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Sovember to* 1950 Kits Barbara Falor 2737 Maplewood Chiqratooga Falls* Ohio ^ • Bear Barbara: fhls is in reply to your letter requesting Information on the water supply of this city, 1 am very glad that you seleotod las feg&a, because water is very closely tied In with the history of this city* and* in f&ot* was the reason why the town was established here In the first plane* When the railroad was being built through this part of the country shortly after 1900* to connect up the interior of our country with the Pacific Coast* one of the essentials was* of course* water* which had to be had' in order to use In the steam locomotives* as wall as for con­strue ti on gangs*, As you may imagine* in this arid CGuntryfwtf vory scarce* but the rail­road builders heard of a place named t’Laa Vegas* (vhloh means *The Meadows' in Spanish) where the Indians said there were two springs that would furnish ample water for the locomotives and the construction men. Arrangements were made to purchase the two springs and the land on which the springs were located* and thus the lias Vegas Land and Water Company was bom. ffaere are no rivers in this Immediate vicinity# the closest being the Colorado Elver* some 25 miles away* and It Is necessary to secure our water supply from the underground channel* either through natural springs or by drilling artesian wells. For quite a long time* the two springs supplied the town with water* but when the influx of population was felt with the beginning of construction of the famous Boulder Bam* it wimp