Assessor, George Middlestadt ; treasurer, Wm. W. Yannata. This district eventually bonded for $45,000. The Alliance canal opened south of Bayard on the north side of the river. About two miles west of the county line, it crosses the Burlington line about a mile east of the town of Bayard and then runs in a southeasterly direction more or less paralleling the railroad through Bayard township and goes into Yockey township. This canal is about twelve or fifteen miles long.

The bonds of this district were sold to the state of Nebraska. The investment of the permanent school funds in irrigation bonds, although authorized by law. had never been done until Wm. Ritchie, Jr., brought these before the board of educational lands and

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

funds. This board then consisted of Keith Neville, governor; Charles W. Pool, secretary of state; George Hall, state treasurer; Willis Reed, attorney general, and G. L. Shumway, state land commissioner. Neville and Shumway were from the irrigation section of Nebraska. This departure was of distinctive benefit to irrigation development in Nebraska, and to date there has been no delinquent interest on such investments of the state school funds.

Chimney Rock District

The Chimney Rock irrigation district was inaugurated bv a petition filed October 3, 1912, signed by R. F. Durnall, R. J". Kruse. H. E. Randal'l. S. E. Samuelson, W. II. Nickols, E. G. Boyer, John Donley, F. A. Comstock, James Burns, C. W. Sixberry. W. E. Morse, M. J. Hanna, asking for the organization of the proposed district. The district was divided into three divisions and an election ordered for November 12, 1912. Division one was to vote at Chimney Rock store. Division two at Chimney Rock schoolhouse, and division three was directed to vote at the dwelling house in the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter 23-20- 52.