Editor’s note: This historical editorial originally appeared in the June 30, 1909, edition of The Bulletin.

If the business interests of Portland wish to assist Central Oregon in a substantial and important manner and at the same time increase their own trade field by helping to develop a new section, they can do so by bringing all available pressure to bear on the Reclamation Service to induce to undertake at once an irrigation project in Central Oregon. The project to which The Bulletin refers is the one which contemplates the building of a storage reservoir on the upper Crooked River and the reclamation of 80,000 acres, mostly in private ownership, in the Madras section. Surveys, in the nature of a reconnaissance, have already been made on this project and 23,000 acres on upper Crooked River have been withdrawn from entry by the government….

The unanimous verdict of Central Oregon is that Portland is not doing what it might to hurry a railroad into this part of the state. Portland is believed to be sleepy as compared with her more progressive sister cities in the Northwest. If her business men have any desire to correct this impression, let them get to work along the lines of inducing the Reclamation Service to take up the Crooked River project. If their efforts should prove successful, it would exit a strong influence, indeed, in bringing the desired railroad. And it would open a vast and rich territory to Portland’s tradesmen. Does Portland want this or shall it be given to San Francisco?

Secretary Ballinger will be in Oregon during July. It’s time for the people of Central Oregon and of Portland to get busy on this matter. The movement is already under way in this part of the state.