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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 1890)
WEST SHORE. IDAHO'S RESOURCES AND PROGRESS. Up to the time Idaho applied (or admission into the sisterhood ot slates it was popularly believed to be a barren waste of sage brush table lands and mountain heights, whose only feature of usefulness would be a permanent sporting ground for jack rabbits and cayotes. This belief was fostered prin cipally by those entirely unacquainted with the territory, except as it ap peared on the maps of their old school geographies. No special occasion bad ever before offered for presenting Idaho's claim to public attention, and as a consequenBe her growth and development had been comparatively slow nd unnoticed by the country generally. Those who bad settled there and were thoroughly acquainted with the resources and had unbounded faith In her future, eagerly seized the opportunity of presenting an array of statistics and pressing her claims to being one of the best portions of the United States for the conduct of any kind of enterprise. Her leading resource, of course, is the mineral wealth of her mountains. The fame of her gold mines has traversed the entire globe, and her copper mines, while not developed to the extent of some of the older states, bid fair to exceed In value any yet discovered. The large majority of early arrivals in the state were imbued with the popular idea that mining was the only Industry that could be made profitable there, and except to a limited extent this was correct, circum stances being as they then were. To all appearances the rocky hills and wide stretches of table land were a barren desert, and the only farming and gardening carried on for a number of years was confined to the lowlands bordering the streams, and the narrow valleys leading up to the tops of the .mountains where the melting snows supplied water for the irrigation of crops. The greater part of the soil of Idaho is of volcanic ash and lava, and the streams flowing through the state have cut deep channels, and as a rule run far below the level of the country. The few fields of grain and garden patches grown, however, demonstrated the fact that water was all that was required to make the soil productive, but the heavy expense cf constructing Irrigating canals or establishing pumping stations along the water courses, served to retard the agricultural growth of the state. To enlist the interest of capitalists in such enterprises was a herculean undertaking, but the in domitable energy and pluck of the pioneers of Idaho finally triumphed, and have resulted in the state being threaded in all directions by huge canals, 'bearing water to hundreds of thousands of acres of land which now yield golden harvests of grain and teem with orchards of luscious fruit, where but a few years ago the only vegetation to be seen was the russet sage brush and greasewood. The agricultural possibilities of the state are now second only to the mineral, and as the fertility of the soil and bountiful water sup ply become better known, it may be but a few years until the revenue de prived from tilling the soil will exceed that of any other calling. The valleys through which flow the rivers are sheltered from the cold blasts of winter, and being supplied with an abundant flow of water from the melting snow and ice in the mountains are especially adapted to producing the very finest fruits. The yields of some of the orchards In the valleys of the Snske and Boise rivers are almost Incredible, and accounts of them, to one unacquaint ed with the facts, read almost like fairy tales. Cattle and sheep also thrive there, the sides ol the hills too rugged for agricultural purposes furn ishing a splendid range for them during the summer months. Immense crops of hay and alfalfa are raised for their maintenance In winter, and stock raising has been found to be very profitable. High up in the moun tains are found immense forests of the finest timber In the world, which as yet have scarcely been touched. The lumbering Industry is m Its infancy, and promise, with the growth of the other resource, to assume gigantic pro portions. The power afforded by the stream. 1. used (or fm the valley., while the water in it. descent (rom the mountain, is also util ised for floating logs from the camps above. The enumeration o( resource, of this new might be contnued almost indefinitely, a. U posslbi Hie. ar P JT .lilted. It offer, an attractive Arid for investment, fo th 1 and the laborer is afforded an opportunity to w,n for "J"" bv a few Tear of well-directed toil. Th. cltiaen. are progressive hon st . over crowded sections of the east and elsewhere. MtNINQ IN ALASKA. Prospector, have been busy In the Interior o( Ah WjJJJJJ . joat clodr and already th. annual glowing report. o( the fabulous stored away in that frigid region are being scattered broadcast. One thing noticeable i. that it is still stored there and the prospectors fail to bring it away with them. That the interior streams of Alaska have Immense de posits of the precious metal la not to be denied, but the means necessary for