Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-09-26
FROM FRISCO TO HELENA.

posed With Boise city as the Gem
! tcr---Ida.io Interests Looking af-
tcT Northwrstesn Markct---Thc
burlington 10 Connect.
Helena laSepcndent, sept lE.m
Taking a point near Boise City,
Idaho, as the center, and drawing a
circle with a radius Of less than 900
miles, on the circumference will h.
found the four principal cities of
the Pacific coast, the northwest and
the middle west-Helena on the
northeast, Salt Lake on the south
east, San Francisco on the south
west, and Portland on the north
west. This vast stretch of country,
rich in mineral and agricultural
products is traversed by by but one
railroad, the Oregon Short Line,
which extends in a souiheasterly
direction from Portland to Salt
Lake. II is now proposed to have
another, running in northcasterly
direction from San Francisco
through Boise City TO Helena. Al
ready line is projected from Boise
City 10 Helena. 1t is proposed to
extend it in the other direction from
Boise to San Francisco. The Ore
gon Pacific has built aho 1870
miles Of the road eastward from
point on the coast midway between
San Francisco and Portland. The
Oregon Pacific people propose, if
the line is built between Helena
and San Francisco, to extend their
road further eastward TO Boise, so
as To get into this northwest coun-
try. The Chicago K Northwestern,
which is already built to a point in
Wyoming, likewise promises to con-
tinue westward to Boise as soon as
4 it can secure an outlet To the coast
independent of the Short Line and
! the Central Pacific. With the Or
egon Pacific, the Northwestern, the
Short Line, and the Helena, Boise
and Frisco line forming the spokes
of wheel in which Idaho will be
the hub, that State, Wyoming and
eastern Oregon will be well supplied
with railroad facilities. But there
is another chapter TO the story.
While the road through ldah" is
working in a northeasterly direction
toward Helena, the Burlington sys-
TEN is making for the same object
i've point. If the two systems should
unite, the Burlington will not only
| ave its own road to the northwest,
but a direct line to the coast.
o. l.. Miller, of Boise City, is the
originator Of the project, which is
backed by both eastern and western
capitalists. He already has a party
of engineers in the field making
reconnaissance between Boise City
and the Montana line for what will
be known as the Montana, Idaho 4
( Pacific railroad. The route, so far
az mapped out, is from Boise City
by way of the South Boise river
and the Rocky Bar mines, across
the Sawtooth range at the head of
that stream and 1870 miles from the
starting point. Tksn the line strikes
the Salmon river and traverses that
fertile valley a distance of 200 miles
to the mouth Of the north fork.
Then it crosses the continental di-
vide to the north fork of the Big
! Hole, and thence enters Montana
4 by a line not vet decided on, but
which may come by way Of the al
ready surveyed line between Dillon
and Helena. Mr.. Miller is now in
Helena looking up the commercial
side of the venture and the most
practicable route inside of this State.
From commercial standpoint
Mr.. Miller thinks the new road
should be n success. Southeast
ern Idaho y he says, ''as well a. the
valleys along the streams followed
by the road, is rich in agricultural
possibilities and certainties. The
country is well watered, and any
thing in the shape of vegetables,
hay and grain. 10y the millions OF
tons. can be raised There are i'm.
mense quantities of yellow pine and
iir timber. and scarcely ten miles oi
the route where there is not a mining
camp producing gold, silver. copper
and ga!ena ores. Most of thest
camps have stamp mills. and some
of them smclters in operation, using
coke that is shipped in at S35 n ton
having 10 he sent TOO miles by
wagon road Many places can not
smelt their ores because there are
not enough variety of metals Il
make it possible to work them il
, the smclters near by. In such casei
the ore has to be shipped out, anC
AS it is expensive packing on thu
, backs Of mules or hauling in wag
ons. an ore that pays less than three
, or four hundred dollars does no
pay to ship, but il is left on tn,