‘Big Ditch’ was it really worth it? You decide

Submitted by Phyllis Stewart

Without question the largest construction project in the history of Bates County that was funded with private capital was the digging of the “Big Ditch” during the period 1907-1909. With good farm land selling for $35 to $60 per acre a corporation was formed with a goal in mind to drain approximately 40,000 acres of choice bottom lands in southern Bates County.

The Marais des Cygnes River is a very crooked river. When the rains come in and beat down from the hills to the west and the plains of Kansas, the banks of the Marais des Cygnes River fill rapidly. Being so crooked the river overflows just as rapidly and then the crops are ruined.

The pioneers had the thought at first to build levels around their land so it wouldn’t flood, but they would wash out with the rapid waters and go over the levels. A man by the name of A. B. Dickey who came from Athens County, OH, bought a large amount of land in the bottom area in 1872. He and his cousin, G. G. Green, decided to see if other people around the area were thinking the same way as him and his cousin.

Many meetings were held throughout the next 30 years to change the land into better farm land and improve the land to raise better crops and raise the price per acre.

On April 20, 1889, a meeting was held at the Rich Hill Opera House the subject being on river improvement. They finally decided to pick a committee to look further into the improvements and come back with a report. The state passed laws enabling land owners to form a drainage ditch district and assess the lands for improvements.

J. F. Kern came to Bates County in 1902 buying up land in the Drainage Ditch area. He bought up 1,858 acres and became the chief organizer and promoter of the project for improvements of the Drainage Ditch District. For four years many land owners put a lot of work on the project. Mr. Kern and other committee members went to inspect similar work in Mason, Menard and Taswell Counties in Illinois to see how the dugout canals worked and benefited the land and the land owners. After the presentation to the county court a drainage ditch district was organized.

In 1906 a petition was signed by a large percent of the landowners. This petition was presented to the court judges – J. W. McFadden, P. A. Bruce and John Armstronge. The court appointed A. H. Bell and board members Cyrus Requa, Charles VanBenthusen and Robert Johnson to go over the proposed plan. The court approved the report of the preliminary viewers and appointed a permanent board which consisted of; engineer A. H. Bell, members; J. J. March, J. W. Bard and Estes Smith. The engineers of the committee started their work on this project and presented their reviews and benefits to the county court and land owners.

The engineers said the flood waters could be controlled. They figured the bottoms could become worth more that the up-lands with this ditch. This was some of the finest farmland in America.

The next step was for the engineers to go out and see where the best place should be for the ditch. The canal had to be straight from point A to point B. The court told them they had to find the direct line of the proposed ditch and view the premises along and adjacent the line and report back to the court whether or not the proposed improvements were necessary, practical and of public utility or conducive to public health, convenience and welfare. (Taken from the Bates County Democrat, March 1, 1906) There were also names and description of property that would be affected by the ditch.

They had to submit where laterals were going to be built, set a stake at each 100 feet, number downstream, marking the intersections of the boundaries of the land, township and county lines, land marks, road crossings and railroads that would be benefited or damaged and how many bridges would be built, so people could get over to their land that would be between the Marais des Cygnes and the Drainage Ditch.

How was this big project to be paid? The district contains that 41,350 acres of the land that they classified to benefit from the improvement was between 10 percent to 100 percent. This makes the expense against the land receive benefits of $10.93 per acre or $437.29 for each 40 acres.

After the property owners could have an opportunity to a hearing on the matter of their assessment, bonds would be issued against the assessment to raise the working fund. The payment of assessment would begin the second year with the payments being prorated.

Hope all of you have marked your calendar for the Papinville Picnic. The tour to the Drainage Ditch will begin at 1 p.m. on Sept. 24. There will be two mule team wagons taking you to the Drainage Ditch and you will receive some printed information and maps on the tour.