obtaining and marketing it are not at the command of the average party at tracted by the statements made by prospectors who have worked over the country. Nothing, practically, has been done In the way of development. There are no railroads or steamboat line, in operation, and the only mean, of communication between the coast citiee and the interior is by pack train., rafts and the primitive Indian canoe, and even were the entire mountain, solid masse, of rich ore, the ordinary miner would be none the better off. The climate of the interior portion of Alaska is extremely cold, and the working Mason during the summer is very short, so that but a fraction of the year can be employed In prosecuting actual work. Supplies have to bs carried over the pack trails, and owing to the rugged nature of the country, and the fact that snow lies on the ground late In spring and ap pears early In the fall, nearly the entire season 1. consumed in getting a sufficient Btore accumulated to last during the long, severe winter, particu larly if the miner penetrate far Into the interior. Then, too, mining can not be carried on without water, and as the streams freeie early In the season, this necessary article is soon a scarcity. Parties who have had experience in mining on the Yukon have repeatedly given warning to prospectors and small parties of miners with limited means, and the exact state of affairs as detailed by them has been published time and again, and yet, the romantio tinge given such a trip by a recital ot the adventures encountered seems to outweigh the cool judgment of men of intelligence. Until railroads are built which will permit of supplies and appliances required for successfully oper ating mines being taken in, and reduce the time and expense of reaching the mines, no marked progress can be made In the mineral development of the interior. Occasional finds are made of rich placer claim., where a man ha. succeeded in securing a quantity of nugget, and dust in a short time, and it is the reports of these that excite the average miner until his imagina tion pictures Alaska to him a. one vast pocket of gold only awaiting some one to carry it away. Men of .mall means can not prosecute work success fully, and many, after demonstrating this to their own satisfaction, and en during almost untold hardships, gradually change from earnest prospectors to eager pocket hunters, and finally drift back to the coast cities with noth ing to show for their season's work, and frequently without the means (or paying passage back to their homes. Wist Siioki has twice before pub lished experiences of deluded miners who have been tempted to undertake, single-handed, work requiring unlimited capital, but the warning Is soon forgotten, and each year witnesses the return of a fresh band of enthusiasts who were guided by their cupidity rather than their sober judgment. A dam Is being built across the Bronean river, In the northern part ot Owyhee county, Idaho, (or the purpose of raising the water of that stream to a height that will admit of Its being taken out by means of canals and dis tributed over the surrounding country (or Irrigation purposes. The dam will be thirty-tour feet high and 175 feet long. The foundation will be built in the most substantial manner, and bedded in cement. Eighteen feet from the top o( the dam will be placed two thirty-six Inch Iron pipes, so that In case of there being a sudden rise In the river, the waste water can be dis charged through them. Iron gates will be placed on the ends ot the pipes that can be easily raited or lowered at pleasure. A roll-way 100 feet wide will be placed on top of the dam, built of Iron, to arranged that an Immense amount of water can be discharged over It, without tearing away any ot the stone work below. To prevent any surprise by t! l sudden rising ot the river, a gate will be made In the flume built from the dam, so that a large volume ot water can be carried through It and emptied Into the river below should the water pipes and roll-way (all to carry awav the water last enough. This enterprise was commenced some (our years since, but a sudden rise In the river caused by heavy rains last spring carried away the dam, and In rebuilding, thelcompany is putting In a structure which It I. thought will withstand any pressure that may be brought to bear upon It, and which will also give Increased service (or Irrigation. An effort i. being made at Weston, Oregon, to organise a company (or the manufacture ot pottery ware ot different kind.. A large deposit ot clay has been discovered near the town, and several testa of samples have proved it to be ot excellent quality. .Market could be found (or the output of such an establishment throughout Eastern Oregon and Washington, and Weston would derive a great deal ot benefit liom it. The OJd Fellows ol Koseburg are contemplating the erection ot a fine brick building in that city. It will contain store room., a lodge room and an opera hall. The lodge own. one ol the finest business corners In the citv, and such a building would doubtless prove to be a paying Investment besides lieing an ornament to the town.