The Dike That Wasn't Built
Cusick's levees saved 500 acres of grain, but Dike District No. 1 lost its season to a right-of-way feud—and now heads to court to condemn the land it needs.
Work has been started on the railroad bridge across the Calispel River. The river is about at a standstill and will leave a considerable area of grain and timothy to be harvested this fall. All the dikes did their work fine. LeClerc's, Metcalf Bros.', Williams', Saddlers' and Cusick's dike, near Locke, protected over 500 acres of fine grain, and the Covell-Jared dike has done its work. Dike District No. 1 lost this year by the shortsighted, narrow-mindedness and jealousies of a couple of ranchers, through whose land the dike must run. Before another year, Dike District No. 1 will have cleared all questions in court and have secured their right-of-way. Part will probably have to be condemned and have a dike constructed that will insure 5,000 acres of fine farm land.
“Dike District No. 1 lost this year by the shortsighted, narrow-mindedness and jealousies of a couple of ranchers, through whose land the dike must run.”
Dike District No. 1's fight is an early version of the local infrastructure wars that still turn on easements, eminent domain and who bears the cost of flood protection. Then as now, a single holdout parcel could decide whether hundreds of acres were protected.
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