Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-05-05
him to swift destruction. These


every trip over the road at this
season of the year. The loss of a
morse Is of too common occurrence
to receive much attention, and
goods are lost every day. At hun
ureds OF places in the mountains,
the traveller takes his life in his
hands. and the only wonder is that
SO few men are killed by accidents
on the trail.
Horses in these mountains wear
snow-shoes in the winter, aud so
accustomed do they become to the
novel footgear that they will go
anywhere over the snow with them,
and pull or carry big loads, and
they get afraid to travel in few
inches Of snow without snowshoes.
The gait they acquire while wear
ing the shoes is peculiar, and makes
the beast ludicrous after they are
removed until normal habit is re-
stored.
While the mail route to Buffalo
Hump is via Elk City, which is 60
miles from Grangeville, and 26
miles from the Hump, the route by
way of Slate creek is regarded as
the best now open. 1t is raw
hide trail, % miles from Slate
Creek station, on the stage road
between Grangeville and Florence.
The merit of this route at this
season of the year is that it lies on
a mountain divide, and is uniform.
The snow is yet firm there, though
a warm spell few days ago caused
the trail to break up considerably,
and complete breakup will not
mean that the snow goes off, but
only that the packed road or trail
at the top of 8 or 20 feet of snow
gets soft, SO that the horses, and
eventually men, will sink through.
Several horses have been ruined on
that trial during the past few days,
but the thaw has been SO slight that
a nights freeze still brings excel
lent travelling through a cool day.
1t now costs 2 cents per pound
to get freight in from Lewiston to
Grangeville, and from Grangeville
to Elk City the charge is 10 cents
per pound. And at this rate the
Elk City stage company discour-
ages shipments. A few days ago
orders were given to give preference
to provisions and necessaries OF
life, while the present condition OF
the roads prevailed, and liquors,
cigars, playing cards, etc., were
put at the bottom of the list to be
transferred in order. 1t was no
ticed that shipments of cigars and
liquors ceased, but the packages OF
provisions increased. This seemed
natural in view of the urgent need
of getting food into the camp to
tide over the season of absolutely
impossible roads. The other day,
after an especially stormy and
eventful trip, ending in a pile-up
at midnight on top of the outfit OF
IL freighter who had become stuck
in the road near the stage station,
a large pasteboard box labeled
eggs dissolved, and the contents
were exposed when it came to
clearing up the wreck next day.
"And what do you suppose l found
in that blamed pasteboard box that
had given me so much trouble along
that whole trip" asked Jim Sur
ridge, one Of the proprietors Of the
stage line.
Cigars" suggested bystander.
mo, sir, by gee; it was worse'r
that-playing cards! After this
you bet everything consigned to q
saloon keeper in at the Hump has
got to be entirely above suspicion
or it waits it's turn as a non-essen'
tial."
Freighting to the mines of Idaho
county has gone through severa
phases. White men had pack
trains on the trail as early as 1862
) and one old-timer here told me
he had 1877 mules in his packtrair
between Wallula and Florence il
that year. The animals had be
longed to the British part Of tn
expedition that marked the inter
; national boundary between tn
United States and Canada, and h
. had paid $40 apiece for them, AM
! brought them down via Colville
The first trainload from Wallula t.
Florence at 374 cents per pound
brought him something more thai
1 $40, 900.
J. III stuck to the business an
4 made heap O. money for while,
a said the old stager, "but Chiname
e got to doing the work SO cheap
couldn't make a living agains
q em, and had to give it up and g
5 to mining"
q The Chinese were run off the ira
: by the Indians, who for a numbe
$ of wears had monopoly Of til
!. packing business. But when tn
:, government allotted the lands
: the reservation three years agt
IS and paid the Nez Perces their fir
n ;nstallment of the money due then