|
<br />Valley prospers with Uncompahgre Project
<br />Project.
<br />Late in 1904 a private con-
<br />tractor began constrnctiooof
<br />the tunnel, but because of
<br />financial difficulties soon
<br />withdrew, and the Reclama-
<br />tion Service assumed the
<br />responsibility of completing
<br />the project.
<br />The difficulties en-
<br />countered werein some cases
<br />gargantuan. A wagon road
<br />had to be built across Vernal
<br />Mesa and on tothefloorofthe
<br />callyan. In some places the
<br />grade was nearly 30 percent,
<br />and much of the massive
<br />drilling equipment had to be
<br />eased down on skids and held
<br />with block and tackle.
<br />Four separate drill
<br />headings were begun - one
<br />in from each portal. and
<br />headings east and west from
<br />a shaft sunk in at the mesa.
<br />Tunnel -.drillers prefer
<br />hard, solid rock, but at this
<br />tunnel they also ran iotoday,
<br />sand, shale, and a badly frac-
<br />tured fault zone.
<br />In December of 1906, a
<br />seam was ~ carrying time was one of the longest crest. The dam bas a
<br />wann water'lUrcharged with tunnels in the world, and was hydraulic height of 10 feet. It
<br />carbonic acid. The drillers the longest irrigation ttmnel diverts Gunnison River flows.
<br />were forCed to abandon the in the world. and releases from the Taylor
<br />headin'g for six months while President William Howard Park Dam into the Gunnison
<br />a 4O().fOQt,-~haft was driven Taft, accompanied by an en- Tunnel.
<br />into the imoWltainskle for tourage of local, state, and The Gunnison Tunnel as
<br />. ventilation. federal dignitaries, arrived constructed had a rec-
<br />After the ventilation shaft by train on September 23, tangular section 11 feet wide
<br />was installed, and according 1909 to officially dedicate the and 12 feet high with an arch
<br />to official' Bureau records, diversion of water through roof and much of it has since
<br />"the ,tunnel'was driven for thetunnelontowhathecalled been lined with a ll-foot
<br />two thousa!ld feetthrough a the "incomparable valley diameter horseshoe arch con-
<br />geQlogieal-fault which fur- with the unpronounceable crete lining. it is 5.8 miles
<br />ni~ed 8' 'weird. and:unholv name," long and bas a capacity of
<br />assortment of grieL" _' Because the diversion dam 1,000 cubic feet per secood.
<br />Not only' were the drillers ~as not yet built across the South Canal extends from
<br />worki'ng- in '8 :tattirated at- Gunnison River, none pf the the end of the Gunnison
<br />mospbe,fe'at 11:' JemPfhj!ture river water could be sent Tunnel generally southwest
<br />abo'Ve 90 degrees F, but they through the- tunnel. 11.4 miles to the- Uncom-,
<br />had to observe the utmost-. 'n1~refo.re, _W'.Ol:kmen hidden pahgareRiverandeontains4,
<br />caution as well, for at fre~' In \:he-'tunnel burlt a small tunnels. Part of the canal Is
<br />quentintervals"greatrushes dam to hold back seepage. concrete lined; the
<br />of water would break from Ther! when President Taft remainder is unlined. The
<br />the sides _!tJl,t;l, f:,fce, carrying tapped ,the silver ,bell" the .canal has_ a capacitj of 1,010
<br />:bundreds:on'ard$__'of- sand, 'WorkIilenbrokeopen'thedam ,cUbicfeetperseednd, most of
<br />which bi,ltied tracks, tools ~and a small, now of 'Water "Which is delivered to the Un-
<br />'and everything else 500 or 600 _ 'emerg~ to the_delight-of the -~Pabgare River or to the
<br />-'"feet from.the breast" :;.. 'dedication audience. At that West canal. e'
<br />" From December: 1906 to' exact moment bells---.and . West Ca~(al extends
<br />March, 1909, mu~h water:was'- _ gongs :were So.U11t;led all.over generally northwest about 21,
<br />encounterecL ACvolum'e '-es~ .~-Uncon1pahgare-V.al1ey; rriiles-"from lbl! 'Un'coin-
<br />timatedas8cubicfeetperse-; In 1972; ~ years after its pahgare River as a continua-
<br />cond ran ste'adily through the completion, the Gunnison tion of the South Canal. Ithas
<br />bore. Tunnel was acclaimed by the _ a diversion ,capacity of 172
<br />Perhaps it can be un- American Society of Civil cubic feet per second from
<br />derstood why, while the pay Engineers as a National the river and is unlined.
