, 1866-01-26
rHR mnIIAn RoAn.

I
responsibility Of giving tie people Of the Tsr-S
ritofy some Information concerning 1t through
your columns.
The road was in better condition last Fall than
it has been for the two preceding seasons, BY
reason of its having been improved by the nu-
msrous pack trains passing over it. Logs have
been cut out; mud holes bridgsd, etc. But ~
the interests Of the people demand that it be
made again good and practicable wagon road,
will give as near aS may be an account Of the
condition Of the road through the mountain Sec
ton, which is the only part Of it not now in
good travelling order for the passage Of wagons:
From the Ceur d'Alene Lake to the Ceur
d'Alene Mission, distance of ~ miles, the
road is In pretty fair order Two gulches will
require to be re-graded and cleared out, iuvolv-
ing 9 work of some two miles In light earth.
The bridge Of 200 feet, across Wolf Lodge creek,
will require to be recovered and this the re-
moving of fallen timber, will put this section Of
the road in good order. Wagons loaded with
3 1000 pounds passed over this road As far as the
Mission last Summer. From the Mission to the
third crossing Of the Ceur d'Alene river ls
miles, the road requires but little repair. Two
small bridges, so feet long, will be necessary
across sloughs, but timber being abundant and
close at hand, they can be easily erected. One
small water course will have TO be cleared out
| at Mud Prairie, and the sWamp-hOleS in the pra-
iris so drained as to prevent the miring Of ami
mails, which is now one of the great drawbacks
] - Az e t..
third crossing, many fallen trees obstruct the
road, and 1t may be necessary to rebuild one or
two Of the bridges erected by Lieut.. MulIsn, In
such places as the water has washed out the
gravel fords of the river. But the labor Of
clearing out the road up to the crossing of the
south fork, twenty-five miles from the Mission,
will be easily and rapidly accomplished. The
next sI miles, up to Long Prairie, will require
much labor in the removal of fallen timber, re-
building Of some four bridges, and in one place
the road should be graded in the hillside for
about three hundred yards to avoid a crossing
filed with drift wood, and even now impassaU.e
for pack animals.
After leaving Long Prairie, the work required
thence to the foot of the divide, five miles, is
light, there being but uttle fallen timber and
the road bed being solid and in good order On
the mountain, the fallen timber being once re-
moved, the road would bs passabls, but three
thousand dollars worth Of work, juditiously
expended, would be required to make the grades
as good az thsy should be for heavy freight
travel
From the summit of the Bitter Root noun
tains, Stevens pass, the work down the valley
Of the St. Regis DE BorgiA river will be princi-
paIIy cutting out fallen timber. The fords Of the
stream are generally in good order, and but few
il any bridges will be required. A party Of ten
men could easily make mile q day through the
thicke't portion Z %n P Ri s9 g@Sss s9a sSHa
of the Bitter Root river, distance Of 38 miles
from which point the road Is unobstructed
: wagons having passed over this road from He'll
Gate, more or less, every year since its compile
ton. A better idea Of the present condition Of
the road can be obtained BY the fact that an en-.
igrant, thinking be could take = wagon +" "Wher-
ever those critters went which carried those big
bundles" (pack snimalS) did actually bring one
J across the entire distance this season. How be
did it don't know.
Having thus given a rough outline Of the con.
dition Of the road, submit, as my Judgment
that AN expenditure Of ten thousand dollars
would place the road between Walla Walla,
N Blackfoot and Helena in such condition that
III the annual travel would keep 1t open or to
III give estimate Of labor, thirty men with suit.
able tools would accomplish the work in be-
tween three or four months. Although, II the
, idea were 10 make it barely passable, il might
be done for half the above amount. II Con-
gress would make another appropriation of AZ
hundred thousand dollars for the completion of
the above road, we could then have . means Of
communication which could be made available
at all seasons of the year, for the rapidly ex.
e tending settlements which are already pushing
out into the country Of the Spokane and Palouse
Indians, would soon raise the feed and hay re-
quired for feeding the stock, and the snow of
winter would prove no more of an obstacle than
e is now daily overcome on the Blue mount tains in
our neg ghborhood. Unless this is accomplished,
, we can only hope for road passable between
the lst Of July snd the lSt Of November in
5 ordinary seasons.
/ This road in its bearing upon the future cou-
nectionS Of trade between US and Montana Ter
ritory, is 10 US Of the first Importance, for with
such road as we ought to have, Communication
= could be continually sustained and inevitably
the largest portion Of that trade would come to
US in preference to the yet uncertain line Of the
Missouri river. Ultimately, however, the re-
verse will be the case, but the obstacles which
I now sttend the navigation Of that stream are
such as to preclude the trsnsportion OF the oulk
Of the supplies for the mining region next 70
the Rocky mountains. When the removal Of
the Indian tribes which now infest the region
Of the Upper Missouri aud Lower Yellowstone
shall take place; when those valleys shall be
filled with an agricultural as we'll as mining
population; When transportation shall abound TO
CARR the amount Of freight required, At such
figures as to reduce the prices Of articles below
the margin Of profit required for traders from
this side then and not till then will we cease 10
sunplv them And when we consider that to the
| settlements on the east is distance Of 400
miles, against 45O to the settlements on the west,
we can safely count on the trade Of the county
referred to for the next FIVE years and by that
n time the Northern Pacific Railroad will be re-
quired TO fulfill the wants aud the necessities
ofthe population Of the region between the 46th
and 4eth parallels Of north latitude
l did intend to say something of the Pen
d0reille route in this connection, but as have
already exceeded the limits OF an article, will I
in a future communication, submit some views
on comparison Of the Pen d'OreilIe and Mullan
routes for the consideration of your readsrI.
Yours, truly, -..--
". W. JoHSSoS1