Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-06-21
harvests through it's marts of trade

harvests through its marts of trade
where the streams of two nobl,
rivers mingle en- route to the sea
where fruits ripen for market two
weeks earlier than elsewhere out
side of California; there, GRADED
in the lap of rivers, sleeps the city
of Lewiston, the future commercial
metropolis Of the growing young
State of Idaho. Lewiston had it,
birth in the days of long ago, be.
fore the territory of Idaho was or.
ganised. In its narrow streets and
from its ramshackle buildings the
packers loaded their mule trains
and picked Their cautious way over
the Indian trails with supplies for
the sturdy miners who secured the
hills far to the east in their search
for the precious metal. For a few
brief years it's merchants made
princely fortunes from the spend
thrift horde of gold-seekers. Then
came a long interval of idleness
and non-progression until the in
flux of immigration to the Palouse
country from II to 'S2 re-estab-
lished its prestige as permanent
commercial center. Thus it has
undergone more than the ordinary
vicissitudes of a frontier town.
Two railroads approach within
alounn onI (, ctan,, ,,,;1,c Of ~ ~, ~, -
north and east, and another road
ends at Pomeroy, 81 miles to the
westward.
But in spite of its isolation Lew
iston is enjoying its old-time quiet
prosperity. Nothing is ever allow
ed to impair the serenity of the
average Lewistonian. The place
appeals, as other places do, to
eastern immigration; but more
than any other place it appeals to
a particular element in that immi-
grafton. It's stimulation is not the
outgrowth of advertising by COM
peting railroads, nor to any partic-
ular effort on the part of its own
people. But its fame as wonder
full fruit growing region has gone
abroad; and while the excitement
has not yet reached the stage of
fever so universally desired as
symptom Of financial health, yet
its pulse has decidedly quickened
and it is hoping to feel soon still
stronger flllness of vital power.
1t is the most quietly charming
town to be found in the northwest.
Graded in the lap Of rivers, nature
has buttressed it by Craig's mount
aims on the south and east, banked
up a windbreak on the north, and
enrolled between these elevations
a carpet Of soil which man may
dye at his will with the richest
colors of flowers and the densest
foliage ofgreenery. Overhead, the
steady blue of the sky seems to add
height to the springing arch. The
sun has warmth, kindly tempered
and graduated to the natural needs
of man. The air comes very quiet
ly into the lungs and feeds life
without observations. One never
thinks of the temperature because
there is nothing to suggest it.
Here you can breathe and live
without the consciousness of out
side impeachment, 1t is the luxury
of breathing for the sick; the ease
of living for the active. These
things belong to the elements of
an ideal life, and they only require
to be supplemented by the sources
of active pleasure to make it an
ideal place of residence. In its
present stage of development a.
musements and pleasures are few
and far between. An occasional
trip to Waha Lake, an excursion
picnic on one of the river steam
boats, a visit to the orchards in
the outskirts, these constitute the
entire repertoire of pleasures ac-
cessible to the average Lcwistonian
IN the present stage of his city's
growth. But this aside, whoever
is unable to love to live here must
be unable to refrain from hating
himself.
Nature has done much for this
redoubtable Valley of Rasselas :;
and even man has done something,
but he cannot boast himself over
much. He has planted some fruit
orchards and gardens on the out
skirts of his town. He has built
some pleasing residences and sur
rounded them with foliage and
flowers and thus put into them the
suggestion of home nests. The
business part of his town is poorly |
plated with narrow streets and |
trumpery little 6x9 lots, of which |
it would require a score to provide
room for decent business house
in a city which aspires to the dig
nifty of Il commercial metropolis.
Consequently. his business bouses