Baca County History

by the Plainsman Herald

HUGE IRRIGATION PROJECT ABOUT TO START


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The possibility of a dam on Two Buttes Creek had been discussed as early as the 1880’s by early settlers in the area, but it was after the turn of the century before anyone attempted to develop the idea.

The Springfield Herald, Volume 22, Number 19, January 8, 1909 reprinted a Pueblo Chieftain piece on the Two Buttes Irrigation and Reservoir Co project. An excerpt from the article states: “The reservoir, when full, will hold water sufficient for two years’ irrigation of the entire (22,000 acre) tract. As there is always plenty of water in Two Buttes creek, there is absolutely no chance of a drouth or dearth of water.

When looking at that statement with today’s eyes it seems a bit ….crazy, but at the time it seemed pretty reasonable and when looking at photos (below) of the time (1909) the statement seems even more reasonable.

Photo is from the Eldon & Virginia Campbell collection
“Butte Creek Prior to dam construction” Photo is from the Eldon & Virginia Campbell collection
The Lamar Register (Lamar, Colorado) · 26 May 1909

Notice the images above are the same. The Lamar paper used the image and drew a line to show readers where the dam was to be located.


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