Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-03-28
OUR RAILROAD.
Spokane Will Help.
The Garden Spot of the North.
west to Have an Outlet.


terday, by appointment. to meet and
confer with J. NJ. Kendrick, chief en-
gineer of the Northern Pacific railroad,
and II. S. Hudson, his principal assist
ant, in regard to extending the Spokane
Il Palouse branch to Lewiston and Camas
prairie. The committee met Mr..
Kendrick and Mr.. Houston on board
their private car at the depot, and after
an extended consultation in regard to
grades and routes, were informed that if
the citizens of Lewiston made fair and
and liberal proposition to the railroad
auiborit guaranteeing them right of
way and a cash bonus, etc., that it
would be accepted and the road would
be extended to Lewiston on or before
January l, 1891. The ultimate destin.
alton of the road is on Camas prairie, in
Idaho county.
THE COMMITTEE.
The Lewiston committee consisted of
J. p. Vollmer, president of the First
National bank of lewiston; Robert
Grosten, of the firm of Grostein q Bin
nard; ]. M. Howe, secretary of the Lew
iston board of trade; c. c. Bunnell,
hardware merchant; j. Alexander,
merchant; M. A. Kelly, M. D.; ID. M.
Whlte,J. NJ. Eakin and ]. l.. Goodnight,
representing the farming community
adjacent to Lewiston. and Mr.. A. +.
porLar IN haba1f IF Idaho cnnnty
These representative gentlemen were
invited to meet the Spokane Falls board
. of trade Monday evening in the Offices
of III. Bolster & Co., Eagle block, to dis
cuss the projected railroad extension to
Lewiston, and the large attendance
manifested the interest taken by the
. people of the Falls City in this inn
sportant enterprise.
LEWISTON TALKS.
Mr.. J. d. Sherwood called the meet
ing TO order.
DIR. Nj. A. Kelly preached the subject
in behalf of Lewiston, and dwelt on the
resources of the Snake river country,
and the desire of the people to trade
with Spokane Falls.
MIR. J. NJ. Howe told of the great
agricultural wealth of the country OF
which Lewiston is the center. calling il
the garden spot of the Northwest, and
concluded by saying that all the del.
egation wanted was the moral support
and in iiuence of Spokane Falls in the
endeavor to secure a railroad.
Mr.. j. M. Eakin, farmer holding
large interests in Idaho, spoke of great
wheat fields, already sown and promieinq
greater crop by half than ever before
waiting only for railroad to bring it to
Spokane Falls. He said that the roat
to be built was only about eighty miles
long. He said: 1.-THE road we want i,
not an extension of the Spokane &
Palouse from Genesee, but from poin
near Pullman TO the Potlach country
and from there a distance of only
twenty-five miles into Lewiston.
AN EMBRYO EMPIRE.
Mr.. Parker spoke eloquently of til,
embryo empire of Idaho county which
would be tributary to and the principa
support of the proposed railroad an,
described it in glowing terms as
paradise for farmers, stockmen, miner
and prospectors. Here is a region, salt
Mr.. Parker, 200 miles from north Il
south and an equal distance from east Il
west. containing agricultural land sui
sficient to feed the population of an EN-
pire, with less than LOCO voters to da,
and with not bank, express Office
telegraph or telephone line within il
several hundred thousand dollars c
gold and silver bullion and thousands c
head of live stock. The nearest shippin
point to its agricultural lands is Lewis
ton, sixty miles distant; and althoug
the greater portion of the Camas prairi
is taken up and patented, yet the cos
of getting produce to market is so gres
that very many landed proprietors ar
absent awaiting the advent of ralroa
transportation, and as consequence
nothing is raised for export and tn
community is self-sustaining one.
The adjacent mines in the Salmo
river aud Bitter Root mountains are il
only market, and as these are situate
from fifty to $50 miles distant from tn
base of supplies the cost of freightin
goods on mule back over the mountai
trails for the subsistence of the minel
is cents per pound. In spite of thes
disadvantages mining is still an in
portant and profitable industry, and Nj
Parker cited in his address instances
one mine in Warren's camp which ship
ped out last summer lao pounds of gol
bullion, and of another-ihe Clevelan
mine, in Alton district-which hs
shipped out on mule trains 100 tons {
ore TO the railroad. and after payin
freight to Omaha and reduction charge
and other expenses added, has sti
Melted 5000 per ton to the proprietors {
the mine. According to Mr.. Parker
statements the Bitter Root and Saline
River mountains contain many sue
camps and hundreds of such lodges, a
of which would be valuable if railroa
transportation could be secured to Cana