Thurston Ranchers Promote Irrigation Seattle Daily Times December 31, 1910
Olympia, Saturday, Dec. 31 – The most pretentious irrigation scheme ever launched in Western Washington is assured in organization by Thurston County ranchers of a company with $50,000 paid up in capital to engage in irrigation of not less than 7,000 acres of prairie lands near Yelm and possible irrigation of about 37,000 acres of lands.
The corporation has been formed and appropriation made of waters of the Nisqually River, sufficient to irrigate the maximum quantity of lands named. It was stated today by Fred Carlyon, one of the incorporators that the point at which the water will be diverted from the stream is twenty-five feet higher than any part of the prairie to be irrigated.
There are seven surveyors now in the field under the direction of L. M. Rice and Co., of Seattle, the engineers who will have charge of construction of the canals and laterals. The plan provide generally for open ditches although in some instances flumes will be necessary to carry the waters across gulches and creeks.
The soil of the prairies southeast of Olympia is said by government and state college experts, who recently examined it to be much similar in characteristics to that of the Spokane valley and most productive under irrigation.