The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-06-29
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 ponan in Helena journal,

Major Pete Donan in Helena Journal
As the statement has been published on
the alleged authority of Engineer Hascar,
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 habitable
| 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 q
syndicate from Spokane Falls purchased
| the old Bonner ferry location, which is
be autifully situated at the head of navsga-
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 a pass to Little Spo-
kane, and thence west, crossing the Spo-
kane Falls & Northern at Chattaroy and
striking the city of Spokane Falls 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, a 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 Z O clock in the
morning. Here he will find stage coach
which runs three times a week from that
| point to the steamboat landing on the
Kootenay river, near Bonner ferry, which
| is only distance of thirty miles. The
steamboat accommodations are good,
| meals being served on board the boat and
| the passenger made as comfortable as prac-
| ticable. As he floats down the deep, placid
beautiful KOotenay river he cannot but ad-
| mire the Kootenay bottom or valley, which
lies directly north of the Pend d 'Oreille lake,
and is only thirty miles distant to Bonner's
ferry on the supposed head of navigation.
This region has been hitherto very little
| known, and l may say is still very I'M
familiar to people, even those residing in
Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho or
| Western Montana. The moor or valley
stretches to the Kootenay lake in a north
erly direction, and varies in width from
| three to five miles. 1t is obvious that this
valley was once the head of lake that
existed in prehistoric days. During
| 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 1000 to 1900 feet
above the river surface. Those on the west
side do not afford any important area
either Tor 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 200, 900 acres of rich soil would be
valuable if redeemed from yearly inunda-
tions, 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-
tlon-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 pack of forty fine 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 a
half-breed Kootenay youth who has fair
knowledge OF the ways of the whites, ''and
is really companionable upon trail and
hunt. as he is familiar with the 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 10 dutiable articles OF freight, etc.
Iln nf nIar hnu a
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 Victoria? The Vide Awoke
gives that information.
For many wears 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 1918, the 10th parallel of the north lati-
tude was decided upon A parallel OF iati-
tIde, however, being an imaginary line, is
a very poor guide 10 traveller, so the next
thing TO do was to mark that line so 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 il
crosses small lakes, stone cairns have been
built. sometimes being eighteen feet under
water and eight above; in other places
earth mounds, 7xi4 feet, have been built.
The most of these monuments, which
number 3sS in ali, are OF iron. 1t was
found that the most solid wooden posts
were not proof against the ravages of the
I'M fra fha ua