It was seen that the Shoshone River, in northwestern Wyoming, during the season of melting snows, carried away more waste water than would be adequate to reclaim many thousands of acres in the arid regions of the lower altitudes. Two million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars were allotted for the construction of the Shoshone Dam which will form a reservoir of water sufficient to irrigate 75,000 acres of land 50 miles farther down the river. [Illustration] Shoshone Dam, Wyoming. Highest dam in the world. Height 328.4 feet. The Truckee-Carson project provides for the irrigation of 150,000 acres in western Nevada. The water of the Truckee River, which flows out of Lake Tahoe, is distributed by canals having an aggregate length of 670 miles. The main canal was opened in 1905. By the close of the year 1906, over $39,000,000 had been allotted for works under actual construction, and this amount had increased to $119,500,000 within four years. It has been estimated that the land thus reclaimed will alone be worth $240,000,000. The additional cost of a project is assessed against the land. When the land is sold, the money received is used for the development of new irrigation areas. Another significant plan outlined by the irrigation congress in its meeting, 1911, provided for bringing about the complete reclamation of all swamp and overflowed land. The swampland area of the United States exceeds 74,500,000 acres, or an amount greater than the area of the Philippine Islands by 1,000,000 acres. The Mississippi basin has been called the heart and soul of the prosperity of the United States. Two-fifths of the area of the country, comprising one-half the population, is tributary to the Mississippi system, which has over 20,000 miles of navigable waters. This valley produces three-fourths of our foreign exports. The network of railroads covering this territory has for a number of years furnished altogether inadequate transportation facilities, and conditions have grown steadily worse. Traffic experts throughout the United States have been advising river improvement as a means of relieving the congestion of freight. This situation has led to a revival of interest in the deep waterway from the Lakes to the Gulf which has been talked and written about for nearly three-quarters of a century. [Illustration] Photograph by Clinedinst. Shoshone Project. Wyoming Park wagon road, showing wonderful tunnelling work on the new wagon road from Cody, Wyo., to the National Park via the Shoshone Dam. [1907] [Illustration] Truckee-Carson reclamation project. Diversion dam and gates at heading of main canal.