<br />and benefits were considered Historic Civil Engineering A long-recognized need of
<br />goodfortbe;fime,themen,up Landmark. The tunnel the Uncompahgre Project
<br />to 500 at a given time, rarely became _ ol)ly the 26th struc- was upstream storage of the
<br />lasted longer than two weeks ture ofman~s ingenuity to be spring runoff so that irriga-
<br />on the job. accDrded the hOODr. tion water would still be
<br />On July 6, 1909the bore was The Uncompahgre Project available in the latesummer.
<br />"holed"thrO!!ih" and at the provides storage in TaylQr The answer was Taylor
<br />- ~ - - -- - -- -- -ParkReservoirontheTaylDr Park Dam, located about 30
<br />, River, in the upper Gunnison miles northeast of Gunnison,
<br />River Basin, to augment Colarado,ontheTaylorRiver
<br />diversions of water from the ia Gunnison River
<br />Gunnison River by the Gun- tributalj'). The 20o-foDt-high'
<br />niSDn Diversion Dam, dam will hDld back a reser-
<br />through the, Gunnison Tunnel voir containing 106,200 acre-
<br />and into ,the South Canal to feet of water.
<br />the Uncompahgre River, Taylor Park Dam was built
<br />where it is rediverted by pro- during the period 1935 to' 1937.
<br />ject facilities located along The reservoir was filled to
<br />the river for use in the-Un- capacityforthefirsttimeand
<br />compahgre Valley wi:lter started over 'the
<br />To_distribute the waters of spillway crest at 1:45 p,m.
<br />the ~ Gunnison and Uncom- May 25. 1939,
<br />pahgre Rivers, the South Since the completion of
<br />and West Canals w('re COll- Blue MeS<l Dam in 196'<;.
<br />s'trucledandlhl'mol'eimj}(Jr. . st(Jr.'lge in Ta~'lor P<lrk
<br />tant priYdte- C~l[l;,);; IE>!.';1. ReS€'l','Oir has heen ('Oor-
<br />Loutenhill::'l" (-;Uilc't Mesa. dirmted witll th;il of Blul'
<br />Montrosf' i;:nd Dell_,,1 ,lud l\Iesnanrirele<lst's!<cht'dllkd =~~r.1~E
<br />lron.~ro]le\, I;:d\ing W~llei' l0 "ptimi1.(' fi~h ,md wildlifp
<br />-di,'f'etiv h0m the 1'10"1""_ t t" ft t MADISON,Wls.{AP)-The
<br />'-" am ;'e(;lT<l 1011 Den.,' 1 .~ <I ung 18th-century French painting
<br />pz:l1gr;: Hlver' wrn" i'tll'dhlc' ml' T;.1~'l()r 8no GllJlni1>i1D' "SunrilIc" by C!sude-Josepb
<br />~:;:I~';";I,-;~g"'~~'e~ld ,~i:;~n~,~~_' ~~\;,'~I~('~~r~;~'il~.<J:; "'I Taylor Vemet is one of the recent -ac-
<br />s!I1Jtted to -delin'r \Hltcr in 1\l76,.b7.843-ac'reSl'ceeiv- qpiSitions of the Elvehjem Art
<br />, 'Ceilterhere.
