, 1880-10-16
The Kootenay Country
Walla Walla, W. T., Sept. q

Walla Walia. W. l., Sept. "a
EntroR STATESMAN. the excap-
ton of a few old-time settlers, there are
bu, few residents Of this valley who have
heard of Kootenay, in British Columbia,
We. it is to the mining camps If kootenay,
Oru Fino, Pierce City, Elk C!tyand Flor
enee that the City of Walla Walla is IN
debted for much of iss present prosperity
The old camp of K"ctenay still holds It's
place as gold producer and its output OF
gold dust this year exceeds its production
for several years past; the extensive
claims known as the Nip & Tuck, Big
Ditch Company, B"yles' extension, and
several large Chinese Companies, all are
doing We'll Three men piping SIX weeks
on the Duck Jim Company claim clean
ed IN g.. 800. New CLAIMS have been re-
Gently located along the hills opposite
the
TOWN oN WILD HORSE CREEK,
and from prospects obtained they are ex-
pected To pay wei. A new ditch Is being
built tc convey a large head Of water oiiA
TO Palmers' bar by Rideeway & Co. The
lead on Weaver Creek has been struck
and is being developed by the same COM
paay There is plenty "a; ground where
small wages, says from 81 % to So per
day. can be made. The great want Of the
dlstric; is men who will WORK. great
many strangers passing through thr coun-
try do not care for work and the oid-time
minera are fast passing away, soon 10 be
mere tradition Of the things that were
tn. cost Of freigbtng and high duties
still keep tie price Of merchandise very
high. The freight on goods from
wALLa wALLA To K0orENAY
is ten cents per pound, and on wooden
goods duty OF - per cent IS levied,
There is a specific dnty OF % per cent and
alsa an al ralolem duty Of lbs per cent on
tobacco. The Chinese supply the camp
with cheap vegetables, while the flour con-
su,ned is brought from Missou!a which IS
connected wi;h koo,enay by natural
r.al. The lowest figures fer flour IN the
camp is 81 cents Per pound. The In
dams and Chinese consume a the wheat
raised in the district. The great draw
back to the prosperity Of the camp - ~
lack of mail privileges We are 81 pposed
to have a
MAIL EVERY TWO MONTHS,
but sometimes i quarter OF YEAR elapses
before We have an Opportunity To COM
municate with, or hear from the world at
large. 4 letter mailed in London for
Kroteuay reaches us bv way Of Australia
and San Francisco The farming land in
the kootenay country consists OF a belt
along the kootenai river from the 49th
Parallel, % miles long and from two tn
ten miles wide 1t Comprises rolling hills
and bottom LANDS, and is generally COM
posed Of light sandy SOL covered with
bunch grass.
The mighty Columbia has its source in
series of lakes half a mi.e from the
Kootenai river and distant forty miles
from Wild Horse Creek These lakes are
about thirty miles long and fifteen miles
wide II is one of the most beautiful por-
tions of British Columbia. Containing
rich land, good grass and water and an
abundance of timber. For the past II
years in my own personal experience,
hors.s and cattle have wint here with
out being once fed, till the exceptional
severity If the las. winter occassioned the
loss # seven hundred mead belonging To
whites and Indians Wheat, oats, corn,
potatoes, onions and beans of the very fin
est quality are annually raised here. To
this place the salmon find their way leap
ing over rapid and falls to spawn and die
in large quantities
ALONG THE LAKE SHORES,
thus furnishing food for cayotes and bears
which are very numerous.
About 20 miles below this point is
Quarts Creek which has mines which pay
from So to s. Der day to the hand A
trail thithcr was opened by the govern
ment, but so late in the year, that men
had no time to get there. aud the next sea-
son it was as bad as if no work had been
done This is desirable place for alarge
number Of families. A few Indians of
the Shuswap tribe, the quietest and most
civilized Indians Of the North, reside here
The Indians of the whole district are
friends 10 the white man and have the
merit of being self sustaining; farming a
little and raising horsc, and cattle, Of
which they possess large number. One
man the Government Ayenr, Mr. Fernie,
ATTENDS 10 THE WHOLE BUSINESS
of the district, and settles matters among
the Indians. They have only once been
visited by an Indian Agent, and they
have rece we'd nothir z from the govern
ment except one plough, a little medicine
and a few garden seeds In the winter
they hunt for The furs of the bear, fox,
fisher. mink. martins, lynx and otter. The
mountains abound with deer, elk, mour-
tain sheep and the white goat; every
stream is stocked with delicious mountain
trout and a fine salmon trout is OCCASION
ally met with Owing to the numberiess
rifles ard falls the sturgeon does not get
so far MP.
Perry Creek is nearly deserted, hut is
still believed to be rich in anriferous
gravel, but the great depth to its second
channel has deferred men Of small capital
from prosecuting the work Of develop
ment.
Leaving the open country and entering
the ti,nbe-, the first view we obtain is the
beautiful Moyra Lake, lovely sheet of
water about 20 miles ioag, craddled in
the mountains, and atounding in fish of
different varieties
Scattered down the Moyra are many
old mining camIs. abandoned by the mon
whose names they bear Lraving the
Moyra We ascend the great service berry
hill, and then for the first time We obtain
a view Of the grand
sracK-RAISING PARADISE
spoken of in letter signed "KoOrENAY,"
which was published in the STATESMAN of
August IL 4; fifteen miles further On is
Waltons s Ferry, owned by Deckers & Fry;
from this place the kOotenai River runs
down about 80 mics, ani-the facts must
speak for thenselves-from June lst to
the middle Of August, the river overfows
from hill TO hill, making it impossible to