Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-09-07
DEMOCRATIC TICKET.
For Delegate TO Congress-,
LITTLE SALMON MEADOWS
Mr.. Parker Describes Trails and
Talks Wagon and Rail Roads
Indian Troubles and Wayside
Notes.

August 20, 1888. J
DEAR READERS OF THE FREE PRESS:
Ten years have come and gone since
my first introduction to this charming
valley in the mountains, and the
changes which have occurred since that
time are even more startling than those
which have been made on our own
Camas prairie in the same decade. My
first visit here was in August, 1873, when
brought in DR.. Mckay, of Boise City
to dress the wounds of Three Fingered
Smith," who was almost shot to death
at the time that Bill Munday, Tom Hal.
ley and - Grosclose were ambushed and
killed by the Indians at the Falls of the
Payette on the old Lewiston and Placer
vile trail. Three. Fingers" had his
mule killed under him and was shot
through the left shoulder and right hin.
but being of extraordinary toughness he
succeeded in crawling on his hands and
knees distance of 35 miles to the ranch
of II on. Calvin h. White, where 1 am
now writing. AT that time Mr.. White
and his old partner. Mr. Jennings, were
the only Inhabitants in the valley. and
to-day there are rs actual settlers and
the census taken last week shows 80
school children in this school district.
The population of the valley and its
tributary settlements is about 300. The
agricultural lands comprise about three
townships, similar in all characteristics
10 that Of Camas prairie, but the altj-
tude here is $500 feet, being 500 feet
higher, and therefore more subject IN
late spring and early fall frosts than onr
own country. But the soil Ia truly pro.
Life. and the crops of cereals and timo-
thy hay are nowhere excelled.
Bert Smith and l left the Warm
Springs yesterday morning and camped
last night at the old fishery cabin of
Louis Bocher at the head of Bic Payette
lake. The distance from the Springs to
that point is said to be twenty. five
miles, but the tailor that portion of il
which lies in Boise county, is in a
nerve-demoraizing condition, and the
ac'u,l distance travelled in dodping the
down timber is twice the actual length
of the trail itself. From the Warm
Springs to the summit of Secesh ia i'm
Idaho county, and is therefore in good
repair, but thence down to the Little
lake 1t is terror-with a holy prefix
and cap L. Over north, If there is a
log down on the Melnor trail. the pack-
ers will swear like blue blazes at the SUI
pervisors for not keeping the trail open.
end hint that he is robbing the county
But If they were treated to q wear or
two of such supervision as the trails get
on this side, the life of the supervisor
would not be safe, and the BOYS would
nave perfectly constitutional right to
kill him. From the Little lake TO the
Rio laka tho Douofta 81.
canyon of 10 miles, with rocks and
down timber every foot of the way.
The proposed Weiser wagon road skirts
the Big lake and is intended TO follow
the trail through the canyon up to the
Little lake and thence to the summit OF
Secesh, but in my opinion, judging from
the poor apology of the piece of road
built through the comparatively omen
country bordering the Big lake and the
difficulty and expense of constructing il
through the canyon and up the Secesh.
lot of us young fellows will be yerv
gray-headed before We see it completed
by public subscription. Nevertheless it
Is fact that the people on this side
have made an honest effort to divert the
growing trade of Warrens and other
camps in their direction, while We of
Camas prairie, who have held their
trade for years, and can hold it forever
with W ,gon-road connection, have never
made the slightest attempt TO make
closer con munic ition with our fellow
tax-pi rs III the southern portion of
our own county. Not only have We
been in liarerent in the matter, but at a |
recent annexation meeting held i'm
Grangeville heard the proposed wagon !
road up Salmon river denounced by rem |
utable and enterprisiDg citizens as a det- |
liment to the county if 1t is ever built. |
For my part | hold to the belief that |
wagon roads are as essential to the de-
velopment and prosperity of country
MS railroads. The best and richest re-
gion in the world is useless if you can't
get to it. Wagon roads and railroads are
the arteries through which the CONNER.
clal blood OF the country flows, and fits
circula tion is restricted to trails, It's flow
will be correspondingly limited. We
never can have too many roads diverp-
ing from Canas prairie to our tributary
mountain settlements, and The sooner
our people awake to realisation of this
truth, the quicker they will cease com
planning that they have no market for
the products of their farms. If there is
not associated private enterprise enough
among us to build a road into Warrens.
then let US get the road law amended so
that the commissioners may have an.
lhority given them to utilize propor.
ton of the county funds for that pur-
pose. The cost has been greatly
RAILROAD NOTES.
The family of chief engineer Clark
have been here all the summer and re-
turned yesterday to Weiser. Mr.. f. p.
Kinney, a surveyor of the Union Pacific
force has also been here twice this sum.
mer gathering data about the timber
and mineral resources ofthe Little Sal
mon neighborhood. On his last trip he
was accompanied ly the U. p. minerol-
ogist, and together they acquired con.
siderable info, nation concerning the
resources of Washington and Idaho
counties, through which the Idaho
Mort railroaA mi rpp r., 81,