<br />from lh€ ffi;}in caDnls cd irnglltion water from the Vernet, a master of marine
<br />The Gunnbon Rivt'1" Dlver- Uncompahgn> Projerl. The landscape painting, completed
<br />sion'Dam is si1uo.ted ,on the a\ erage per-i;lere prop value "SUnrise" in 1759. It was one of
<br />,Gunnison _Rivet - doout l:i' > in .l97~ _ was $262_35. with- a four works cornmisadOnea by
<br />ml\el"eastofMonlrosE'_ It is ,1 'total-'crop value of SiI7,798.- the third Duke of Bridgewater
<br />timber-crib weir with ron. 4571 Smce IrngatlOll of the In 1753
<br />crete wirlgs aO_Q,p. r(>Oll)\'abJe :...proJect ...began- m i9Cl9,-..tne .,......'
<br />
<br />,
<br />,
<br />
<br />lo-Montrose Daily Press-Thursday, May 11, 1978
<br />
<br />With passage of the visionary, fired the im-
<br />Reclamation Act in 1902, the aginations of local residents
<br />newly created Reclamation with his dream of an irriga-'
<br />Setvice was authorired to Hon tunnel through the Ver-
<br />provide much needed irriga- nal Mesa which separated the
<br />tiDn water for the early Gunnison River from the Un-
<br />settlers of the Uncompahgre compabgre Valley:
<br />VaHey. By 1894 he had sparked
<br />Today 85,990 acres of farm enough interest so that funds
<br />land nourish within the Un- could be secured and a sur-
<br />compahgre Valley, 76,297 of vey taken.
<br />which are supplied by the Un- The first survey
<br />cDmpahgre PrDject. demonstrated that Lauzon's
<br />For the early pioneers, life dream was something more
<br />in Colorado's Uncompahgre than merely a dream.
<br />Valley was nDt easy. It was However, further surveys
<br />SDon apparent that rainfall needed to be taken from the
<br />was inadequate for fanning. canyon floor before a tunnel
<br />The settlers also dis- site could be selected.
<br />covered that their one river, In 1900, E. B. Anderson, a
<br />the - Uncomaphgre, carried Delta fanner, led four men in
<br />too little water to iITigate an ill-fated attempt to survey
<br />much of the available land. the canyon by floating the
<br />Tothenorth,however,locked river in wood and canvas
<br />in the awesome gorge of the boats. After four weeks on
<br />Black Canyon, flowed the what was expected to be a
<br />Gunnison River. All they five-day journey and after
<br />needed was a tunnel. traversilig less than half of
<br />Before the GunniSQn the 4IJ.mile canyon, the party
<br />Tunnel and' the attendant abandoned the project in un-
<br />canals, laterals, and diver- derstandabte despair.
<br />sion dams whrch constitute Fin1:tlly, in 1901 an engineer
<br />the Uncompahgare from the U.S. GeologlcalSur-
<br />Reclamation Project were vey, A. Lincoln Fellows, and
<br />completed, farming in the William W. Torrence'of the
<br />vaHey was at a desperate Montrose Electric Lightand
<br />ebb. Power Co., a member of the
<br />At the turn of Ule centruy aborted expedition of 1900,
<br />about 100,000 acres in the made a survey using rubber
<br />valley had been taken up and air mattresses and water-
<br />patented, but less than 30,000 proof bags to carry their
<br />acres were under cultivatiDn equipment.
<br />and often there was not even After nine days, they had,
<br />water far this land. examined, phot,ographed,
<br />In addition, many settlers and surveyed'the best sites
<br />werebeingforcedtoabandon for' a diversion dam' and-
<br />their bomesteads for lack of tunpel, and Fellows' aCCDun~
<br />water; and moreDver, of this perilous exploration
<br />fDreclasures- bad-been made,~ furnishes, according to'.one
<br />on approximately 20,000 historiao, "one 'of thednost
<br />acres by loan companies. thrilling chapters in the
<br />The eventual supply of engineering annals of
<br />irrigation water nDwing America."
<br />through the Gunnison Tunnel Financing was one of the
<br />belped reverse this onerous biggest obstacles, The State
<br />process, " " _' of, Color~do al?PfOPl'jated.
