Turning the Sagebrush Into Gold
Colonel John G. Boyle touts the transformation of Yakima's arid land into a booming agricultural paradise through new irrigation projects.
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.
Colonel John G. Boyle, an attorney and newspaper man from North Yakima, reports on the immense potential of the region’s new artesian wells. These wells, coupled with planned irrigation ditches like the Sunnyside Ditch, are expected to reclaim hundreds of thousands of acres of 'sage-brush desert.' Investors are already predicting that Yakima's hop and tobacco lands will soon rival those of England and New York. The development is seen as the catalyst for the completion of the Yakima & Pacific Coast Railroad, promising to turn the region into a major economic hub.
“This fact, together with the soil and fructifying water make it the ideal garden spot of the Union.”
This reflects the 'Boom' era of Yakima, where infrastructure and water rights were used to promote land value. The tension between desert preservation and industrial irrigation continues to be a central theme in Washington's water rights and agricultural economy.
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