The board of commissioners, sitting as a board of equalization, on June 19, 1889, found the following assessable property in Deuel county: personal, $93,345.79; real estate, $443,558.50; Union Pacific railway, $303,- 503.20; Western Union Telegraph Company, 83,448.90, a total of $848,856.39. The first levy for taxes was: for roads three and a half mills ; bridges, one mill ; sinking fund, one and a half mills. The Big Springs Precinct Bridge Bond was for three mills. Another attempt was made for a "North River" bridge by a petition of October 9, 1889, when ten thousand dollars worth of bonds was asked, but was lost at the subsequent election.

In the spring of 1890, a bridge was built across the Blue river, the first bridge built by Deuel county. In 1890, L. B. Cary and some other men were working out the details of the Belmont canal as irrigation was already becoming an important factor in the industrial life of the county. J. B. Anderson, called "Swede" Anderson, conceived the idea of extending the Belmont canal to the great tables between the north river and the Lodgepole. For raising funds he proposed bonding the precincts. This idea went so far as to call elections in several precincts. The company which was to handle the project was known as the Belmont and Froid Canal and Reservoir Company. One hundred and seven persons of Union precinct asked for an election to vote fifteen thousand dollars in subsidizing bonds; one hundred and eighteen petitioners proposed twenty thousand dollars of bonds as the quota of Froid precinct; fifty-one persons in Green precinct wanted to vote on twenty-five thousand dollars of bonds ; all for the same purpose and elections were called for August 5, 1890.