The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-11-29
MERRITT'S LETTER.
Impressed With Resources of
Washington County.
THE SEVEN DEVILS RAILROAD.
Interesting Eek racts From the Prospectus
of the Weiser and Idaho North
ern Il ilway.

Alfred Merritt, r. w. Bates. DR.. j. r.
Numbers, Henry S. Ely, and others
Gentlemen: Agreeable to your request
that I should write you a letter out
lining my impressions of and something
of the knowledge gained on our recent
exploring trip to Washington county,
Idaho,-such letter as might be in
corporated in the pages of your new
prospectus of the Weiser & Idaho Nor
thern Railway cheerfully undertake
to do so, and will attempt briefly to des-
cribe the Typography and resources
of the country explored in such man
ner as will meet your approval and
demand the endorsement of all of you,
whom / had the pleasure of being with
on that memorable trip form Weiser
to the "Seven Devils Mountains in
July and August of the present year.
Some time in last June my attention
was called to the 'Seven Devils" mining
country by Mr.. Bates, through Mr.. |. j
Richardson, an old and reliable friend,
who had visited the prospects and be
come somewhat acquainted with Mr..
Bates and his Weiser e. Idaho Northern
Railway enterprise, and while naturally
relunctant to engage in so great ar
enterprise, in such an unpropitious
year, / was enough interested by his
description to call together many Of
my old friends and old time business
neutrality-suspicious. the men who
had discovered the Great Missab'
Range in Minnesota, and had projected
and constructed that uneaqualled line
of transportation, the Duluth. Missabo
& Northern Railway with it's largest
and best ore docks in the world. and it
splendid terminal facilities, -believine
that if such men with their vast eX-
perience in natural resources, especial,
mineral and timber should endorse the
enterprise and lend it their valuable
aid ii would be well worth an effort
on my part.
Accordingly early in July our party
landed at Weiser. Idaho and was joinef
by Mr.. Bates and several gentlemen
who, like myself, were well acquainted
with the agricultural, mineral and tim
Der resources of the country, and be
meath the cloudless skies of that region
started on a long march, well equipped
with all the paraphernalia of a vel
ordered mountain exploring party.
The town OF Weiser is situated on III
east bank of the Lewis Fork of the
Columbia generally called Snake river
at its junction with the Weiser which
river rises in the Seven Devils Noun
tains.' away to the north and is fec
by the melting SHOWS of their SUBMITS
The valley at this point is very wide
and while only partially subdued Their
are many farms under splendid cult
walton. Alfalfa. corn, small grains o.
all kinds, potatoes and fruits of all
kinds appeared to be the staple pro-
ducts. The system of irrigation need
enlarging and extending, and when this
is done no one can estimate the amount
of agricultural wealth this valley car
produce.
At the risk of seeming tedious, LET
me call your attention to the forty acre
farm of Mr.. Johnson near Weiser, which
some of us visited when we felt lilS'
having a good feast of MELONS. Her
was a piece of land which. i'm April.
last $3.50 was covered with a heavy
growth of sage brush Mr. Johnson
its proprietor, with his own hands and
one team of horses. subdued and puf
under cultivation about thrty-five $50
acres of this land You saw his SPLEEN
did field of corn, his acres of potatoes
and beans. also. his extensive gardens
and wondered at the growth of his
peach, pear, apple and prune trees, that
had been set out in the spring. 1 meas
uItu III August lne CROWN Oh THESE
trees, and found they would average
from five to six feet. A goodly portion
of this property was set out to fruit
with crops between the rows, as seems
10 be the custum of the country
The surveyed line of the Weiser &
Idaho Northern Railway leads from
its junction with the Oregon Short
Line up the Weiser river and following
the course of this line we proceeded or
our journey. When l looked over these
broad valleys and the slopng pasturet
hills on either hand l was reminded
of the reports of Lewis and Clark o.
their first explorations and particularly
reminded of the old Pathfinder's (Johr
c. Fremont's) report of one of his over
land journeys through this very section
I quote from his works, page 259
Memories of My Life. by John c. Ere
mount" "And here on quitting tn
banks of a sterile river to enter on ara
BILE mountains, the remark may b
made that on this western slope of on
continent the usual order of distribut
ing good and bad soil is often reverse
the river and creek bottoms bein
often sterile and darkened with tn
gloomy and barren artimesia, Will
the mountains are often fertile an
eye and good for focks and herds"
While Fremont seemed almost to loo
with a prophetic eye over the grea
empires which he discovered, he littl
knew that these same sage brush land
so graphically described would prov
to be the best agricultural and fru
lands of this or any continent
About ten or twelve miles from Wei
er we enter the Weiser canon, and hel
I was forcibly struck with the ide
that this line of road when complete
would be and remain, the comple
and only key to all of that upper coui
try lying parallel TO the Snake for
distance of several hundred miles. a
of its resources of whatever descripti,
must find its outlet at this narrow gat
a railroad constructed through this ma
row canon, which would absolute
control every acre of this vast territor
and lay tribute TO all its present al