Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1883-10-22
WOOD RIVER.
HER ADVANTAGES GRAPHICALLY
DESCRIBED.
Her Mineral Wealth, Agricultural Fa.
ctltties, Social Features, Etc., as Told
by the Receiver Of the HALEY Land
Office.

cilities, Social Features, Etc., as Told
by the Receiver Of the HALEY Land
Office.
Correspondence Oswego (Kas) Independent.
Haley is OH Wood River, about "a
miles from where its waters flow into
the Snake river. 1t is small stream,
no larger than the I.abette at or near
Chetopa. But, O! the clear, cool
water that rushes down this small
stream, which has descent of 20 feet
to the mile, is so grand, that to one
who is accustomed to the sluggish
streams OF Southern Kansas, whose
waters are green with filth and skum,
cannot help but admire the country
for even the pure, cold water; and
when we stand and gaze upon this
pure, sparkling water as it rushes
down over the hundreds of cataracts.
we feel rs though we could drink al
ways and never have enough. The
fish that are found in all these streams
are very nice; they are the mountain
trout. 1t is Il pleasure to catch these
spry little fellows, and is no less a
pl assure to eat them when they are
properly served on the table. But
be eve | was speaking Of HALEY.
We ], HALEY is little wo oden town,
only two years old, regularly laid out,
but built up Of log houses, box houses,
few neat frame buildings, and some
brick and stone structures. A new
8nd magnificent courthouse is now un
der construction ut cost of $4,000.
"A three-story hotel, about the size of
Abbott House, of Parsons, is nearly
enclosed, and many small dwellings
are in course of erection.
Now let me give you a few prices
OF both necessares as we'll as luxu.
ries. If you start out with your mar
Yet basket to prov ide for dinner you
will be required - pay for Irish pota-
toes cents per pound, sweet potatoes
10 cents per pound, beef 25 cents per
pound, and although Che niarket is full
OF fruit, yet the prices run as follows:
Pears 70 cents per ponnd, green APP
pies 20 cents per pound, grapes 25
cents per pound, tomatoes % cents
per pound, peaches rs cents per
pound. There is no nickel change
here, and rarely ten-cent piece is
seen or used. Punched coins 90 all
right, and Mexican as well as trade
dollars as good as any. am told that
whisky at the bar is rs cents a drink.
{ merely throw in Ibis last bit of in
formation for the benefit of some of
our Owego friends who have been talk
ing about coming up here.)
There is an immense amount of
business done here, as hundreds of
mining camps procure their supplies
at Haley, this being the end Of the
Wool River Branch Of the Oregon
Short Line Railroad. Hundreds of
carloads Of bullion and ore are
shipped from here to Omaha for smelt-
lag and refining. 1t is no unusual
thing to see at the freight depot 900
bars OF silver stacked up awaiting
Shipment; nor 10 See ten or fifteen Il
mule teams hauling bar silver from the
smelters to the depot. There are
plenty OF lawyers here, plenty Of doe
tors, and ii superabundancc of loaf
ers. l.aboring men ate in demand at
s. per day. Mechanics have been
quite busy and in demand, but work
is now little slack. Carpenters get
50 per day, stone and brickiavers S.
per day. painters IS per dav, and
brickmakers from $ to IS per day.
Now | will speak of the surround
ing country that is tributary to Hal
ley, and which VII contribute to the
building up OF a small city here in
the near future. t'irs., the mineral
country is one vast succession of
mountain ranges with here and there
a small fertile valley, through which
wagon-road runs, over which supplies /
are hauled to the mines apd mineral
brought from the min,s. And then
from these small fertile valleys dozens
of narrow gulches reach up IN various
where often wagon road /
cannot be constructed, hence the !
pack mule and the train arc brought |
lnto use. 1t is somewhat amusing to |
a fresh kansan to see them load up
these trains OF pack mules. Boxes
of canned goods, kegs of nails,
kegs of whisky and every conceivable
thing is tied ON the backs of these
animals and one after another they
string out forming a line mile in
length, and they thu, freight good,
for hundreds OF miles up narrow
gulohes ami over m unta:n passes to
the various interior mines, aiiu on re-
turn bring bags of ore to the smelters.
There is no end 10 the mineral IN
This country. have visited several
If the p 'pular MINIS near HALEY ana
have seen a million dollars worth of
20 at one sight. There are hundreds
# these we'll developed mines and ,
here are thOsaulS Of prosl,ectS that