64
THE WEST SHORE.
The waters of the throe former are within tliirty miles o
each other; tho latter, however, in rather further west"
It will bo observed that Curvcr lavs no claim to hav
ing visik-d even the headwaters of the Oregon, or River
of tho West, and the probability is that all ho knew of it
wax gathered from the name works of the French explor
ers which supplied the other leading features of his book,
though, possibly, like them, he may have heard such a
1 I I . II - T. 1 ill 11 L ' . '
m renin sjHiKen oi ny mo juiuans. ah mat is new in
Carver's account is the word "Oregon," and of that he
fails to give any idea of its meaning or origin. Many
theories have lecn advanced, plausible when given but a
HUcrhYial examination, but none of them able to endure
investigation, and the probabilities are that the word is
mm of Carvers own invention, or adopted by him from
wmie expression he may have hoard tho Indians use in
sH'iiking of the river. The fact that ho stands sponsor
lor tlio name or tins great region is all that entitles
Carver and his plagiarisms to tho considerations of the
nisiorians or Oregon.
This name was applied indifferently with that of
Hit it lit "
iiier oi mo ttest to the supjK.sed great stream until
after (iray discovered tho mouth of the river i., 17o)
when it shared the honor for years with the title "Colum-
which was then bestowed by tho Yankee captain.
(Imdually the latter name superseded tho former, while
" 7" 'm ""''"'"'I to embrace that vast region through
which the river (lowed, the possession of which was so
;i.K b l.,,e f contention between Great Britain and the
I nihil State.
Th, w(ir l "Dn Ko,. was unknown to tho Indians
- - vne i,niry wasvm.te.1 by trappers, and the
.p himself Lars testimony to t!,e fact that in nil
tUr extensive travels among the natives he and his m
-nary abates W(.ro ,,,,, fc fiml
- I lius wo imi (hat the Spaniards had not visited
reg,, nil( k.mw,,,g nothing of its inhabitants co,
Hvoeall, t en, "big ears"; that the word"
5 rsttrr
IhH Mnio ob ii.tio.m nr., ... . ". 11 to th,,'-
."ih explore lZ JT? Uwt.th.B
the wild
since we
foot on the
SimniHl, rimrds. X9 " " ? ttnmria
'-nu.u::i:T;uijiH.n
r-rt, i,(lt;iII(l(iim nf ,7 "Urego,," to
(origanum) fou, i ,C lo 7''
7nU,at,.,t Spaniard;! ,!:;::
IventuiMus Yankee.
1
UKl Sisrri, . iwi
twv
them
NORTHERN IDAHO.
VfORTHERN IDAHO offers an inviting field for in.
l dustrious people of every class the farmer, miner
manufacturer, stockman and merchant. Its resources
are varied, abundant and inexhaustible, of which the
mineral wealth of the Cceur d'Alene Mountains is by no
means the greatest It has navigable rivers nnrl lnv
broad prairies, fertile meadows and bottom lands, bound
less forests of timber, rich placers, ledges of gold and
silver quartz, mica and granite. Nez Perce, the most
important county in Northern Idaho, is the second in u
vnu
Territory in population and property valuation. In it
are the two regions rapidly becoming famous for the
greatness of their agricultural capabilities the upper
Palouse region and the Potlatch countrv. both nf wliii,
, " 'iltlt
oner homes to immigrants.
Two Indian reservations are located in NnrU.Am
Idaho, nnd, as is generally the case, embrace within their
limits much of the most desirable agricultural land in the
Territory, thus serving to ereatlv retard its oWlr,,,,
-r U u w I VVfUiUJli
The Nez Perce Reservation, lying along the Clearwater,
above Lewiston, contains nearly three-quarters of a
million acres of land, of which two-thirds are snsce.ntiblfl
of cultivation. In a mountainous region like Idaho such
a vast tract of arable land withheld from RflttlAmpnt
relatively of far greater importance than it would be in a
country whose proportion of agricultural land is greater.
It is a great incubus on the prosperity of that fertile
region. The Cceur d'Alene Reservation, lying about the
beautiful lake of that name, is somewhat BmnlW in nron'
yet it incloses a large tract of farming and meadow lands,
a portion of which is cultivated by the Indians. It may
be said that nearly all the arable land lying immediately
contiguous to the new mininc reirion i nwnroA V.,, ,
reservation, and in case large mining camps spring up, of
which there seems every probability, the value of this tract
for agricultural purposes will be wonderfully magnified.
lllllt it sllOlllil ha liol.l ,, i;... ill
"ui" 111 uuipurauve idleness is a snaine.
lhose who have lived longest in Nm-u tvii. .i
mo the best acquainted with its diversified resources, are
tho most enthusiastic
future prospects. The great drawback to its development
lins hitherto been its
travel; but this is now partially remedied, and will be
entirely removed ere long. The Northern Pacific now
rnverses the Pan Handle in its northern portion, while a
'neli of that line touches it on the west The extension
of the Oregon Short Lin ,ln,n a-i,- t: : a wi..
, 1 , 1 111 4 16 nenr ture, and the construction of a
roiui ncross the P.iftoi. Ttt- L.! i e n.
pi , ww iiLuiuiuims, Dy way oi 1113
Uuirwater, can be looked upon as a certainty, since a
radical, o route has been surveyed by which the line of
miles 'P,101'!1 tr,lCific M be sLortened le8t 200
I.lah ' thingS in Btore for Northern
chief 0TS mUl ,gl0Ves tlmt fit aD-d a pretty handker
answered a French woman, when challenged to
e three essentials 0f an elegant costume.