Flathead and Lincoln Counties Montana
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USE ON IRRIGATED AREAS and Part ll: MAPS SHOWING IRRIGAlED ArEAs IN COLORS DESIGNATING THe SOURCES OF SUPPLY lItIJifMilCl ",,,J "lACO/" fJo""tJ. .., M."Ir""G • nnw., SlIATE ENGINEER'S 4fFJtE WATER RE SOURCE S SURVEY FLATHEAD AND LINCOLN COUNTIES MONTANA Part I History of Land and Water Use on I rrigated Areas MONTANA < ~ I , I • Published by STATE ENGINEER'S OFFICE Helena, Montana June, 1965 STATE ENGINEER'S OFFICE Everett V. Darlinton .......___ .................. __ .... ____ .............. __ .......... State Engineer Director of \Vater Hesoun:es, Ground and Surface "Vater Hans L. Bille_______ _______ ___ __________________________ ______________ __________ Assistant State Engineer Water Hesources Survey and Publication of County Heports Miller J-Jansen ___________________________________________________________________ _________ Deputy State Engineer CO-OPERATING AGENCIES STATE WATER CONSERVATION BOARD Governor Tim M_ Babcock.. __ _______ _ ______ ___ __________ __ ______ Chairman C. J-I. HaymondO _________ __ ___ . ____ . ___ ______ .Vi ce Chairman and Secretary Everett V. Darlinton ___ _ _______ ___ ____ . _____ ___ __ _____ __ _____ M ember H . J. SawteIL. ____ __ _ ________ ... _______ __ . _____ Member Wi lbur White. __ _ ___ .____ ... ______ Member A. D. McDermott __________ . __ _ ........... ___ .. Director Donald D. Sullivan.___ ___ _ __________ Acting Chief Engineer °Hetired from Board on January 8, 1965 MONTANA STATE AGRICULTURAL EXPERlMENT STATION C. C. Bowman, ] rrigation Engineer and Consultant, Bozeman ~ 3 REPOR T ER PRTG. a SUPPLY co . June, 1965 Honorable Tim M. Bahcock Governor of Montana Capitol Building Helena, Montana Dear Governor Babcock: Submitted herewith is a consolidated report on the \Vater Resources Survey of Flathead and Lincoln CO llnties, Montana. This work was accomplished with funds made available to the State Engineer by the 38th Legislative Session, 1963, and in co-operation with the State vVater Conservati on Board and the Montana State Ag ri cultural Experiment Station. The report is divided into two parts: Part I consists of history of land and water use, irrigated lands, water rights, etc. , and Part 11 contains th e township maps in the County showing in colors the land irrigated from each source or canal system. Work has heen completed and reports are now avail able for the following counties: Big Horn, Broadwater, Carbon, Carter, Cascad e, Chouteau, Custer, Deer Lodge, Fallon, Flathead, Callatin, Coldcn Vall ey, Cranite, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madiso n, Meagher, Missoul a, Musselshell , Park, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Ravalli, Rosebud, Silver Bow, Stillwater, Sweetgrass, Teton, Treasure, Wibaux, vVheatland, and Yell owstone. The office files contain minute descriptions and details of each individual water right and land lI SC, whi ch arc too voluminous to be included herein . These office fil es arc available for jnspection to those who are interested, The historical data on water ri ghts contained in th ese reports can never become obsolete. 1£ new inform ation is added from time to tim e as new developrn ents occur, th e record'S can always be kept current and up-to-date. Respectfully su hmitted, EVERETT V. DAHLINTON, State Engineer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A survey and study of water resources involves many phases of both fi eld and office work in order to gather the necessary data to make the information complete and comprehensive. Appreciation of the splendid cooperation of various agencies and individuals who gave their time and assistance in aiding us in gathering the data for the preparation of this report is hereby acknowledged. FLATHEAD COUNTY OFFICIALS Harley HOllston, Commiss ioner William H. Knapton, Commissioner Clifford E. Haines, Commi5sioner Mrs. lola Weller, Clerk of the District Court Glenn E. MillllOuse, Clerk and Recorder Ray iVIanaghan, Assessor Allen P. Nelson, County Extension Agent LINCOLN COUNTY OFFICIALS Austin E. Fraser, Commissioner R. L. Fagan, Commissioner Jam es L. Sloan, Commissioner Les lie W. Leigh, Clerk of the District Court M. M. Mansfi eld, Clerk and Recorder Peter Vanderwood, Asse5sor Louis E. Hollman, County Extension Agent OTHER AGENCIES AND INDNIDUALS Robert G. Dunbar............................... Professor of History, Montana State College Dr. M. G. Burlingarne ............ Department Head of History, Montana State College Mrs. Grace E. Hansen ........................ Superintendent of Schools, Flathead County H. A. Dightrnan ........................................................................ Meteorologist in Charge, U. S. Dept. of Commerce, Weather Bureau Alvin R. Southard....... ............................................................. State Soil Survey Leader, Department of Plant & Soil Science, Montana State College Philip E. Farne5 ................................A ssistant Snow Survey Supt., V.S.D.A., S.C.S. Willis M. Johns ............................... Chief Geologist, Bureau of Mines and Geology H. D. Hurd................................................ State Soil Conservationist, U.S.D.A., S.C.5. N. R. Tripp .............................. Assistant Regional Forester, V.S.D.A., Forest Service Frank Stermitz.... ...................................... District Engineer, V.S. Geological Survey Eugene B. FooL. ............................................................... Judge of the District Court Harry M. Ish ........................................................ Secretary, Ashley Irrigation District S. S. FrosL. ..................................................... Secretary, Glen Lake Irrigation District Henry Lenarz ................ Chairrnan of Commissioners, Glen Lake Irrigation District Lynn Purdy..... ................................................................... Glen Lake Irrigation District TABLE OF CONTENTS FLATHEAD AND LINCOLN COUNTIES Foreword SUl"face Water _____________ --- ----___ _________________________________________________________ _______________________ 1 Ground Water ---------- --- ---__ __________ ______________ _________ _________________ ________ ____ ___________________ 4 Method of Survey ---- --_____________________________________________________________________ __ _________________ 8 FLATHEAD COUNTY Part I: History and Organization ------ --------------- --------------------------- ______________ ______ 10 Climate ____________ _ .... __ ........... -.. _---- ....... _-_ ... _---- ..... _-_._--.-- 13 Soils __________________________________________________________ _ 16 Crops and Livestock ___ ..... 17 Snow Surveys .... _-----_ ........ __ .... _----- ... _---- ..... _---. 19 Stream Gaging Stations _________________________________ ___ _ ------ ----------- _________________ 21 Economic Mineral Resources ----------- ____________ __ 30 Flathead Soil and Water Conservation District _______________________ ___________ _________ 32 Fish and Game --------------- _____________ ____________ 34 Flathead National Forest ________________________ 35 Summary of Irrigated Land by River Basins Counties Completed to Date _____________________ __________________ 37 Flathead County --------- ------- ____ ___ _________________ ________ ___ 38 Irrigation Project Ashley Irrigation District ---- ---------- ----- ------ --- --------- _____________ 43 Water Righf Data Appropriations and Decrees by Streams __ ---------- --------- _______ ____ 45 Part II: Maps Showing Irrigated Areas in Colors Designating Sources of Supply ----------- ___________________________________________________________ 1-28 LINCOLN COUNTY Part I: History and Organization --------------_____ ______________ _____ ______________________________ __ _____________ 1 Climate ________________________________ ---------______ ____ ________________________________________________________________ 4 SOiIL _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ 6 Crops and Livestock. _______________________________________________________________________________________ __ 7 Sno\v Surveys_.___ .__ . __ ......... ____ ............. __ ....... ___ ... ___ .... _____ ... _____ .. _____ ...... __ .__ . 8 Stream Gaging Stations_ ________________________________________ ________________________ 9 Economic Mineral Resources ........ ____ ._____ ...... ____ ... ___ ..... ______ .. ____ ... ______ ...... ___ .. 13 Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation DistricL. _______ _____________________________________ 15 Fish and Game_ ---------------- -----_____________ _________________________ ____ ______ _______ _ 17 Kootenai National Forest ............................... ___ ___ . __ ._____________________ _ 18 Summary of Irrigated Land by River Basins Counties Completed to Date -- _____________________________________________________________ __ 20 Lincoln County_______ ----------------- _________________________________________________________ ___ 21 Irrigation Project Glen Lake Irrigation District... -------------------------------------------------- _____________ 23 Water Right Data Appropriations and Decrees by Streams _____________________ __ _____ ___ _________________________ 25 Part II: Maps Showing Irrigated Areas in Colors Designating Sources of Supply ______________________________ _____________________________ __ __________ 1-26 FOREWORD SURFACE WATER Our conccrn ovcr surface water ri ghts in Montana is nearl y a century old . ''''hen the fi rs t Ter ritorial Legislature, meetin g in Bannack, adopted th e camlllOn law of England on Janu ary 11, 1865,