The Desert Awakens in Kittitas
A massive engineering feat to bring water to 15,000 acres, bankrolled by local Ellensburg businessmen.
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.
ELLENSBURG, Nov. 17.—A project which may prove one of the most beneficial ever undertaken by the people of Kittitas county, and one which forebodes better results, is the work already begun upon the Lower Cascade Canal company's big irrigation ditch. This work is undertaken by the business men of Ellensburg and some of the well-to-do farmers in Kittitas valley, who have formed themselves into a stock company with a capitalization of $150,000. Sam Packwood, a prominent business man of Ellensburg; John H. Smythson, mayor of this city; and Attorney J. E. Frost hold the offices of president, vice president and general manager, respectively. The canal when completed will cover a section of the finest land in this country, comprising about 15,000 acres. The length of the big ditch will be forty-two miles; it will carry 170 cubic feet of water per second of time. Altogether there are about 500 men and 266 teams engaged upon the construction work, and Ellensburg is headquarters for the operators. Manager J. E. Frost says that, provided weather conditions are favorable, the entire canal, including tunnel work and lining, will be finished by February.
“The canal when completed will cover a section of the finest land in this country, comprising about 15,000 acres.”
Large-scale irrigation projects defined the agricultural landscape of Eastern Washington in the early 20th century. Today, these historical infrastructure investments continue to spark complex debates about water rights, salmon conservation, and the sustainability of high-desert farming.
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