The William F. Cody Archive: Documenting the life and times of Buffalo Bill

C. H. Morrill, President. A.B. Minor, Sec'y and Treasurer. Office of the Lincoln Land Company, Rooms 20 to 23, Burr Block, Lincoln, Neb. Quotations of prices are subject to change without notice.

Lincoln, Neb. Nov. 22, 1899.

My dear Mr. Perkins,—

While I was at Cheyenne, I made some investigation in regard to irrigation schemes in Wyoming and particularly in the big horn basin.

I presume you know that under the Cary act, the different states in which arid lands are located had the privilege of selecting one million acres to be used as an inducement to further irrigation schemes. Wyoming has selected nearly all of its land and at the present time have commissioners selecting the balance. The Cary act expires in 1904. Any states that have not selected at that time will be left out. In Wyoming there has been five big irrigation schemes, including Cody's and the Burlington (by Wiley of Omaha). Land has been segregated to each of these schemes, but they have all been thrown up with the exception of Cody's and the Burlington. Under the Cary act the settlers must produce certificate from the Water Company that they have a paid up water right sufficient to irrigate the land. They can then enter the land from the state by paying 25 cents per acre. At the end of three years they must submit proof that they have at least 20 acres under irrigation. If so they get a deed for the land making in all $10.00 to the Water Company and 50 cents to the state.

The Burlington (Wiley's) has 30,000 acres of land segregated. On this land, as shown by the records in Cheyenne, there is just 20 settlers. Several of the settlers have already filed complaints that there is not a sufficient amount of water and that they have determined to throw up their claims. The State authorities informed me that they would investigate the condition of the Burlington ditch this winter.

Under Cody's scheme there is probably not more 10 settlers. I asked the Commissioner if he considered the Cary act a good piece of legislation. He said up to the present time it had been a failure.

In regard to the probably success of the Cody scheme, he said it was improbable unless somebody else took hold of it.

I also conferred with a gentleman who the state officers designate as their coal expert. I do not think he knows as much about the coal prospects in the big horn basin as I do, but he said that from what information he had he thought there was plenty of coal in the big horn basin, but it was all lignite.

Yours truly,

C. H. Morrill

Mr. C. E. Perkins

Banner image: Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming, U.S.A.; Original Buffalo Bill Museum Collection, P.69.118