<br />," Sutve'Ys wert m'alle acroSS limited 'fwirls: _Aoout aM 'feet-
<br />the rim -and into the, Df tunnel "-'ere actually
<br />- ,precipitous Black Canyon in,:. drilled in 1901; but the-funds
<br />thela-tel300's,buttheywere', soon were exhausted and
<br />difficult and dangerous. ' work, stopped: This tunnel
<br />Although,they showed that, was: drilled tow.ard the
<br />. a r.ailroad route.tfulOtigh the Nartows:butnotOnthelineor'
<br />canYDn was jnfeasible, the the existing tunnel.
<br />surveys were not suflicienUy Funding for the project
<br />complete to select a tunnel became a realizable
<br />site. possibility with the passage
<br />The Denver and Rio of the Reclamation Act in
<br />Grande Western Railroad did 1902, and on June 7,1903, th_e
<br />complete a railroad through Secretary Df the Interior ap.
<br />the Uncompahgre'-Valley in proved,asoneofthefivefirst
<br />western Colorado in 1882, projects to be built by the'
<br />Beginning in 1890, F. C. newly created Reclamation
<br />Lauzon, Montrose farmer, Service, the allocation Df
<br />onHime miner, and full-time __ fu.n~ }o~ !'!e_ l!!Tc_~~hg~
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />PLACING A GOLD BELL 08 a silver plate. President William Howard
<br />Taft opens ..be Gunnison Tunnel over the line's of dte Colorado Telepbone
<br />Co., during tunnel dedication ceremonies on Sept. 23, 1909. (Bureau of
<br />Reclamation photo).
<br />
<br />total value of all crops grown
<br />to 1976 is $313,576,566.
<br />On the cost side, the total
<br />price for all constructed
<br />facilities of the Uncom-
<br />pahgre Project was only $10,-
<br />488,734.
<br />The Uncompahgre _ Valley
<br />is noted as oneofthemostplc-
<br />turesque sections of the Un-
<br />ited States.
<br />It annually attracts SCDres'
<br />of vacationists with S\Ich
<br />points of interest as the Black
<br />. Canyon af the Gunnison
<br />National Monument, a few
<br />miles from the mouth of Gun-
<br />nison Tunnel, and. the San
<br />;Juan. Mountains._-kAO_WD 'as
<br />ti~ l$witzl;!&Jand.Df America,
<br />'"withln,a short'djstarice OJ-
<br />Montrose.
<br />The area has a _ special
<br />appeal to angle_rs..l)ec8;use of
<br />, th,e:Gunnisoh.'R~t;1ti.tfam-
<br />ed as; tile 'fhbittb.an'S
<br />-paradise; Grand MesPhvith
<br />its hundi'eds' Df lake~, and
<br />Lake City, nated fori1i-,trout.
<br />cNumeroiul ather lakel;, and
<br />mountain streams_~ the
<br />area a mecca forsi>oriSmen.
<br />
<br />CLEAN AIR C081LY
<br />JOHNSTOWN,;'Pa, (AP)'- A
<br />".....,....-........
<br />more than four.llfths of the pol-
<br />IutaDtaoutoltbesmoke.tact'
<br />eml8aiona of eight electrie gen-
<br />erating stations -: iD ,we&terD
<br />Pennsylvania.
<br />'!'be muIU-miIIioDodonar pro-
<br />gnun ... rocentIy """"'-
<br />by tbe western PeDalytvanlll
<br />~ .. General PublIc
<br />_... Corp. to ......, '"
<br />pIanto Into CODlIlIlance With
<br />state and -.I oh'qua1Ity
<br />....,...... >=<dIng" wu-
<br />l1am G. Kubns, GPU cliilrman.
<br />Harmful stack emiaIion8
<br />from ... eight ....... plan"
<br />were reduced fK percent below
<br />pre:vioua levels by changes in
<br />the facllltl.es' pollution control
<br />systems, many of them "tailor.
<br />made for these specific sta-
<br />tions," be explained. Theae im-
<br />provements are in addition to
<br />earlier pollution control meas.
<br />ures, Kulms added.
<br />
|