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<br />MaJo!' John \tlslry Prm'tll. u.'ho g.JintJ a ,.""k blOl/oIl.m arm ",llh, BJrrl~ 0/
<br />Shiloh.;J sun hi";n thr 1890J 4t Hurprrs Ft"1. \rtlll/irg/I'Ji/J, VI GfOI.O(;K...UllvrV
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<br />.lenliEul or widely K,mered <;I.-here it is
<br />carce. the pcrvilJilVe presence of [he
<br />federal governmem as landowner and
<br />land m.niiger. the even more nOliee-
<br />able (('de-Tal presence .is dam builder
<br />iond waler broker, [he snuling M.ues'.
<br />n~t\lS and ;loll-federal feelin,lu whose
<br />burden Bern..-d DeVOtO once charae-
<br />tenzed in a senten(e--~Gel out and
<br />I'Jve us more money~-dlOse are all
<br />consequences. and by no means oiJl the
<br />consequences. of andllY.
<br />Aridity first brought s(u!emenl ro a
<br />hit at the ed,o:e of the dry country and
<br />then forced changes in the pancrns of
<br />seulernent. The bcS( guide to those
<br />changes is \t'a1rcr '-"ebb"s seminal Imd}',
<br />Thr G,.,al PIa/III. As Webb pointed
<br />out, il took.lo 101 of Induslria.! in~'emion
<br />to conquer the pla.tns: Ihe Colt re-
<br />volver, .lo horsem;An's "-:eapen, to sub-
<br />due Ihe horse Indims; barbed wire [0
<br />COntrol cattle; ""lndmiJls ro fill s[Ock
<br />l.lonks .lond lrrl!"He liule !l:ardens and
<br />h.l.yfields; railroads to open orherwise
<br />unllvible spaces .and bring fits! buifalo
<br />hides .lond buiialo bones .and rhen Cilrle
<br />;And wheu to mukel; !,mg m.i(hinery
<br />. to plow, planl, ind h.arvest bip: fields.
<br />As il a1lered {,jfmln!'melhods, ""eap-
<br />ons, .lond 100h, so Ihe dry counlt}. bent
<br />9o-aler law and (he SlrUClure of l.and
<br />ownership. E.,l5tern 'IlI.'.ater law, aJopred
<br />With IltIle ch.lon"e irom En",hsh com.
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<br />mon bw. was essentiall)' riparian. The
<br />owner oi .a srream b.lonk, say a mlllt:'t,
<br />could dlven w;uer from Ihe sm:am to
<br />run his mill, bUI musl flow it back 'IlI.'hen
<br />it h.id dont:' hiS work for him. BUlin the
<br />uid lands only .i little of tht:' 9o';ller di-
<br />vened from a srream for .lony purpose--
<br />~old mining. Irrij:ation, muniClpa! or
<br />domesric consumplion--evt:'r finds ils
<br />way b.Kk, Much IS evaporated md lost.
<br />FollOWing the pr~tice of Gold Rush
<br />miners who divened streams ior Ihelr
<br />rockers and monilOrs, a.I1 of the dry
<br />core Slates subscribe ro Ihe so-called
<br />Colorado Doctrine of prior .loppropria-
<br />lion. FirslCome, firsl served. The three
<br />coura! stales ~o by some version oi the
<br />California Doctrine, ",,'hieh IS modified
<br />rlpanan.
<br />Because water is precious. .md be-
<br />cause eilher prior appropriauons or rI-
<br />panan rights. ruthlessl)' exercaed.
<br />could I'lve monopollslic power [0
<br />,jn upstream or riparian landowner,
<br />bolh docltlnes, over lune. have been
<br />hedged ';1,'llh weguards. Not e\"(:n yet
<br />have 'IlI.'e iully .lod.lopled our waler la';1,' 10
<br />'IlI."t"'srernconJiuons, as was Jemonslrir-
<br />ed 9o'hen Cal.iorni,j's Supreme Coun In
<br />1983 Invoked the -Public Trusl- prinCI-
<br />ple [Q prevent.lo sln,de uSt:'r. In thiS case
<br />the Los Anp:des 'I);'.loler ind Po""'t:'r De-
<br />pilttment, irom e'-er .i;':.,l\n dUInIO,I: i
<br />[01.a1 walel suppl)', In thiS c.lose the
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<br />srrc-atns Ih,jt once wilereJ the Owens
<br />\'.lolley ind fed Mono uke. The (Out!
