The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-05-30

KETCHUM, ALTURAS
farmer in this great Idaho valley has
grown opulent in spite of his do
mestic largeness and his somewhat
unauthenticated theological revela-
tions!
WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT.
The real prosperity of the farmers,
however, in this region of the Snake
river valley has come in very recent
years. The statistics Of the locality
show that the first shipment of its
products to the outside world was
made only three years ago in sim
gle carload of wheat. Last year
over 600 carloads of farming pro-
duce Of all kinds were exported to
the cities of Montana and Utah,
and to points as far east and west
as Chicago and the Pacific coast !;
this swift expansion of agricultural
industry being due to the compile
tionsabout the beginning of this
period of several large irrigating
canals, and showing the marvellous
effect of water on this Idaho soil,
violently misnamed desert" The
great center and heart of the splen-
did valley, however, in spite of the
majestic river flowing through its
midst, has remained till this date
practically unwatered; and in this
connection lies the story and ex-
PLANTATION of the present wide adver-
tisement and so-called "boom" of
this region, the suddenness of whose
notoriety has naturally filed the
mind Of prudent conservatism with
doubt as to the substance behind it.
ATTRACTING CAPITAL.
A year ago the rich possibilities
of this nearly untenanted country
attracted the attention of capitalists,
as they were bound sooner or later
to do, and the Interior Land and
immigration Company of Denver,
aided by Eastern investors, tapped
the great natural artery of the re-
gion, the rushing Snake river, and
began the construction of gigan-
tic system of irrigating canals for
the redemption of this core of the
magnificent Idaho valley to fertility
and human residence. With this
system of canals, covering 100000
acres around the village of Idaho
Falls, complete, the future of the
region is not an experiment. Out
side of those famous stretches of
fertile land and under the Hunga-
rian mountains watered by the Dan
ube, this Idaho plain can scarcely
have rival for human sustenance
and habitation. It's soil, as haYe
said, is as level as a floor and as
soft as a garden. The mountain
ranges that encompass it, perpetu-
ally snow-capped and grim, make a
picturesque rim almost unequalled
by the most romantic regions of the
Pacific slope. With this knowledge
fully in the possession of thousands
of seekers for Western lands, there
has been no halt or delay in claim
ing this fertile desert from the gov
ernment. Every acre of the 100000
covered by the canals of the com
pany has already been taken in
advance, under the desert act, al
lowing to each claimant 320 acres.
By the end of the present year every
acre of land will be under the water
of the canals, and the population
and prosperity of this central Idaho
region will begin as definitely as
the great exposition at Chicago. As
soon as the lands are secured, or
proved up. in the hands of the
present claimants as they will be
during the year, they will doubtless
be divided and sold to small hold
ers who will become the actual
tillers of the soil, on which the pro-
verbal "forty acres and mule
will constitute tor the poor man
wealth beyond the "dreams of av-
arice."
MORE EMPIRE. 9
But still beyond the present sys.
tenn of canals projected by the Den.
yer company, and beginning q dozen
miles from the little town, lies an.
other stretch of land Of equal extent
and awaiting another tapping of the
bountiful river by an added system
to bring it into equal productive
ness. Under the stimulus of the
present experiment another year
will doubtless bring the needed cap
ital for this further exploit.
For many a century the great
valley and the great river seem to
! have awaited here the destiny Of
being joined by this added human
touch to form the seat of a splendid
| civilization