The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-08-29
Description OF Ketchum.
A Terre Haute (Indiana) "a,

i A0i10 0aute Anolana) CORES
pondent wants q description o
ketchum. Ketchum is q mountai,
town of which to most observers j
would seem to be the easiest matte
IN the world to write description
but as matter of fact and expert
ence 1t cannot be done at all. It is .
mountain town, and the elevations
some Of which are covered will
timber and others barren or grass
covered that surround it, surpass
In variety of aspect, spectacular
loneliness, and imposing magnifi
cence approaching almost to sub
Unity, the powers of the most
daring word painter to describe
them. Besides, description tina,
would be perfect at one season Of
the year would be out of date and
worthless at any other season; fol-
each of the four seasons is distin.
guished here by a beauty all its
own. Springtime is all aglow with
the richest, sweetest green to be
found anywhere; Summer is robed
in gala vestments of millions OF
flowers, and takes on all their le-
gions of wondrous hues; Autumn
comes and the scene has shifted
again. The hills and woods and
valleys are now brown with dead
grasses, and rich with the scarlet,
gold, crimson and yellow of wither-
ing leaves. Following this comes
Winter with his mantle of white,
which he spreads out over hill and
plain and mount, impartially, PIN
ming it fast with frost-needles and
icicles, and there they all lie-the
Springs glories, Summers glow
and many colored Autumn's splen-
dors-until returning Spring re-
opens their wonderful revelations
of beauty to glad the eyes of the
beholder once more. The scene is
ever changing, ever succession of
splendors, ever a source and cause
Of marvel, but ever, forever evades
the cunning of the describer.
The town itself, which contains
about 600 inhabitants, is built at the
confluence of three matchless little
mountain streams Wood river,
Trail creek and Warm Springs creek
all three of which abound in trout
Of the finest, which are taken in
numbers by fishermen, and consti-
tute one Of the greatest delicacies
known.
Two and a-half miles from the
town on the banks of the Warm
Springs creek are situated the Guyer
Hot Springs, the waters of which are
highly mineralized. These springs
are rapidly coming into public no.
.ice on account of the proven medic
inal virtues of their waters, and are
without doubt one of the greatest
healing wonders and health
resorts in the world, and the &C
knowledged healthfulness of the
climate, seconding the virtues of
the wonderful springs, augmnet the
of their cures and extend
their reputation.
Timber is abundant and conven-
ent.
A railroad (the Oregon Short
Line) delivers our mails six times
q week, and affords US transporta-
lion facilities to and from the central
marts of trade and commerce, and !
affords us conveyance when we want
TO see the world-if we have the
money to pay for the accommoda-
lion.
Buteverybody adores filthy lucre,
and the greatest attraction of Ketch-
lm is it's silver mines. The sur
rounding hills for fifteen or twenty
niles in every direction are veined
With quartz lodges which carry more
" less silver. Many of these have
,een worked on the surface in early
lays and yielded large sums Of the
precious metal. The surface ores
,aving been removed, the mines
gere abandoned as worked out, and
he slnelter, one of the largest plants
n the country, was permitted to
DOL off and is standing idle. But
ve are now st the threshold Of a
lew era. Development work on our
mines is proving that they are per-
oanent assures and richer below
han they were on the surface, and
heir great numbers and former
ichness are a pretty reliable assur-
nee that the future of the place
gill be even more bountifully pros
'erous than was it's singularly
prosperous past. With numerous
ich mines, good timber in abun-
ance for all purposes, the most
eiicious and wholesome mountain
'ater in the world, incompatible
cenery, pasture lands galore and
1edicinal springs almost without a
lval-and Ketchum is blessed with
II of these-what more could any
,cality offer or inquirer ask?
AL Ivy, Ketchum boy not yet t
|, has commenced opening up a
respect on Corral creek, about {
even miles from Ketchum, which /
q are informed is showing up G
u