<br />l.J.d not question the validity o(Los ,\n.
<br />~des' witer tlghu. It only s,lid Ihal
<br />Ihose tlJ;hls could nor be exercI~ed Jt
<br />the expense of the publlc's Ie~Hlm.lott'
<br />lOlerest,
<br />The condilions Ihal modified waler
<br />ust:' ind ",'ater I.l.w .lobo ctlJ,n/o:ed Ihe
<br />ch.iracrer oi western a!':tlcullure. The
<br />open ranJ;e caltle outtin WOrklO,lt nonh
<br />irom Texas ~ter Ihe CI\'11 WU had only
<br />. bllef lime o( uOlnhibHed ireeJorn
<br />belore they rJ.n IOtanesrers and barbed
<br />9o'lre. But Ihe homesleAders who bejlJ.o
<br />dlspullng the ph,ins .....ilh canlt:'men
<br />quickly found thaI 160 Jeres of dry
<br />lanJ made a h,jnd 9o'ithout even open-
<br />ers. ;\hny Ihrew 10. Those who sluck
<br />either found l.lond on streams or In-
<br />nailed windmills; a.nd the)' moved to.
<br />""..ud larp:er acreages and rhe stalk
<br />furn. jusr as the (J.ltlemen ew:ntuaJly
<br />moved toward the same adlu~tmenl
<br />from Ihe olher end.
<br />john Wesley Powell had adv<xated
<br />iust such in .loJJusrmem in 1878_ 10
<br />cOUOtt). where II look tWenl)', Ihiny,
<br />e\'en fifty iCfeS to feed one steer, qUAr-
<br />rer-seellon homesteads were of no u~e
<br />toa slock raISer. But 160 iCtesof Inten-
<br />sively worked irri,Ralt:'d land were more
<br />Ihan one f.unih' needed or could hAn-
<br />dle. Funhetmore, Ihe tecun,l:ular ca-
<br />dutral surveys that h",d been in use
<br />ever since the Northwesl Ordmina' of
<br />I -8" paid no aHenllon 10 9o'aler, Out on
<br />Ihe plains, i single quarter Ot half see-
<br />lion mi~hl contain .ill Ihe water wlthm
<br />miles, ,jnd all Ihe adlicenr range 9o';iS
<br />domin.ited by whoever owned that
<br />walet.
<br />Powell tht.'refore recommended i
<br />new kind of survey dl;"fining irriE'able
<br />homeste,jds of eighty J.cres and p:razing
<br />homesfe.ids of 2,~60, four full St'C-
<br />lions. Evcry plot ~hould ha"e ,j((ess to
<br />9o';l.let, and en'ry walcr riiUJI should be
<br />lied 10 land urle. Ob\'iously, th2t pro-
<br />~r.un would lei\f;" a lor of dry bnd un-
<br />seltled.
<br />Unfortunafeh. (or homes!('aders .lond
<br />Ihe \X't-Sl, Powell's report was butled
<br />under dead leaves by Congress. Ten
<br />year~ I,Her, hiS afft"mpt to close Ihe
<br />Public DomJ.in unlil he could ger It
<br />~ur"'e\'ed and ItS lrtl,l:.able lands iJt:'nri-
<br />lied W.,l5 defeiled b) St:'n.afUr Bl": Dill
<br />::'Ic-WUI of Se\'.d.l. Ihe firsl 01 ,I Inn,R
<br />hne oi Incomparably bad Ne\'aJa sen-
<br />,lIars. I n I Stol9 J.nd 1890 Ihe eonsllIu-
<br />tlunAl conventions of MOOl.l.na. iJJho,
<br />a.nd \X\'omlnp: tertllOnes 'IlI.'ouIJ nOI hs-
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