The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-06-30
THE KOOTENAY LAND.
Proposed Route of the Great
Northern Extension.
THE COUNTRY EASY OF ACCESS.
Mountains Fairly TEEN with Moose,
Elk and Caribou, While Water Fowl
Swarm About the Water.
Major Pete Donan in Helena Journal

AS the statement has been published on
the alleged authority of Engineer Hascall,
who has charge of the surveying parties
| which are seeking to find the most direct
route and easiest grades by which the
/ Great Northern can be built from Great
| Falls in Montana to Spokane Falls in
Washington, perhaps it would be interest
ing to give your readers general idea of
the country through which the road
would run The route proposed will start
/ from Great Falls and pass through the
Flathead lake country, without touch
ing the Flathead reservation, as the
route would lay through the beautiful
region at the head of the Flathead
lake, which is altogether off the reservation,
as point on the center of the lake divides
that reserve from the public domain. An
easy grade, through fine agricultural and
| picturesque country, teeming with all the
| great resources which go to build up and
| make babitable.
Rich quartz, coal, iron, timber, agricultu-
raj and pastoral regions will be traversed
| by this route, while it passes the Yahk
| river, along which. it is stated, it will be
followed to a point about twenty miles
above the junction of that stream with the
kootenay river. The route is then said to
| go out into the west crossing the Kootenay
river at Bonner's ferry, at which point a
| syndicate from Spokane Falls purchased
sthe old Bonner ferry location, which is
be autifully situated at the head of naviga-
ton on that great river, and where
! it is expected a town will be built
on the advent of the railroad.
From this point the road is supposed
to go south through the Cabinet mount
aims. where there is pass to Little Spo-
| kane, and thence west, crossing the SpO-
kaEe Falls Il Northern at Chattaroy, and
| striking the city of Spokane Falls a mile
| or two to the northwest of the limits
of the town. As it is indicated, town
| will be built at Bonner's Ferry, saw mills
erected and other business houses
/ established, q description of the Kootenay
region may be interesting. This country,
| although but little known to the general
/ reader, is of very easy access. Taking the
| Northern Pacific train, at or O'Clock in
the evening. at Helena, the passenger ar
| rives at kootenay station at O'Clock in the
/ morning. Here he will find stage coach
| which runs three times week from that
/ point to the steamboat landing on the
| kootenay river, near Bonner's ferry, which
| is only distance of thirty-two miles. The
| steamboat accommodations are good,
meals being served on board the boat, and
the passenger made as comfortable as prac-
1 a,
| beautiful kootenay river he cannot but ad-
| mire the kootenay bottom or valley, which
| lies directly north of the Pend 4 'Oreille lake
and is only thirty miles distant to Bonner's
4 ferry on the supposed head of navigation.
/ This region has been hitherto very little
known, and may say is still very un-
i familiar to people, even those residing in
Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho or
Western Montana. The moor or valley
! stretches to the kootenay lake in north
| erly direction, and varies in width from
three 10 five miles. 1t is obvious that this
valley was once the head of lake that
existed in prehistoric days During
4 the spring freshets of the months of May
and June, the valley is almost inundated.
| 1t commences to recede from the 18th of
June TO the 4th of July, according to the
! quantity of snow in the mountains. Thus,
the bottomlands are fsrmed by material
brought down by the kootenay river, which
still continues its land farming work, aided
by the efforts of the annual inundation of
the whole bottom. The side hills of the
valley are probably from l, 900 to 1900 feet
| above the river surface. Those on the west
side do not afford any important area
either for agriculture or grass. The hills
on the east side OF the valley are lower and
| less regular, with an easier slope, and do
not retire to very steep and high mount
| aims.
Down this valley the river meanders into
the kootenay lake. which is ninety miles
long, and each bank of the river is fringed
with belt of cottonwood trees from three
| to FIVE chains in width. The Kootenay
moor or bottom, containing an area of
about 100000 acres of rich soil would be
| valuable if redeemed from yearly inunda-
| tons, as the climate is good and the land
| productive.
The Kootenay river is from 500 to 600 feet
wide and from twenty TO forty feet deep in
| low water. with few snags and gentle
current. The low, soft banks are favorable
for steamboat landings almost at every
| point. The surrounding mountains are
densely covered with timber and may just
| ly be called the hunters paradise. as the
marshy bottoms and placid river are COW
cred with wild water fowl of every descrip-
tion--ducks, geese, swan, ETC.. while the
| fringed timber of the river banks and the
| dense forest of the mountains and foot
hills of the valley fairly TEEN with moose,
| elk, caribou, deer and mountain sheep and
| goats and all of the smaller game. While
visiting at the river not long ago George
| Fry came in with apack of forty line beaver
| skins and gladdened the eye of the writer
! with innumerable trophiea of the hunt In
the shape of hides and heads OF various
| wild animals of the chase. George is
half-breed kootenay youth who has fair
| knowledge OF the ways of the whites, and
| is really companionable upon trail and
DuDt, as he Is lamlIlag With TIE country, an
| enthusiastic hunter and speaks the English
| language. In the voyage down the Koot-
| enay river the dividing line between the
| United States and the Dominion of
| Canada is passed, where the boat is
| rounded to and British customhouse off,
| Ger boards and makes official examination
! in regard to dutiabie articles OF freight, etc.
| Do any OF our people query how the d.
| viding or boundary line Is marked and
| how travellers in those wild regions on
| horseback or steamboat can tell when they
/ step from the dominions of Uncle Sam into
| those OF Queen Victorian The Hiae Awnke
| gives that information.
| For many years the question of boundary
| between the United States and the posses
sions of Great Britain was discussed, and
| at last, at the convention of London, held
| In 1915 the 10th parallel of the north iati-
| tude was decided upon. A parallel OF lati-
| tlde, however, being an imaginary line, is
very poor guide 10 traveller, so the next
/ thing to do was TO mark that line go that
| all who passed that way should know where
| il was located.
| Accordingly the country in that vicinity
was surveyed, and monuments were set UP
at even mile intervals, the British placing
! one between every two of ours. These
/ extend from the Lake of the Woods to
! the Rocky mountains. Where the line
| enters forests the timber is cut down and
/ the ground cleared a rod wide; where it
/ crosses small lakes stone cairns have been
! built sometimes being eighteen feet under
i water and eight above; IN other places
/ earth mounds, 7xl4 feet, have been built
| The most OF these monuments, which
/ number 358 in all. are OF iron. 1t was
found that the most solid wooden posts
| were not proof against the rayages of the