, 1889-05-16
SPIRIT LAKE.
A New York Journalists Ac-
count of His Visit Thereto.
Delightful Ride Through the
p Beautiful Spokane Valley.
Mornings Fishing and breakfast In u
Lone Hunters CABIN The Indian Ira
ditiuus About spirit Lake.

OpOkdnt Falls, ana over In tnt ttTTltOTN OF
Idaho. is a mountain krown as "Od
Baldy,' whose topmost and well rounded
peak, distinctly visible from the REVIEW
Office, Ia covered with snow good pOr-
ton OF the year, Just back OF Old Badly
is Spirit lake, not the largest but the mo,t
beautiful, and in many respects the most
remarkable, of the forty lakes In the vicln
ity OF this city. Ii is situated in wild,
uninhabited, and almost untrAveled re-
Yion. aud the fishing and deer hunting
there are as good as before the arrival ot
the exterminating but civiliziDg white
man.
it. was u delightful May morning last
week when patty of four, consisting of
Il. w. H.ald. United States bank exam
iner for the Northwest. ID. w Colius and
ii. s. Savage of Spokane Fails, aud my
self. with rifles and fishing tackle, and all
the necessary equipments, started for
three days stay at Spirit lake. Inc road
WAS up the valley of the spokane river TO
the town of Rathdrum, tweuty-six miles
east on the line of the Northern Paclhc
railroad. and then ten miles north through
u heavy mountain forest. We mad Dair
of good, tough little horses who were used
to the long and rapid travelling OF tins
country, aud tney took Us over the smooth,
gravrily road in our light wagon as easily
and as gracefully as II they bad been pull
day afternoon There Is no man who
might not coyet the exhilerahon OF such
ride at sucn a time through this part OF
the Spokane valley. For The wnos distance
between Spokane Falls and k,thdrum
there is series of gentle rising slopes and
valleys looking at first like beautiful,
level country. with foothills on either side
covered with green grass and open
groves Of pine trees. The breath of spring
is upon the earth The valley is clothed
with green like the thanking foothills and
herds Of cattl IL and horses are grazing on
every hand. Flowers OF = hundred vary
ing colors bloom along the roadside and
the meadow lark sings as 1t ne were be-
side himself with joy. The air Is fresh
and inviRorating, and AS our wagon spins
along brrind the dandy steppers we unre-
servediy give ourselves over to the ecstacy
of the moment. One gets II touch OF nature
In her rarest bumor. The scene changes
wholly when we start north from Ratn-
drum The grassy plain fades away in a
hazr Of pale blue. while before us are the
yerdure clad Coos mountains OF Idaho, tine
line between that territory aud Washing
ton having been crossed several mules be-
low. and in the narrow valleys between Is
a great growth ot yellow pine the bodies
of the trees looking u, smooth and rich as
ripe musk melons In garden. IL Is
An Old STAGE ROAD
cut ont years ago by the Oregon Railway
and Navigation Company when they car
ried travellers and the mail To and hom
what L. known AK the Calispei country.
Many fires have burned away the under
brush aud decayiDv. fallen timber, which
make the PUGET Sound forests next to i'm
penetrabe. and the open glades between
the trees are covered with a heavy growth
of grass, which is in striking con-
trast with their smooth, yellow
trunks. The ground is level
and our wagon still rolls happily along
behind the horses that have come So tar
with steady. unbroken trot, There
seems TO be no wearing ont ot these horses
in the far North west. They often travel
eighty miles day without apparent in
Jury, or any marked signs of exhaustion.
These fellows Az through the forest with
a spirit ana dash that | shall never forget.
The ten miles from Rathdrum are soon
made. Suddenly and unexpectedly as we
turned down u hill the wall OF the thick for
est parted aud through the opening we
could see Spirit lake nestled quietly and
,placidly in the embrace Of the surround
ing mountains. The whole panorama
was before us and at a single glance. The
picture WAS complete and captivating.
On almost every side OF the water the
mountains rose up in grand array with
heavy forests covering their sides from
peak to base. while at the head OF the lake
burst forth in ajestic and monarchical
majesty Old BAldy, Who until now had
been hidden from us since we had lett
Spokape Falls. There was haze in the
atmosphere which softened its outlines
and which, with the glow OF the sun,
clothed him with amathystine splendor.
IL seemed to me that this might not only
be the paradise of the fisherman and the
hunter. but of the tourist and lover OF ma
tuts as w. II, for in thus little lake was a
gem indeed with setting worthy OF the
gods themselves. Where the ola s.aRe
road skirts along the lake the approach
to the water is easy over nearly ieve
ground. but at almost every othei
point on its border the shores are high ano
nrecipitous. Just on the road. anc
a dozen steps from the edge OF the water
il n neat cabin and in IL lives the sole In
habitautsof all this region, This Is fete
Roderback, hunter and trapper, ahd
character worthy of the adOrnment OF th'
nan of Fenpimore Cooper. Roderback Ii
bpst known among those who know hin
AT all as pete" He has lived eight year
on the shores of Spirit Lake, dependant
entirely on his rod and gun for his main
tenance. and is the only man on cart
outside of the government OF tue Unue
= States and the Northern Pacific Railroa
Company who owns any land touchinR IL
waters. Pete has u homestead claim
leo scers and a cabin ut the head OF tn
T LAKE. where there is broad, open meado'
Of 200 acers on the side OF Old Baldy. n
also owns thirty.6 five acres on which stand
the cabin in which he lives. Pete wer
there TO make his home when the city,
Spokane Falls did not have more Una
three dozen inhabitants including Indian
and whites, and whsan there we're out
few scattered ranches IN aIi TINS pare
A. Nn Ia