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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1885)
THE WEST SHORE. 207 feet in height This farseeing .knight of the whip pro ceeded to locate all the available land on the north bunk and broke a road through the sage brush and lava beds. The south side was already claimed by a young marriod couple, who had built themselves a rude cabin, within whose walls their firstborn in vain tried to drown the mighty cataract's roar with its infant yelk These two parties combined their claims and for a time held posses sion, but afterwards disposed of their interests to a com pany of gentlemen, who desired to make suitable provi sion for the accommodation of visitors. Those gontlomou located all the available land about tho great falls, also the Twin Falls, three miles above, made a gxxl Btngo road to Shoshone City, put on a line of stages, built a small hotel and made many improvements about the falls. This has not been done for speculative purposes, but be cause of their admiration for and pride iu those great wonders of Nature, and a desire to preserve them from vandalism and render them easy of access to every one. They have already expended $18,000 in improvement, and are preparing to erect this summer a largo hotel. The present accommodations are for only fiftoon to twenty guests, but they will soon be prepared to entertain sev eral hundred at a time. These gentlemen are Motors. W. A. Clark, of Butte City, and John A. Creighton and Charles H. Dewey, of Omaha. Great praiso is due thorn for their efforts to rendor a vmit to this attractive K)t bo pleasant and inexpensive. From Fortland the fare to Shoshone Junction is $33.75, boing $10.20 to Huntington over the O. R. & N. Co.'s line and $17.55 over the Oregon Short Line from Huntington to Shoshone. Stages run daily from that point to the falls, tho fare for the round trip boing only $3. Through passengers going eithor west or east can spend from one to throe days at tho falls at an expense only of stage fare bmI hotel accommoda tions. Passengers on the Utah & Northern can stop over at Pocatello and make the round trip to tho falls for $18. The Union Paoiflo possesses in this great attraction some thing that will make it a favorito route for tourists, aside from the many other advantages it offers. The following comprehensive description of the falls was written originally for the Butte City Miner by a gentleman who made a thorough exploration or them: A few hours' ride through the desert, where we saw no liv- inir thimr save now and then a half famished rabbit, brought to view a dark line produced in the great lava plain by the first glimpse of the edge of the preoipioa on the farther side of the river. Several miles before reach ing the falls a heavy sound like distant thunder is heart!, and on a clear day the spray rising upward is clearly Been. Udoii arriving at the brow of the precipice th horses were detached from the coach, and they and the passengers entered a narrow gateway where the wall was hmlan down a little, and began their descent over a dif ficult and precipitous trail to the river at jxint just above, but not in view of, the falls. As we approached nwvW hotel bv a eroat spring, and near a little mea dow, the air was redolent of cooking viands, and never ampler justice done, tuan by our nine pany wim was whotted appetites, to an excellent dinner of which fresh tront w the rnni delionta fnatnrA, After dinner and a brief repose we walked out a few hundred yards to see the groat cataract, and I am free to confess my utter inability to oonvey with words even a faint impression of the matchless beauty and majesty of the scene that burst upon my vision as I aaooudod a table of trachyte a hundred feet alxive the brink of tho preci pice, over which the nvor fulls 210 foot porpondiaularly. The face of the falls is in Uie form of an obtuse angle, the side toward the south being much tho longest Above this, for alnmt 1,500 foot, extomls a group of rook islands, which divido the stroam into sovoid channels and pro duce two series of rapids and cascades, comprising a great number, all varying iu height and force, and which heighten the offoot of the scene, and break the water into 'oamy whiteness preparatory to its final lea). Among those islands the water descends alxmt 100 feet On this side of tho river, and 150 foot alwve the main falls, is a faithful representation of Niagara iu miiiiaturo, (.ixty font in height with a wedge-shaiied island dividing it into two most graceful shoots. Looking across the river and beyond this is an island rook, fifty foot wide, then a cascado eighty feet in breadth, which is not per pendicular, the water rushing down iu a thin sheet over the rounded face of tho nxik. Further on is largo island, eighty foot high, then a narrow fall of a largo volume, then a low rock island, another narrow fall simi lar to the last described, then a large island, loyoml which is found tho main Ixxly of tho river broken into cascades, which front in almost ovory direction owing to the distorted condition of tho lava ohaiiuel. The next morning we crossed tho river altovo tho group of islands iu a littlo boat and wore surprised to find the stream flowing gently and placidly, seemingly unconscious of the terriblo fury which would in the next minute mark its descent Near the shore we passed the ruins of a willow-thatched cabin, arcind whiuh were scat tered the remains of a gold washing rocker, an improvised candlestick ami other ovidences of a miner's humble ahodo. Here, a few years aiuoe, dwelt a sort of recluse, a Scotchman by birth, who was known by the name of Old Tom Bell. For a long time lie had lived there, gaining a precarious livelihood by washing the auriferous sands, which at this time employ a numlwr of Chinese above and below the cataract Bell had constructed a rude boat which served him in carrying his firewood and in crowning to ono of the islands, where he mined during low stages of water. One morning in tho spring time, when the river was much swollen, there apearod on tho river opsiU Boll's cabin two Chinese merchants, who had lieeu on a collecting tour among their countrymen on the river above, who beckoned to Bell to come and set them over. Bell rowed safely across, but on his return one of his oars gave way, when, losing control, the boat sped quickly away in the strong current. He attempted to reach the nearest inland, but was jMiwerlosa to manage his earless craft and iu the minute following was swnpt over the precipice. Two Chine miners were the ouly
