In more recent years the granger came and settled in the valley and on the table lands surrounding, producing good crops by scientific methods of dry farming. Forty per cent of the land in the district is under cultivation. But to the minds of the settlers the fact has been apparent for man}' years that eventually where practicable the country should be, and must be irrigated to produce the best possible agricultural results. A few irrigation ditches were run from Lodgepole creek and more

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASK \

satisfactory results obtained by a direct flow of water from the creek than by dry farming methods, but confronting" the fanners was the necessity of conserving the large amount of flood and waste waters of Lodgepole creek in a huge reservoir that would impound sufficient water to irrigate all of the land and hold it in readiness to be turned upon the soil whenever it might be needed. Enough water went to waste annually in flood times and during the eight months of each year when it could not be used for direct irrigation, to irrigate the land twice over, and the sight of this waste stirred the people to action.

A natural reservoir site was at hand lying across Lodgepole creek, scarcely half a mile distant from the west end of the land to be irrigated. This reservoir is now completed and has a capacity of 7,200 acre-feet of water, which supplementing average rainfall, is sufficient to water the 7,200 acres of land embraced in the Kimball Irrigation District. It is estimated by many irrigation experts that one acre foot of water is sufficient to irrigate one acre of land, but the Kimball project is not dependent upon this calculation because it is the first and only reservoir filling on the creek and its water appropriation entitles it to approximately 9.000 acre-feet of water during the year, which can be obtained by refilling from the stream as the water is used during the growing season.