Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1888-08-16

leading to the Bitter Root valley, with
altitude Of less than 5000 feet and with
good approaches for railway building.
In later years Engineer Clark, Of the
Union Pacific, hunted long and diligent-
ly for those passes, with Beall as a guide
but could not fad them. If they exist,
and reading of Beall's report will tend
to convince the skeptical mind that they
do, railroad will be sure to occupy one
of them before many years, to secure a
short line from Montana to the Colum-
bia basin, and to develope more than a
hundred miles of good agriculture!
country, with mines and timber and
pasture lands, lying west of the Bitter
Root mountains in the valley of the
Clearwater and its afluents.
find Lewiston little changed in six
years. With its pretty homes, surround
ed BY orchards and gardens, its we'll
stocked stores and its total lack of new.
ness in appearance, it wears All air OF
settled and rather quiet prosperity. l,
is waiting patiently for railroad to give
it a new period of business activity
Meanwhile its two thousand people live
comfortably on the trade Of near regions
which are Of necessity, by their position,
tributary to it, receiving their goods and
shipping their wool and wheat by steam,
boats on the Snake river, down to
Riparia, whence there is a railroad to
Walla Wslla and Portland. Last Spring
the o. r. 4 N. Company got ready to
build up the north bank of the Snake
river, from opposite Riparia to Lewiston,
but of late that company appears to have
postponed this enterprise. Its effort is
now to get lines to Spokane Falls and
to the Occur d'Alene mines. The
Spokane and Palouse branch of the
Northern Pacific is now within fifteen
miles Of Lewiston, at Genesee, but
Genesee is on the table lands, nearly
$500 feet higher than Lewiston. Per-
haps by going east to Potlatch creek, a
good line may be found down the Clear.
water to the town, with a divcrgius line
to Camas Prairie l do not think it will
be long before one company builds ia
Lewiston If the other does not. The
place has too much commercial impor.
tance to be neglected many years longe,
in time when railroads arc reaching ou,
for supporting territory in every part Of
the Pacific northwest.
Lewiston is an old town, dated back
to the mining excitement in Northern
Idaho which began in 1861. As the
head Of navigation it was the natural site
for supply town for the mining camps
Of Orc Fino, Pierce City and Florance.
When the placer mines declined, agricul
,ural aud ock-rais;ng grew up to take
the place Of gold.seekiug and the town
has held very we'll its old-time prestige
and trade. A wall of semi.barbafism
shuts it Of on the east from much of the
best country 10 the Clearwater valley, in
the form of the Nez Pcrce reservation,
but this will soon be removed, for the
Indians have consented to take lands in
severa!ty, and commissioner has been
appointed by the president to make the
allotments and sell the remaining lands
to homestead settlers for the benefit OIL
the tribal educational fund. The settle
ment Of three fourths otthe farming landl
Of the present reservation by white farm
ers will be Of great advantage to Lewis
ten. The Indians who will continue te
occupy the remaining fourth are moi
wholly useless to the trade Of the towr
for many Of them are small farmers ani
stock.rsisers, but it would take ter
Indians to equal in producing capacity
one industrious white man.
Nothing is needed but railroad eas
up the Clearwater to Camas Prairie
with a connection with the Northerr
PaSi6c line in the Potlatch country t,
double or treble the present population
and trade Of Lewiston. This is far NOR
important than q connection with tn
O. R. 4 N, rail system at Riparia, 70
the existing steamboat service of tina
company il tolersbly rapid and reliabl
connection with that point. The advan-
tage Of navigation Of the two rivers j
one which none Of the new railroa,
towns north Of Lewiston can share Will
their old and long-established neighbor
Lewiston has three banks, two nationa
and one private, two weekly newspapers
the TELLER and the Ns,es, tw,
hotels, handsome public school buildip,
. number Of mercantile concerns wher,