Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-12-22
THE GREAT BNAkE RIVER VAIL
LEY
Wonderful Soil, Balmy Climate and
the Coming Country.


Boise City q T) Cor. Portland oregonian
TO most Of the readers Of the Ore
CONAN the country Of which l spcale
in the following notes is either new
world or an old world, which they saw,
like myself until recently, under cir
cumstlnces that gave them very dis
tortcd and untrue impression Of it. It
is now rising in importance politically,
enthusiastically and commercially and
it is well to give it more careful and
intelligent study than it has before re-
ceivsd. It is, in general, the southern
and eastern portion OF the Territory
some time time TO be State-cf Idaho !;
the "the gem OF the mountains" l
write here mainlyof country lying
along Snake river commencing 400
miles east Of Portland and about 400
in length and 100 miles in breadth, or
10000 square miles in superficial area.
Only sumo general characteristics can
now be given.
The coil Of the great interior region
is so unlike that of the Eastern or
Middle Western States that men, even
intelligent men, from those regions
passing over this are inclined to pro-
nounce the soil here worthless. The
best portion OF the soil Of the Atlantic
and great prairie States is vegetable
mould. It was thoroughly leached
and washed years ago, and the min
erals that entered into its composition
have been borne into the gulf on into
the sea by tho drift and flow OF the
waters that once covered it. Compar-
atively speaking such soil vas exhaust
ed before many began to till it. A
little use exhausted what remained Of
it's mineral constituents. In a more
limited sense, too, this is true Of the
valleys west of the Cascade mountains
the Willamette, Sacramento, San Joa.
quin and the other valleys where soils
are sedimentary or mould. But this
is not true Of the vast region eastward
of the Cascade and westward of the
Rocky mountains, and especially in
Guiding the Territories OF Idaho and
Utah and the State OF Nevada in and
contiguous TO the Snake river valley
The soil Of all this region is mainly
the result of the decomposition Of vol
canic rock, The mineral salts re
quired for the growth Of all kinds o.
vegetation are lying unleached in it
in the true sense it is a "virgin soil,
and will prove the most lasting ant
productive on the continent unde
conditions necessary for its use ane
which are sure to come. Still Their
are some facts that we have long oh
served that need to be noted.
The soil of the Immediate valley Q
the stream is good rather, remarkabl.
good; but the best OF the soil is tina
on the hills and mountain slopes
This is decayed granite, gneiss, por
phyry, basalt and all kinds OF lava an,
volcanic ashes. So dry is the atmos
phere and SO little the rainfall that it
washing is reduced to the lowest pos
sible minimum. When cultivated
nothing comparatively is lost from tn
soil except what is taken into tn
growth of the plant, and this will b
hardly appreciable after scores of year
Of cultivation. The reason OF this i
not far to find. The decomposition o
the elements of this soil is far from
perfect aud constantly going forward
and will supply all the salts absorbe.
and consumed by the vegetation 70
ages to come. Beside the great over
topping mountain ridges and range
Of volcanic rocks are wearing an,
melting down, and in one way or an
other sending their recuperative powe
over the face OF the hills and valleys
On the western slope of the cont
nent the prevailing winds are from tn,
west. These winds define and fix eli
matte conditions. They are freighte,
with moisture as they leave tho SUI
face OF the Pacific ocean, and ar
wrung nearly dry by the rough grip G
the Cascade submits. By the tim,
the Blue mountains have wrung then
there is very little of moisture left /.
fall on the great valley OF Snake river
Hence the moisture precipitated be
| bWSCil VIC AL &c hild lNoSHy
is remarkably little. There are n,
great bodies OF water east of the Gas
cades to supply by evaporation villa
the winds have lost on the WESTWARD
submits. Hence, SO far as cleudles
days and months are concerned, it j,
doubtful If there is n region in Am
erica THAT can count more OF them il
IA year than.this. 1t is almost perpet
ual sunshine.
But this is only one of the condition
Of climate. The altitude and latitud,
Of this valley are both factors tina
may not be forgotten. The center 0
the valley is 5000 feet above the sea
and it is under the 45th degree o
north latitude. These facts, withou
modifying conditions, would give thi.
region rigorous climate. 1t woult
be vigorously hot in summer. Blu
The modifying conditionf exist, and Sc
in fact it is neither. A great rive
meanders midway Of the valley for 50f
miles, and large tributaries fresh from
icy fountains in the mountains poul
crystalline floods athwart the plain.
into tho greater river. Mountain
ranges, whose SUBMITS are hundred
miles apart, enframe the valley or
either hand. and their lev glaciers