Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-12-04
TO CONNECT A STATE.
The North and South Idaho Railroad
and its Aims.
From The Spokesman:

From The Spokesman:
The Idaho pan handle is becoming
deeply interested in the projected
North and South railroad, which is
designed to connect the two parts of
the state, doing away with the long
trip through adjacent states now re-
quired between the two sections.
Southern Idaho has taken great in
terest in the proposed line, and of late
the panhandle is also moving in the
matter. Three routes are now under
contemplation. One route is surveyed
north from Boise City seventy miles,
and thirty-tive miles southeast from
Lewiston, leaving fifty miles, over the
Salmon river range, unexplored. This
is the difficult part of the line, and the
practicability of building a road across
the Salmon river country is still in
doubt. A second route is up the
Payette river, past Florence, striking
the rich farming region of Camas
Prairie, and coming up to Pierce City
and the st. Joseph river to some point
in the Occur d'Alene near Wallace.
The third route is from Weiser, on the
Oregon Short Line, across the Seven
Devils country to Lewiston.
The route through the Camas Prairie
region opens up large section of
country now practically out of reach
of railroad traffic, and will be great
aid to the development of the new
state.
Senator J.; M. Wells, of Santa, Koot-
enai county, is devoting some time to
enlisting sentiment for the new line,
and he reports good progress. When
in town yesterday he said: "a north
and south railroad through the state of
Idaho is, in my opinion, indispensable
to the commercial interests of the state,
and will be built some time in the near
future. BY the constitution the cap.
ital is fixed at Boise City for the next
twenty years, and, as it is, we of the
north who have business at the capital
are obliged to leave the state and travel
nearly 600 miles through Washington
and Oregon before reaching our desti.
nation, and vice versa. This is done OF
course at the sacrifice of great deal OF
time, inconvenience and expense
when direct line of road through the
state would be only one-half the
distance.
"The Occur d'Alene mining distric
alone is shipping daily about 200 ton,
of concentrates to eastern smelters, F..
large percentage of which goes to Den
yer, Col, by this same circuitiou
route, at an enormous cost, and not ,
dollar of the money thus expended fo
freight is paid out or retained in Idaho
Now there is nothing in the world t,
hinder the construction of a railroad
beginning, say at the crossing of tn
Washington and Idaho branch of tn,
Union Pacific on the st. Josegh river
and running up that stream to the st
Marie's, and thence along the cours
+ Of the latter in southeasterly direction
to near its headwaters, from whicl
,, point there is low pass, a distance o
not more than twenty miles, to tn
Potlatch and Hoodan countries; an,
; from there an easy and practicabl
route across Camas Prairie can
r found to Boise City, and a junction
: again formed with the Union Pacifi
l somewhere in that region. Thus cor
: nection with the rich farming and frui
lands of Latah and Nez Perce countie
E and all portions of southern Idaho, b
: short and direct line of commune.
ton, may be formed with the ric
q mines Of Kootenai and Shoshon'
4 Through its whole distance from mort
f to south, the route would skirt an
4 thus make available the finest an
: most extensive timber belt in til
e world. All the traffic incident
handling and shipping these gre,
g commodities would then be done in OF
e own state, and the money to be rea
l. lied from it paid out to our own cit
zens, whereas, now we are 'payin
l. tribute to Washington and Oregon, an
e building up towns and cities along Il
g. lines of their railroads.-Spokesman.
Ir Advertised Letters.
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