The discharge of the Uncompahgre River was quite inadequate for the irrigable lands in the valley, which had been brought under the ditches constructed before the passage of the reclamation act, and failure of crops occurred frequently during the low water periods. In addition there were thousands of acres of desert land in the valley doomed to aridity unless the water supply could be supplemented. The Gunnison River, flowing uselessly in its profound canyon on the other side of the range, was drawn upon by means of the tunnel, and an abundance of water is now assured for all the lands included in this project. Agriculture here is exceedingly diversified, and in many sections, is intensive. The products of the soil range include alfalfa, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, onions, peas, beans, and other vegetables, peaches, pears, and apples. Surrounding the valley are vast areas of fine grazing lands included in national forests, which furnish summer pastures for thousands of cattle and sheep. The rapid settlement of the farm lands has been followed by a corresponding growth of the towns of Montrose, Delta and Olathe. WRITTEN ESPECIALLY FOR THE MENTOR BY C. J. BLANCHARD ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 6, No. 17, SERIAL No. 165 COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC. [Illustration: ROOSEVELT DAM, ARIZONA] _RECLAIMING THE DESERT_ _The Roosevelt Dam_ FOUR First among the imposing structures of the Service in the order of beginning and completion is the Roosevelt Dam, the important engineering feature of the Salt River project in Arizona. Brilliant and daring in its conception, diverse and complicated in its problems, and stupendous in its structural features, the Roosevelt Dam stands today an enduring monument to the creative genius of its designer and builder. The layman will not appreciate the complexity of the problems and the variety of obstacles that were encountered without an understanding of the locality in which the work was carried on. The dam is located in a region which was once regarded as almost inaccessible except to the nomadic Apache, who found a safe refuge here for many years. The nearest railway is 62 miles away. Twenty miles of this distance is across a waterless, parched and forbidding desert. For more than 40 miles the country, gashed and fissured into fantastic forms, a region of stupendous canyons, steep sided mountains, and turbulent streams, presented an almost insuperable barrier to ingress. It is a region of colorful and inspiring scenery, but most unpromising as a site for a large engineering work. The initial step was to build a highway to the dam-site, a task of much difficulty on account of the rough country and the unwillingness of white laborers to do the work. The road was finally completed, largely by utilizing the Apache Indians, many of whom were remnants of Geronimo’s band of marauders. The influence of this experiment in employing Indians has been of