Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1877-04-27
LETTER FROM D. d. STRONG.


carry into execution my desires until
recently. Nhinking your readers
would be glad to know something of
this upper country as it is now famil-
iarly called, and desiring as far as may
be to serve the cause of truth and
general intelligence | have concluded
to embody the results of my travel
and observation in a series of letters
for which hope you will publish.
That you may, even moderately,
comprehend the vastncss OF the coun-
try, it will be necessary to take a COM
prehensive view of ia sort of birds
eye view, which, by the way, can read
lily be obtained from any one of the
many high points found within its linn
its. For convenience, then, go with
me to Pataha Prairie, which, by actu-
al measurement, | found to be 1000
feet above the level of the sea. 1t is
a high table or bench land on the east
of the Blue Mountains, and near the
northern terminus of that range.
From this standpoint your view of
from sixty to eighty miles extends
from due east, northward and west
ward to southwest. Beyond Snake
river the following interesting points
are seen in the order named. Salmon
river and Craig mountains, Bitter Root
and Cour D'Alene ranges, Kamayakan
Steptoe Buttes. These last perpetu-
ate the names of two celebrated Spo-
kan Chiefs, and put to blush the puny
hand-built pyramids that embalm the
heroes of the Nile! To the northwest
stretches away in the dim blue dis
lance the great valley of the Colum-
bia. To the naked eye all this vast
scope Of country seems to be compar-
atively even with depressions and ele-
vations blending in graceful lines,
but from this comprehensive and some
what connected view you come down
among its deep canyons and rocky
precipiceS, its picturesque plains, beau
tiful lakes and mystic rivers to be ut
terIy COMPOUNDED; classification is an
impossibility, and each object must be
studied alone and apart from every
other.
The political divisions of this coun-
try have not been made to correspond
with its geographical divisions at all,
but are arbitrary and disadvantageous.
For instance. all that portion of Idaho
lying north of the Salmon river is cut
of from Boise, the capital of the Terri
tory, by impossible mountains, and
they must needs pass through
Washington Territory, and the State
of Oregon to attend their seat of
government. Again, that portion of
Oregon and Washington Territory
east of the Cascades is put to the
greatest inconvenience and expense in
going to and from their capitals. At
time when there were few people and
but little enterprise here this state OF
things could be endured; but the time
is coming soon when there must be
Encouragement of political boundaries,
something after the Columbia River
Conference, with a center at Walla
Walla.
So much of Washington Territory
as lies south of Snake river and bound
ed on the south by the north line OF
Oregon, and formerly known as Walla
Walla county is at present cut into
two counties. This land peninsula is
about three times the size of the State
| of Rhode Island, and is unsurpassed
as grain and grazing country. There
are not less than 1900 square miles of