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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1889)
THE WE8T SHORE. CALDWELL, IDAHO. T TING in the center of Boise valley, a region that j j will in time beoome famous as one of the garden gpots of the world, is the thriving town of Caldwell, in some respects the most progressive town of Idaho. It is but bix years of age and has a population of up. waids of six hundred. It is not a M hold-over " town, a relio of the business conditions and methods of for. mor days, but is an outgrowth of the changed oondi tions of the business of the last few years, and its growth has been caused solely by the new status of affairs which followed the introduction of railroads into that region. All its people are workers and producers. When the Oregon Short Line was constructed through Idaho, Caldwell was laid out on the Boise river to beoome the chief railroad shipping point of the extensive BoiBe valley, and its statistics show that such is the position it now occupies. In 1838 there were bandied at that point fifteen million two hun dred and seventy-eight thousand, two hundred and Bixty-two pounds of freight and shipped four hundred and twenty-six cars of stock; yet, great as this is, it will be largely exceeded by the business of the pres. ent year. A new depot will be erected this year and increased facilities for handling the freight business offered. The wool shipments alone have reached ei cht hundred thousand pounds. As this is the show ing of a region just beginning to know what it is capa ble of doing, it is but an indication of the enormous business that will be transacted there in a few years. The town is surrounded for miles with the finesi quality of sace brush land, whose wondorful fertility when toached by the vivifying power of water is too well known in the west to require oommont. Irriga tion canals alone are all that is necessary to change this sombre ersv of sace to the brilliant green ol crass, alfalfa and erain. and in providing those capl tal will find one of the most inviting opportunities for investment now offered anywhere in the west Two ditches have already been constructed, but more are needed and the opportunity to build them is open. The Btrahorn ditch is taken out or mo river uu eicht miles above the town and supplies it with wat for all purposes. The Bebree canal heads in B.ie river some distance above Caldwell, and covers twen tv thousand acros of the finest quality of land lying immediately north of the town. Two joais this was a sage brush dosert, dreary and dwnJate, nJ B,,w it i a green oasis, covered with great iMIs "f alfalf and grain. Lands immediately acquire a cr.l vj- no when covered by ditch, and many wo f ,",, lh- Hvtica of tLn ugo brush land lying under the Bebree ew country tributary to Caldwell has not fairly begun to snow its capabilities, and its agricultural products must in a few years beoome enormous. The Boise alley is already one of the reoognlsed fruit produo- ing sections of the west, its rich soil and genial cli mate combining to creato a fruit unsurpassed in qual ity. Large quantities are shipped each year, and as time passes and the oouutry develops this must be oome a most important and valuable industry. Cald well is the supply point for the extensive mining dis tricts about Bilvor City and Wagon town, and for the great stock ranges and farming sections of Jordan valley, Fayotte valley, Long valley, Sucker creek, Reynolds creek and numerous others. It possesses some of the most extensive business enterprises in the territory. M. B. Gwinn has a store room fifty by one hundred, with large shods attached for imple ments and machinery. Ho has built a fine brick twenty-five by one hundred and twenty this year, also a handsome residence oosting 13,000 00. II carries stock of genoral merchandise valued at 130,000.00 and does an enormous business. Another largo es tablishment is that of Frank R, Oofllo A Bra, who keep the most complete stock of hardware in Idaho, Here, also, is located a store of the great firm of. How- ard Bebree A Co., who have stores in many of the leading towns of Idaho, Utah and Montana. There is a goal bank, of which Howard Bebree and B. V. White, ex-governor of Montana, are the cuter sloes holders. Two other important institutions are an en terprising board of trade and a live newspaper, the Trihuim, which has built a new ofuie this year and fitted it up in first class style, thus enabling it to take its place as one of the leading papers of the territory, a fitting exponent of such a progressive town. One feature of Caldwell is especially nottoeable its modern and substantial appearance. All Its busl ness buildings are solid and commodious, and its res idents are of modern tyles of architecture and ex tremely tasteful nd attractive, a IL Bebre. 11 D. Blachley, Howard ft-bws M. B. Of inn and the Meth odist congregation have all erected tew buildings this year, and a numb-r of others will U built before ths w-uon closes, among them a fine brick block to t rectal by the Mna In conjunction with other par Ui There are a flue brick school house, (a which . ,,. r.Piii.H Mid KM'led school is maintained, and I ,ir( c,m! church rd.ns, belonging to lue iiapt is , MrtUli.tarul I'r.-.t.yt.-rianuenom.osuo. a . . .... W Mhl Un Miati.m ! doing good work In aiding tb" ,,.,.!.. to se.'iw Tb 1DU7'U J tliD tiwrn aim iwwiii j" ... Ii ...tuiili'ii 1'i'i'lieiii rminiwi - - 11 render CaM- a I. I ,l,w-.. for tlm Itivxsirapuun wimu. rent ci'i!:: t ii. I.,.imantnf
