Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1893-09-01
THROUGU EASTERN EYES.
IN IljnOjs Lady Giees her I'M
yressiOMs of CHm0s Prairie
10 an Eastern Paper.

az UU AMStSSN V<SSss
Stockton. Illinois, Herald.
Oss. Lister rugged a team and
hired a man to take another load
we are all tucked in and off.
The first afternoon we drove only
nine miles; rain storm coming on
we stopped at Granite View, where
we were Hospitality entertained all
night by Henry Groves, AN Ill. man.
The second day we are travelling
through part of the fertile Palouse
country; we all have Oh our wraps;
it is quite disagreeably cold riding.
but we come to the brow of the
Lewiston hill. Oss. comes back and
takes the lines from my hand so as
to drive and take charge of the
brake, to go down this dangerous
precipice. / am thoroughly fright
ened. The children are to drive the
COWS between the front team and
ours. We can see Lewiston away
down below us, 1000 feet, white
houses amid green trees on the
bank of Snake river. Here, before
we start down, we wait for the
Lewiston and Uniontown stage to
pass, a hack drawn by four horses.
Plunging rapidly downwards the
road winds and twists along the
precipitous sides of the bluffs, the
view widening as we descend. The
predominating color Of the land
scape is q golden brown, splashed
with great daubs of lighter yellow,
where the earth has slipped away.
1t is estimated, the distance down
this hill to be five miles, and l
think the calculation correct as
the frightful chasms at every turn,
when it appears, the least misstep
would hurl us down the steep sides
r. thousand feet or more, and yet a
another long and tedious one. AS
one approaches the valley the
grade gets easier and the temper
ature higher. We begin to throw
aside our heavy wraps and we fin
ally reach the Clearwater river
where we cross the ferry and camp
for the night in a grove Of huge
Lombardy poplars, on the out
skirts of Lewiston. We are now
in the warm Pacific climate that
comes up Snake river, on the soft
winds commonly called''chinooks."
All along Clearwater and Snake
river, are fine orchards of fruit
trees which produce the finest,
largest and most luscious peaches,
pears, grapes, apples, apricots and
berries of mammoth size.
Lewiston is a quaint old town,
built thirty years ago by the gold
miners that worked here at that
time, with great success. 1t is now
a very pretty place; there are some
new residences, but the majority
bear unmistakable signs of age, as
their roofs are moss covered-sOme
are covered by the old fashioned
handmade shakes. The beauty of
the place lies in the tropical APP
pearance of it's vivid green trees
and plants. The streets are lined
by the largest Lombardy poplars.
They are here a very beautiful
tree, as they are all a live and Wig
orous family almost solid
green wall over a hundred feet
high. On the outskirts of the town
lies circular artificial fish pond
surrounded by tall trees and on its
shiny bosom rests small canoe.
Bird day.-We have travelled
quite number Of miles between
walls of solid rock-we reach Lew
iston Prairie. Things here bear
the appearance of drought. Here
we see very few human habitations;
one thresEer at work. Water is
very scarce in this region, SO we
are obliged to eat our dinner with
out it. Now we are crossing an
Indian reservation, and we see
nothing living but stock. The In
dams are living near the small
streams. Out on the level prairie
we see some men boring for water
Toward evening we are descending
another terrible hill. ] know there
is a stream of water at the bottom
as the paths running down the
sides of this canyon are full of cat
tie and horses going for water
This country is very different from
the east-if there is a stream o
water it invariably lies at the bot
tom of an almost inaccessible chasm
Yes, here at the bottom flow
water, sweet water, and on inquir
ing ! ascertain the name of thu
streams is "Sweetwater." Hero W,
camp for the night. This is {
camping ground for the Grange
vile freighters. All the goods KEEP
and sold on Camas Prairie has t.
be hapied from Lewiston by freight
ars. There are l6 four-horse an,
one ten-horse freighters campe'
here tonight. Oss is buying ha
for our teams of a comical lookin
half-breed Indian. He has Ion
hair; citizens clothes and a pair {
very little tight, high topped boots
His d4sky mate has come out, an
receives our friendly salutatiol
with glum, sto!id and uncivil il
difference until her eyes rest O
our baby boy and fat hound pu