of the Okanogan River. This ditch will be about twenty miles long and will open up a fine body of land for cultivation which has been heretofore practically useless on account of the lack of water. Many of the settlers along the proposed route are already figuring on planting hops next season, which good hop men claim can be grown here for 7 cents per pound. This land will also grow the best of fruit, including peaches and grapes, and will produce alfalfa hay at the rate of seven to ten tons per acre.
“This land will also grow the best of fruit, including peaches and grapes, and will produce alfalfa hay at the rate of seven to ten tons per acre.”
This 1893 report captures the era of intense Western land speculation, where 'reclaiming' arid land for agriculture was the primary driver of development. While today's Okanogan remains an agricultural powerhouse, the reliance on intensive irrigation continues to raise modern questions about water rights, climate change, and habitat protection for salmon runs.
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