Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-07-24
Idaho's Strong Box.
st. Louis Globe Democrat.

chain of states from ocean to ocean Is
| forged. The state making Of last year.
grand as it was, did not complete the
connection. 1t lett tier of territories
Arizona, Utah and Idaho-reaching
from Mexico to the British dominions.
Idaho's statehood fills in the narrow
gap between Montana and Washington.
"0em of the mountains" Is said to be
the meaning of Idaho. 1t ia queer
shaped gem. All around are states
blocked out in squares or parallel
ograms. But Idaho, with great base,
has gradually narrowing peak which
teaches almost point where the
British dominion's line cuts it off.
The new states outline may he gener-
ally described rs that Of right-angled
triangle with very ragged hypotenuse.
The north and south line is 4lO miles,
the width is 3O6 miles along the SOUTH
ern base, and tapers to "A miles at the
northern extremity.
1t Is little rough on Idaho that hav-
ing given generously to form other ter
ritories she has had to wait for state
hood until two of her offsprings had
been admitted. When the territory of
Idaho was created in 1868 the boun-
DIARIES embraced $4,000 square miles.
Montana and Wyoming were taken
out In large part several years later.
Idaho has been pared down until she
now has So ,2A square miles, about one
fourth Of the original area.
Idaho has been described as the
country
Where !sad is - obs.p - the wind tina.
And gold IL every rivulss DOVE.
This is truth as well rs poetry. A
traveller crossing the sage brush plains
of the Snake river will accumulate
more free real estate than anywhere
else in the United States. AS for the
gold, 1t Is on record. Idaho is divided
into eighteen counties. Fourteen Of
them have added respectable degree
to the mineral wealth Of the country.
Each Of the fourteen is at present a
gold producer. Twelve of the fourteen
have silver mines. The new states
come in with record Of having
yielded since 1852, $l5s,OO worth of
valuable metals. The gold and silver
taken out of the Idaho mines last year
was over $4,000, OOO-nearly $ll ,0OO,-
600. The product would have been
2,0o0, 900 greater but for the failure Of
the usual water supply. A single
county produced S5,5OO,0O0 worth Of
lead.
The heart Of Idaho is as yet an undis-
covered country. Across tie southern
part Of the state from east to west the
Oregon Short Line of the Union PACT
fic follows the se.pentine course Of t {
Snake river. The Northern Pacific
traverses the panhandle away up to
wards the British line. The Utah
Northern connects Utah and Montans
by north and south route through
the eastern part Of the new state
j Thus southern, northern and eastern
Idaho have railroads. Central Idaht
Is an unknown country. A little wes
Of the center IL mountainous, broker
region. which can only be reached BY
pack animals. It has not even .
wagon road. There, the Idaho people
believe, Is located the treasure which
will In few years place their state III
the head Of all the gold anu silver pro
ducing states. 1t is no exaggeratiOn t.
say that "gold in every rivulet flows
In that part Of Idaho. Wherever the
prospector has penetrated he has found
the "color:" The Salmon and it,
branches drain the north side of THU
"strong box In the mountains" Or
the east Of 1t Is Wood river and on thu
south the Snake. In the gulches Of &
single tributary creek Of the Salmon
SIC, 200, 900 in gold have been WASHED
out. In tn Wood river valley there II
8 Notwithstanding silver-which ha'
yielded %, 8OO, 900 In seven years. Al
for the Snake, there is gold In the sands
Of every mile of Its sinuous length
i enough, ~ the Idaho people are font
Of saying, to pay the national debt
And yet only the borders OF the grea
treasure field have been worked.
1.-THE largest and least known scop'
Of mineral country on the Pacific
slope" - the way this undeveloped
portion Of Idaho has been described
Nearly In the center Of 1t Is q grea
! plateau known as the Camas prairie
The name Is taken from q nOurishinl
root, . kind Of wild prairie potato
which grows In profusion. All abou
the Camas prairie are the mountain
over which y wagon has never passed
. The Idaho iele0ate came to Washing