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Show 52 established the short- lived Arid Land Reclamation Fund Commission ( 1903- 1905). This commission was assigned the job of identifying potential reclamation projects and working with the federal government in building them. The commission began work almost immediately. Among other things, it identified possible projects around the state including those at Utah Lake, Bear Lake, and on the Strawberry River. It also worked to get F. G. Newell, head of the U. S. Reclamation Service, to start the work of surveying and planning potential reclamation projects. As an official delegation, the Utah Reclamation Commission had an advantage over water promoters from other western states. Other western states were proposing projects, but Utah had led out by establishing a commission designed to attract federal reclamation dollars. 34 The biggest problem the Arid Land Reclamation Fund Commission faced was the problem of water rights disputes in the areas of their proposed projects. The U. S. Reclamation Service had been instructed by Congress to follow state laws with respect to water rights and not to initiate projects until water rights were clearly defined and repayment organizations were established with sufficient collateral. During its two years of operation, the commission laid the groundwork and generated interest in many of the projects the Reclamation Service would later build in the state. The Role of Other State Officials Overall leadership in these developments was provided by Utah's first two governors, Heber M. Wells and John C. Cutler. Senator Reed Smoot also made important contributions. Wells ( 1896- 1905), one of the principal forces calling for water law reform, was a major force behind passage of the 1901 and 1903 water laws. Cutler followed this reformation by calling for increased levels of joint participation with the federal government in the reclamation process. ( A dam and reservoir on the Bear River demonstrated his influence on water development) Smoot, who was originally from Provo, was particularly important in promoting the Strawberry Project that did so much to advance his native Utah County. Urban and Industrial Considerations In 1890 some 263,473 acres had been under irrigation in the Utah territory. Over the next two decades, irrigated acreage increased to 629,293 in 1900, and 999,410 in 1910.35 This increase in irrigated acreage quantifies the significant reclamation efforts that took place during the time period directly preceding and following statehood. In addition to agricultural demands on water resources, urban and industrial uses of water resources also increased. Population grew from 207,905 in 1890 to 373,351 in 1910. The value of manufacturing rose from $ 8,911,047 to $ 61,989,000 over the same time period. 36 The varied nature of water right applications received by the State Engineer's Office up to 1906 demonstrated that water resources were being applied to a broader spectrum of uses in the decade after statehood than at any time before. Agricultural, 34The commission members reported that they were the only official state delegation in State of Utah, " First Biennial Report of the Arid Land Reclamation Fund Committee for the Year 1903," Public Documents. 35Irrigated acreage of Utah obtained from the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth United States Bureau of the Census, Census of the United States; Volumes as follows, 1890 Statistics of Agriculture, 1900 Agriculture Part 2, Crops and Irrigation, 1910 Agricultural Reports by States, Nebraska- Wyoming. Population and value of manufacturing obtained from the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth United States Bureau of the Census, Census of the United States, Volumes as follows, 1890 Population, Manufacturing Industries, 1900 Population, Manufactures, and 1910 Population, Manufactures. |