Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1883-10-25
WOOD RIVER.
QER ADVANTAGES GRAPHICALLY
DESCRIBED.

c,lities, Social Features, ETC., as Told
by the Receiver Of the HALEY Land
Office.
correspondence Oswego (Kas) independently
HALEY is on Wood River, about 70
miles from where its waters flow into
the Snake river. 1t is small stream,
no larger than the Labette 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, chat 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
pure, sparkling water as it rushes
down over the hundreds Of cataracts,
we feel rs thouga We could drink al
ways and never have enough. The
fish that arc found in all these streams
are very nice; they are the mountain
trout. 1t is Il pleasure to catch these
sury little fellows, and is no less a
pl asurc to cat them when they are
properly served on the table. But l
be eve | was speaking of Haley.
We !, HALEY is little wooden town,
only two years old, regularly laid ont,
but built up Of log houses, box houses,
few neat frame buildings, and some
brick and stone structures. n new
and magnificent courthouse is now I'M
der construction ut cost of $40, 900.
A thrac-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 few prices
of both uoccssarics rs we'll as luxu-
rics. If YOU start out with your mar
ket basket to provide for dinner you
will be required to pay for Irish pota-
toes cents per pound, sweet potatoes
Is cents per pound, beef 25 cents per
pound, and although the market is full
of fruit, yet the prices run as follows:
Pears 25 cents per ponnd, green APP
pies 20 cents per pound, grapes 20
cents per pound, tomatoes 20 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 60 all
right. and Mexican as we'll as trade
dollars as good as any. | am told that
whisky at the bar is rs cents drink.
Il merely throw in this 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 donc here, as hundreds oil
mining camps procure their supplies
at HALEY, this being the end of the
Wood River Branch of the Oregon
Short Line Railroad. Hundreds OF
carloads OF bn.lion and ore are
shipped from here to Omaha for smelt
ing and refining. 1t is no unusua
thin. to see at the freight depot 1000
bars OF silver stacked up awaiting
shipment: nor to See ten or fifteen ~
mule teams hauling bar silver from th'
smclters to the depot. There are
plenty of lawyers here, plenty Of doe
tors, and superabundance of loaf
ers. I.ahoring men a,c in demand Il
S. per day. Mechanics have beer
quite bl,sv and in demand, but worl
is now little slack. Carpenters ge
s. per day, stone and brickiaycrs $
per day. painters IS per day, an'
bri,'lmahers from 81 to 81 per day.
Now | will speak of the surround
ing country that is tributary to Hal
lev. and which will contribute to tn
building up OF small city here i
the near f,tu'e First, the minera
country is one vast succession c
mountain ranges with here and Their
a small fertile valley, through which
wagon-road rams, over which supple
are hauled to the mines and miner;
brought from the mines. And the
from these small fertile valleys dozer
of narrow gnlch,s reach up IN vario'
directions whore often wagon-roa
cannot he constructed, hence til
pack mule and the train are hrougl
into use. 1t is somewhat amusing
fresh Kansan to see them load Il
these trains OF pack mules. Box
of canned goods, kegs Of nail
kegs of whisky and every conceivah
thing is tied on the backs Of the
animals and one after another tht
string out 70 ming IA line a mile
length, and they thus freight goo'
for hundreds OF miles up mario
gulches ana over n, untain passes
the various interior mines, and on r
turn bring bags of ore to the smelter
There is no end to the mineral
thi, country. have visited sever
of the popular n, mes near Haley al
/ have seen million dollars worth
ore at one iyht. There are bindre
e 49, ,.,all Nnr,.1 ,,,a,1 ,,,iocc n,