Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-05-13
The FREE PRESS.
GRAN0EyfLLE. IDAHO.


camas Prairie.
]. n. Banks, In Palouse News.
COTTONWOOD. idaho, April 81, 1892.
Before leaving Palouse for a trip
through the Camas Prairie country 1 |
was requested by many OF my friends |
to write to them in regard to the
and ! know no better way than |
Through the columns Of your paper.
l arrived here at little town called |
Cottonwood, on the morning Of the II. |
1T has population Of perhaps 80 per-
sons, is rather pleasantly located on
Cottonwood Creek. just as one enters
the valley from Craig's mountain, Cot
tonwood is As miles from Lewiston and
is located in the northwest part OF the
valley. From here, in company With R.
NJ Callison OF Palouse, 1 went to the
splendid farm Of B. F. Davis, on She
bang creek, six miles east or Cotton
wood, where We were Hospitality enter.
tanned by Mr.. Davis and his good wife.
On the morning of the 18th in com.
paay with Mr.. Davis, we started farther
east over nearly, if not quite the most
beautiful country ever travelled
through. stopping and chatting a few
minutes here and there With settlers
that happened to live or be working
near the road, until we reached the
Fairyiew school district. We then
changed our course in a southerly
direction and drove into GrauReyille.
which Is situated in the south eastern
part Of the valley, the largest town. by
Shs way. In the valley. l did not learn
the exact population, but would guess it
between three and four hundred. Mt.
Idaho, the county seat of Idaho county,
Is three miles farther east and south at
the foot of the Bitter Root mountains.
We did not visit that place but could
zee it in the distance.
While at Grangeville we met and
talked with many pleasant people both
townsmen and farmers and were shown
. squash that weighs l95 pounds which
grew south of Camas prairie proper, on
what 10 called the Doumecq plains. On
leaving Grangeville We started west
ward and before we had gone far we
we're treated to gentle shower OF rain,
which soon reminded Mr.. Callison that
there was small spot Of adobe soil In
the vicinity. but as I had lived in
southern Oregon for several years was
mot much excited oyer the occurrence.
However, We were soon free from it's
adhesive powers and approached the
breaks Of Rock Canyon. From there
We returned to Cottonwood aud have
been driving over the country in all
directions ever since.
Now in regard to land here. 1t is
much more level than the Palouse
country and there is more rocky, scabby
land here than there, but there is an i'm
msnse acreage of as good land here as
Will be found in any country. There is
but little farming done here. can safe
" say that there is not to exceed one
tenth Of the good farming land that has
over yet been touched with the pillow but
70 pss the expression of A. +. Parker.
The genial editor of the FIRE. PRESS, pub. |
lished at Grangeville, 'just tickle it with
. pillow and it will laugh you a harvest
of -four" Camas Prairie is thirty miles
long by twenty miles wide and COM
prises about twelve townships, which
makes 1t the largest tract of agricultural
land in one body in the state of Idaho.
The prairie may be described as the
able lands lying between the Clear.
water and Salmon Rivers.
These streams run almost parallel to
each other, the Salmon on the south and
he Clearwater on the east and north.
The distance between them at the near
'st point is thirty miles. These rivers
run through deep canyons and the
prairie is reached from them BY way of
he creeks, which head on the prairie
and flow to the rivers.
Owing to the absence oil a certain
market for their products. the residents
u Camas prairie are largely engaged in
aock raising; therefore the pursuit of
agriculture is only a secondary consid-
'rafion. Nearly every body has horses.
attic and hogs to sell. l will give a
ew figures which obtained from Mr..
5. \. Davis. From December l. 1891
here were S,065 head of horses sold in
IDAHO county; 1875 head of cattle and
,457 head of hogs; while there were
My 268,i67 bushels of grain threshed
Including wheat. oats and barley. Dur
ng the summer of 1891 there were
O,24s tons of hay put up. The popula.
ion of Idaho county in 1890 was 1852
There are "a school districts in the
ounty.
The altitude of Camas prairie is about
,ooo feet above the sea level. 1t has
zen late backward spring here the
anne as it has in the Palonss country
'ood government land claims are VERY ,
carce. 30 far as / have been able In
earn, but decided land sells at from $40 ,
S2o per acre. according TO location. i'm
rovements, etc. There IS a good open.
NJ for man with a little money toi G
rake investments here that will reward
Inn richly for his pains. for the great
arrier. the lack OF a railroad market. 10
lost asspredly drawing it's lines To a Z
lose. The half of what this country ia Q
as never been todd 10 the outside world.
was utterly surprised when / came
ere and saw for myself what the re- {
,urces would be if only developed. b
ill not attempt To describe the mining