Letter to the Nevada State Engineer refuting Buol's application for water from the Las Vegas Creek since the Las Vegas Springs were on private property and entirely appropriated on that property.
hln001051. Union Pacific Railroad Collection, 1828-1995. MS-00397. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/d14q7tq3s
English
Salt Lake City, October 13, 1906. Hon. Henry Thurtell, State Engineer, Carson City, Nevada. Dear Sir,- We are just in receipt of information of the application made by Peter Buol of Las Vegas for permission to appropriate part of the waters of the Las Vegas Creek, and in this connection beg to advise that the waters in this creek arise on lands owned by the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad Company and are used entirely on these lands and lands conveyed by the railroad company to the Las Vegas Land and Water Company, and these waters have been used on those lands continuously for more than thirty years last past. At no place do these waters flow outside of the lands owned by the railroad company and the townsite company and the entire flow of water is used continuously and during every part of the year in the irrigation and cultivation of these lands. There is abso-lutely no question about their not being subject to appropriation under the law which it is attempted to invoke in this case as these waters are not public waters of the State of Nevada, we are as-tonished at the efforts made to appropriate part of these waters and characterise the entire proceedings as being little less than dishonest. These people, in my opinion, might as well go into the depot or station grounds of the railroad company and attempt to appropriate any of its property found there, because our ownership of the waters in Las Vegas Creek are as absolute as the ownership of any other part of the property belonging to the railroad company. We hope that you will investigate this matter carefully and thoroughly before taking any action in regard thereto and that you will give us an opportunity to be heard further if necessary. You may consider this as a protest against the application made, by me as President of the Las Vegas Land and Water, and as General Attorney for the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad Company, and if any further action is necessary on our part I will ask you to kindly advise me in regard thereto. Yours very truly, Signed - C. 0. Whittemore