Page:LA2-NSRW-2-0507.jpg

IRONTON Ironton, the county-seat of Lawrence County, O., on the Ohio River, 142 miles above Cincinnati. It is the chief business center of an important iron region, which gives employment to numerous furnaces, foundries and other manufactories. The brick and clay industries are quite extensive, and two immense cement plants are located here. Population 13,147.  Ironwood, Mich., a city in Gogebic County, about 33 miles from Ashland, Wis. In the vicinity there are much timber and iron ore, and the section is known as the Gogebic iron region. Gogebic has a city hall, a Carnegie library, a high-school and several churches. It is served by the Wisconsin Central and Chicago and Northwestern railways, and has trolley connection with Gile and Hurley, Wis. Population 12,821.  Iroquois Indians, formerly a great union of Indian tribes, recognized as a distinct branch of the Algonquin family and occupying central New York. In the 17th century they were known as the Five Nations. In 1715 they were joined by the Tuscaroras, when their name was changed to the Six Nations. They never exceeded 15,000 in number, and they still number about 12,000, most of them being in the United States, though some of the tribe are found in Canada. Schools and missions have been established among them, and some of their number have reached distinction as soldiers, engineers etc. Corn-planter, Brant and Red Jacket were Iroquois. See Brant and Red Jacket by Eggleston and The Iroquois by Johnson, also by Morgan.  Irawadi (said to mean, like Mississippi, the father of waters), is the great river of Farther India. Its course is nearly due south, and its length is about 1,000 miles. It is superior to the Ganges and Indus for navigation, vessels ascending nearly 800 miles from its mouth. It crosses Burma and enters China on the southwest. In both the Burmese wars it was the chief means of advance for the English armies.  Ir′riga′tion is the artificial application of water to land. Ruins of basins, acqueducts and canals give ample evidence of its extensive use in pre-historic times. Irrigation was practiced among the Assyrians, Babylonians and Phoenicians and China, Egypt and India are noted for the antiquity and the completeness of their systems. Remains of works in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona show that the pre-historic inhabitants practiced irrigation and some of their ditches are used in present operations. The Mormons furnished the United States with the first irrigation on a practical scale. In California it was developed in connection with mining. The Union Colony established in Colorado in 1870 made the Greeley District famous for its productions, especially potatoes and alfalfa.

The Spaniards who invaded the country

learned irrigation and carried it to their kinsmen in Mexico. In southern California the early missions surrounded their stations with farms made fruitful by watering the parched plains. The wonderful results of these later-day ventures induced the adoption of systems of irrigation in other portions of the regions of insufficient rainfall, and this was largely done by forming colonies, their settlers locating on small, near-by farms and obtaining water from a common source. In this manner increasing areas were brought under cultivation, and such colonies, with individuals, associations and companies, introduced irrigation in many localities. In the 80s millions of money was put into such projects speculatively, but few proved profitable for investors, although they were the means of substantial advancement in extension of irrigation.

Government Reclamation Projects. The whole scheme, however, has become so vast and of such economic importance that state and national governments are more and more assuming its responsibilities. The reclamation act, which became a law in 1902 marked the beginning of a new era in irrigation in America. This provides that the proceeds from the sales of public lands in 13 states and three territories be used in constructing irrigation systems therein. Any lands thus reclaimed are subject to entry only under the provisions of the homestead laws in tracts of not less than 10 nor more than 160 acres, and between these limits the acreage may be restricted by the Secretary of the Interior as his judgment dictates. The settlers are required to pay, in not to exceed ten yearly installments, such amounts per acre as may be equitably apportioned—which in the case of the initial system put in operation was $26—with a view to returning to the reclamation fund the estimated cost of the construction of the projects, which in effect gives free land under the homestead laws and permanent irrigation systems and water at cost, although the title to the sources of supply remains in the government until otherwise provided by Congress. When the payments are made for the major portion of the lands irrigated, the control of the works passes to the owners of the land, to be maintained at their expense under such form of organization and under such rules and regulations as may be acceptable to the Secretary of the Interior. Under this act much work is being accomplished and stupendous schemes undertaken. Extensive engineering projects are under way in several of the states and territories affected by this act, which applies to Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The projects already authorized contemplate the ultimate redemption of 2,000,000 acres. 