Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-07-23
A TRIP TO SNAKE RIVER.
Editorial Observations on q Trip
to the Pittsburg Mines.

to the Ptttsburg Mines.
Last week we put in several
days examining the mining prop
erty of the Pittsburg Mining and
Milling Company, on Snake river.
This is q corporation with head
quarters at Cottonwood and num-
bers among its officers and truss
tees such well-known names as
J. l.. Eckert, 7. 4. Ellis, +. +.
Ellis, A. d. Greene, Ezra Baird,
r. d. Williams, +. J. Reed aud
Others. To reach the property at
present the best way is to 60 by
way of Salmon river, cross at Rem
ington's ferry and take the Deer
creek wagon road over the saddle
and drop down onto Pittsburg
creek.
There are evidences of cloud
bursts on nearly every gulch Oh
both sides of the river. with great
piles Of debris blocking the roads
and stopping over fences into the
fields at too frequent intervals.
The hay and grain crops in all the
river settlements are immense.
The trees are freighted to the earth
with luscious fruit rapidly ripen-
inv beneath the ardent rays of the
midsummer sun The F,rks cOun-
try MAS u great surprise to me. l
had never crossed the salmon this
far down and my previous impress
sions of the country We're that it
was land OF basaltic ridges and
hogbacks destitute OF soil aud with
not enough vi vege alton to feed u
grasshopper. The actualities of
the case, however, are far other
wise. the Forks country is vast
ly better than it looks from this
side, for upon those small creeks
and transverse ravines radiating
from the river are some Of the
prettiest and most picturesque
ranches with the most prolific and
productive soil ! have ever seen.
The soil is very deep and wonder
fully rich. The best part OF Camas
prairie cannot show such magnifi-
cont stands Of hay and grain as l
saw across the Salmon last week.
Vegetables grow to an enormous
size and no finer favored fruit is
grown on this planet. is hardly
a figure of speech to say that straw
berries over there grow as large as
potatoes, while potatoes the size
VI beer barrels are not uncommon.
The ranches along these creek hill.
sides are emb0we . | in W ,nderfully
picturesque and sheltered spots,
with wood, water and horsefeed
in unlimited abundance. With
lovely groves of yellow pine for II
background and cultivated plots of
deepest verdure on the bottoms
and hillsides, and with clusters of
COttOnwoOds. quaking asps aud
hawberry trees surnlounting the
numerous springs, the best of these
farms possess more naturally pic
turesque features than many ofthu
stately homes of the lordly 'risto-
Gratis Of old England, with centu-
ries Of care and cultivation behind
them. When the railroad stretches
its iron finger down the tortuous
Salmon, and with the opening OF
the mines in the adjacent mineral
belts the owners of these cosy homes
will rank among fortunes favor
ties. The largest cattle raisers in
the county reside here and con-
tribute very largely to the support
Of the county government. With
the groves Of pine, green fields of
corn and hay and clover, and bah
bling brooks rushing down to the
main river it is in truth a near
approach to the tabled land of the
1Iotus-eaters, wherein it seems al
ways afternoon"
The Snake river side of the alb
rupt divide between the two
streams is less inviting, but even
here are ranches where life is worth
living. The towering summit OF
the divide is capped with basalt a
thousand feet in depth. The de-
scent is very rapid and we are soon
into the primitive formation, with
mineral belt written all over it's
face in signs and tokens unmis-
taxable to the initiated. Below
the b,salt we travel vast dyke of
rhyolite, then come upon slate.
limestone and porphyry in which
the mines are situated. We camp
for the night on Pittsburg creek on
the FL Dorado claim and next
@orning are mp betimes to run over