Excerpt from The Proposed Northwest Saskatchewan Irrigation Project and Some Reminiscences of Irrigation in Western Canada: Also Discussion by D. B. Dowling of the Geological Survey, Ottawa, at the Thirteenth Annual Convention of the Western Canada Irrigation Association Held at Medicine Hat, Alta., August, 1919

You talk about people being discouraged and leaving the country. Prior to getting an Irrigation Act, between Calgary or Macleod, or say to High River. A large number of settlers came in 1883, the year the c.p.r. Got'as far as Calgary, and an odd one or two in 1882. They did pretty well there. 1884 was a set year. 1885 was not so bad, and 1886 was fair, and 1887 was a very wet year. 1888 was fair, and 1889 it began to get rather dry and kept getting drier and drier until 1894 or 1896. I think I am within the mark when I say that fifty per cent. Of the settlers in that tract between Calgary and High River abandoned their farms and many took the barb wire off their fences and sold it. Some of them went north and some went to British Columbia, which had then begun to boom from a money standpoint. A good many of them came back, however, some buying back their old holdings, others buying elsewhere. I mention this to show it does not do to get too badly discouraged because things look blue. If we only put our shoulders together and push together I do not think we need be discouraged by the drought.

I have a letter from one of the largest operators in farm products in this country today. He says, that it is a hard thing to say, but he believes that if we had one more dry year it would be the salvation of the country. It would force every man to go into irrigation and if we could get them once into it we would never have any trouble about the supply of fodder. I just mention that to show that sometimes these calamities work out beneficially.

I think I have given you as egotistical an address as you might wish for. Thanking you for your attention.

Chairman: I will now ask Mr. D. B. Dowling, of Ottawa, to supplement the remarks made by Mr. Pearce on the proposed project.

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