Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1881-09-15
The Lo Lo Pass Practicable fol-
Railroad.
Maximum Elevation less than
5000 feet.
Maximum Grade Less than
100 feet to the Mile.
Which may be Reduced to less
than so feet.
RETURN OF MAI. TRUAX.

On Sunday eve Maj. Truax and Messrs.
Vawter and Wilson Bell returned from
their exploration of the Lo Lo or Loksa fork
of the Clearwater to the summit of the
Bitter Root mountains. We interviewed
them soon after their arrival, and they
cheerfully gave to us such facts connected
with their exploration as were Of public
importance, without disclosing those which
were peculiarly the right of their employers
to first know. About four weeks ago.
Truax, Vawter and Bell left "Kamia ="
with horses and an Indian. He proceeded
up the Middle Fork some distance with
horses, and then sent the horses back with
the Indian, and attempted the rest of the
journey on foot, packing their grub, blan-
kets and instruments on their persons. At
their estimated distance of thirty miles
above the junction of the middle and south
fork of Clearwater the middle fork branches,
one fork bearing to the Southeast, which
is called the Selwa, and is the branch that
Mccartney explored in 1879. The other
branch bears little north of east in its
general course, and is called by the Indians
Loksa, and by the whites the Lo Lo fork
of the Clearwater, for the reason that the
trail crossing the Bitter Root divide near
the head waters of the Lo Lo creek empty
ing into the ST. Mary's river in Bitter Root
valley, crosses this branch at the western
base of the main divide. Truax took up
this Loksa fork, and found excellent banks
for railroad for twenty-five miles above
the junction of the Loksa and Selwai.
Here they encountered bluffs making to the
stream alternately, first on one side, then
on the other, for about FIVE miles, but
offering no serious barrier to railroad.
Fifteen miles further up the stream a tribu-
tary comes in from the south, but not a
very large one. Here they found recent
camp of men with horses, and evidences Of
their having crossed from the north to the
south side. This they surmsed to have
been the camp of Alph Beall and party,
wis had preceded thenf in search of the
Skakaho pass some thirty miles south of the
Lo Lo. They continued up the main Lokaa
twenty miles further, and found that it
forked again, the waters being divided
nearly equally, one fork extending due
south, and the other nearly north, or lit.
tie east of north. They proceeded up the
north branch, and short distance up O
small branch came in from the east from
near the summit of the main Bitter Root
range. A little farther up they came to the
Lo Lo trail crossing, and about three miles
| farther up they came to small flat, near
the upper end of which another small creek
entered from the summit on the east, whose
accent along this creek was very heavy
grade. From this fiat they found bench
starting south and nearly parallel with tn,
stream, and recrossing the trail and wind
ing round point of the mountain southerl,
and easterly. and northerly, and agai,
crossing The trail till it reached the snm
NIT Of the divide, where both the creek tina
entered the Loksa at the head Of the las
mentioned fat and the waters of the Lo l.
of the Bitter Root come nearly together
This elevation was by the barometer few
feet over 5000 above the sea level. On re
connoiterlng near this point, Mr.. Vawte
found tree ON which was cut the follow
ing.