The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-07-21
'T guess my wife and I will come

We saw him on the Fourth, in POM
pous and imaginary dignity, beside the
High Churchman who had mulcted our
tickets, and he was amazingly jubilant
over the independence day of men. 1t
is wonderful, the sublime fortitude with |
which some men and all donkeys resign |
themselves to the endurance of women's |
political disabilities.
The orator of the day, Hon. E. J. Cur
tis, acting Governor of Idaho-Gov-
ernors of idaho change monthly, on an
average-delivered carefully prepared,
historic address, which held the vast as
sembly spell-bound. True, there was
the usual buncombe about everybody
being sovereign citizen, and all that,
but that was to be expected. The ad-
dress, from the mems standpoint, was
admirable. 1t is proper to add that Mr..
Curtis is Suffragist, and that he and
many other gentlemen of Idaho are
hoping to secure suffrage for women in
their next Territorial Legislature.
The Centennial poem by Mr.. Goulder
was particularly fine. Why the author
should so generally hide his light under
a bushel is a mystery.
Our old friends, Judge Alanson Smith
and wife, reside in Boise, and we fell
that the missing links between home
and Idaho had been found and united
when we met and greeted them.
Mr.. and Mrs. Jacobs, formerly of Day
ton, also reside here, and we had a pleas
ant visit with them in their cozy home.
Mr.. Jacobs is proprietor of the only
Touring mill we have seen in Idaho.
Mr.. w. B. Morris, the Superintendent
of the Northwestern stage line, joins
with his estimable lady in the liveliest
interest in the development of the coun-
try. They are justly popular among
the better classes, and We rejoice to see
them prosper.
J On the fifth there was to be a great
} race at the grounds adjacent to Boise,
, and we accepted seat in the carriage
} with the family of Mr.. Jacobs, and re-
} paired thiLher with the multitude. A
grand pavilion had been erected, high,
, airy, and convenient, and, after pleas
ant drive, we found ourselves seated on
an elevated tier of benches, overlooking
l the race track, the valley, and adjacent
T mountains. Quiet and good humoI
A reigned everywhere. After long wait.
f ing, three excited colts were let loose
r upon the track, backed by as many ex.
cited boys. Neck and neck they rode
, for an instant, and then, seeing the
, smallest boy with the black colt hold
: ing the impatient steed in the rear, We
inwardly "bet on Fred Douglass" Mr.
Jacobs took sides for "Horace Greeley
beautiful chestnut four-year-old, will
: white hind foot. We recollected tina
' in Fennimore Cooper's novels we haC
) once read of failure of a white-footeC
e horse, and so we stood by Erred Doug
lass" At least half way round tn
track our favorite was behind. Thel
E his rider relaxed his hold and the blacl
. colt came out ahead, amid cheering tha
, would have sounded very foolish to u
L if Horace Greeley" had beaten. Wha
{ simpletons we all are! And how ami
y mated we'll get over nothing! Verify
man is an anomaly.
: Thursday morning, bright and early
T. and we were off on the stage for Idah
l. City, forty miles distant. The ferven
Is heat which we so much dreaded CAV
IL way to clouds and breezes. We had n
lie companions but the driver and divisio
agent, who occupied the front seat. Th
le remainder of the open coach was ours
i to have and to hold, for The day. Gu
ID road lay over the mountains, through
re great "divide." The military headqual
'e ters lie in the suburbs of Boise. The
lr are built of logs and sandstone, and loo
as desolate as a desert in their mud
lr condition, all destitute of trees an
l. shrubbery, which officers and me
he could grow if they would.
xt Slowly We journeyed on and ol
Sometimes we'd see the home of sol
= tary settler, surrounded by scant veg,
tation and backed by mighty moul
III tains; sometimes the wilderness wou
- blossom as the rose, and again the des
lation would seem death-like. Abou
p noon we gained the summit overlool
" ing Boise valley upon one hand, al
~ the great basin, as they term it, on Il
NC other. What a picture! No pen ca
~ do it justice. Boise River, and the Pa
ette and Weiser, sparkled like threa
10 of silver among the cloud-mottlt
ch shades of the great valley throug
10 which they run; and Snake River, iii
gu a monster anaconda, wound its tortuo
we lengths among the far-away foothills
Ie' it crawled and surged toward the dista
'c- Columbia. Ahead of us lay in grande
II inimitable the mighty mountain fas
IRE nesses, decked here and there with fc
10 ests, and here and there marred
'p- worked-out mines. Below us lay,
ID miles and miles, the winding sta
ne road, unrollfng its dusty lengths like
iUe great silver ribbon, as it seemed to u
Us wind itself in coming to meet us.
~ There is but one step from the sublir
~ to the ridiculous. We realized t
nv truth of this when beset by the cravin
of hunger. One o'clock brought US