Omaha daily bee., 1883-09-17
SHOSHONE FALLS.
EnterprisinS Men Purchase One OF
the Grandest RESORT on
the Continent.
Laramie Boomerang.

Laramie boomerang.
Snake River, which has its head at the
base of the Tetons in Wyoming, and sweep
ing through Idaho enters the Columbia
after a flow of over 1000 miles, possesses
many features of interest to the naturalist,
tourist and others. For hundreds of
miles it passes through the great lava
beds, where the river is hemmed in by
high walls on either side, making canyons
of hundreds of feet in depth. The vast
country drained by this. stream affords
water enough to make the river high at
all seasons, while in the spring it is a
rushing, roaring stream. 1t has numerous
falls, the two most important ones being
within three miles of each other. These
falls are due south from the town of
Shoshone, on the Oregon short line.
twenty miles distant, and can be reached
easily over a road which will not require
much outlay to place in fine condition.
The upper is called Twin or Little
Shoshone, and is described as follows by
the Salt Lake Tribune: "An immense
rock, rising fifty or one hundred feet
above the water at the point where the
river takes its plunge, divides the stream
about equally, n side making a perpen-
dicular descent of $50 feet, while the
other half runs over a broken down edge
some distance in rapids before taking the
final plunge. No p~rettier falls, seen
either from the high banks of the river
on either side, or by looking up from the
chasm at the foot, where n can easily
approach, are to be found anywhere. The
water is usually as clear as crystal. and
the silvery stream in contrast with the
dark brown lava and granite walls, pre-
sents a charming picture. Above these
falls the river for several miles is hemmed
in, in a canyon 500 to l 1000 feet in width,
and nearly as deep.
Below the canyon continues for three
miles, when the river in one broad sheet
takes another leap 210 feet, which is sixty
feet greater than Niagara. These falls are
called Great Shoshone.
They posses in themselves and their
surroundings, featurrs which will attract
hundreds of thousands of visitors, and
the place is destined to become as noted
a resort as Niagara, which has been visited
by people from the entire world. The
trouble of getting to the falls, and the
laeh " accommodation liicic, iido DicNCHt'
ed them from being visited only by a few
persons; but this is soon to be changed.
and a visit to Shoshone falls will sooI
become an event of pleasure. A banker
and mine owner of Butte and two capital
lists of Omaha, and 30 ne others represent
ing SO, 000, 900 or more, have secured al
that is desirable of Shoshone Falls
and tho property is to be improved a
once.
A big hotel is to be erected, an elevator
will make the passage from the high bapl
of the river to the base of the falls al
easy task; boats to connect between tn,
upper and lower falls will be placed in thu
river, and also suitable boats to ferry thu
river. There is no limit to the water
power, and a portion of this will be useC
to operate electric lights for the $780, 0'
hotel, illuminate the falls, and it ma,
be, supply electricity for places re
mote from the falls, The Improvement
to be made will be so arranged as t.
add interest to the great won
ders and not in any instance mar thei
beauty or in any way detract from tn
works of nature, but rather to add there
to. BY thorough advertising, Shoshon'
falls will become second only to Niagari
as a resort, while in some other respect
it will o~utrival it.