Skip to main content

Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal

Letter from Walter R. Bracken (Las Vegas) to J. Ross Clark (Los Angeles), October 11, 1906

File

Information

Date

1906-10-11

Description

Bracken informing Clark of Buol's attempt to appropriate water from the Las Vegas Creek for his own use.

Digital ID

hln001050

Physical Identifier

Box 75 Folder 174-2 Vol. I Law Department UPRR Water Supply-Las Vegas
    Details

    Citation

    hln001050. 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/d1j10047b

    Rights

    This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. It may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproduction and use (https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/research_and_services/reproductions) or contact us at?special.collections@unlv.edu.

    Standardized Rights Statement

    Digital Provenance

    Digitized materials: physical originals can be viewed in Special Collections and Archives reading room

    Digital Processing Note

    Manual transcription

    Language

    English

    Format

    application/pdf

    Las Vegas, Nevada, October 11, 1906. Mr. J. Ross Clark, Los Angelas, California. Dear Sir,- I was very much surprised this morning to have handed me the enclosed notice of application for permission to appropriate the public waters of the State of Nevada, which notice as I under-stand it will be published in our weekly papers here this coming week. This places both the Railroad Company and myself, as I understand it, in a very grave position in reference to the waters of the Las Vegas Creek. I went somewhat into the detail of this matter and through Buol's attorney, M. S. Beal, procured from him a copy of his letter to the State Engineer, which I herewith enclose you. In this letter it seems to me there has been much misrepre-sentation,- in fact Judge Beal cites to the State Engineer that we have under cultivation not exceeding 100 acres. Now this possibly may be so if applied only to the orchards, vineyards and hay lands, but we have under fence about 800 acres, and not one drop of the waters of Las Vegas Creek but is used entirely within that fence. In fact we could use twice as much in the irrigation of the pastures, which it is an undisputed fact, must be attended to the same as the irrigation of the hay lands. Another misstatement in this letter is in reference to the flowing of this water, wherein he asserts that it flows a distance of four or five miles, when in fact it does not flow but a few hundred feet before reaching the reservoir, when it is being - 2 - made use of. Now should Buol, through the Courts, be able to obtain as per his application a dam and appropriate any portion of this water for his land at Buol town, it very certainly would mean the entire destruction of the ranch, and at the same time, would if this town increases in population, mean a shortage of water for the inhabitants here. Personally I am of the opinion that there is a clique of citizens backing this entire project, and they are undoubtedly going to carry it through. Just who these citizens and the ones interested are I do not care to make mention at present, but will ferret the thing out and find all the details I can in connection with the same. Kindly return to me by return mail the enclosed copy of letter to Henry Thurtell, the State Engineer. Also the notice of application from him. Yours truly, Walter R. Bracken.