Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-05-12
IOAHO's NEW BOOM.
North Central Part Of State Expert.
enCeS Exhilaration.
LARGELY DUE TO BUFFALO HUMP.
Prospect Of Railroad Connection With the
Outside World an Important In
GuenCe--Trade Conditions.

HutHCt-lfdut UUuulllUuS.
A Grangeville correspondent
the Portland Oregonian writes Il
following interesting letter to tn
Journals:
This whole country is on IL
boom. Mineral strikes and raj
road prospects are the cause of i
Buffalo Hump being the most in
pOrtant factor. From Lewiston [
Mt. Idaho business is showing tn
exhilaraiion of the boom, an
everybody is confident that it
but the beginning of permanen
prosperity. New towns and ne,
additions to old towns are comin
to the front, the price of real estat
is leaping skyward, every house O
every description is occupied to it
full capacity, and large numbers O
new ones are under construction
while many vacant lots serve a.
tenting ground for people who can
not get otherwise housed. Tn,
transient traveller who gets room
to himself is lucky, and still more
lucky is he if he is not bundled of
two or three blocks to some bar.
racks of a clearinghouse utilized in
connection with the hotel where he
may have registered. These con.
diions have prevailed for two OF
three months, and there is no sign
or prospect of abatement.
1t is not country of one indus
try, however. II there were no
mines tributary it would still be a
country of uncommon richness in
agricultural resources, with tim
Der rs an important accessory.
But the agricultural resources are
as undeveloped as the mineral.
Lack Of transportation has kept
Idaho county back. The placer
mining of early days did not re-
quire the shipping facilities that
are essential to the development of
quartz mines, but most of the
known placer basins have been
worked out and a. quarzt-mining
era is upon the country. Two
railroad lines are projected through
it, and every industry responds to
the encouragement they offer.
Farmers see higher prices for their
products, and are preparing to cul-
tivate more rich of the land at their
disposal. They see prosperity both
In the coming facilities for reach
ing outside markets and in the de-
velopment of the mines to increase
home consumption. So the future
looks rosy for all kinds of business
in this region.
While mining interests in this
country center in Spokane, it's COM
mercial allegiance is to Portland.
Last year Grangeville business
houses sold goods of all kinds to
the total of about $3.50, 900. About
one-third of these goods came d.
rect from the East, and three
quarters of the remainder wer pur-
chased in Portland. Thus Port
land sold to Grangeville last year
wares to the value of 1915, 900.
Grangeville bought merchandise in
to the amount of 500, 600,
aud in San Francisco to the amount
of about $50, 900, California pur-
chases being almost entirely con-
fined to canned fruits and powder.
The trade of Grangeville was di-
vided almost equally between the
farmers and the miners. 1t is es-
that the sales this year will
be fully double those of last year,
perhaps great deal more than
if the Buffalo Hump dis
trict shall prove to be all it's friends
claim for it. Merchants of Grange
vile have kindly feeling for Port
land, and they say that with di-
rect line of transportation between
the two places, and a little more
interest in their affairs manifested
by Portland people, the North
western metropolis could command
practically all their trade.
Gold dust and bullion to the
value of about $3.50, 900 was sent
out Of Idaho county last year, fully
half of which was handled in
That yield of gold
was away below the average, and
was much less than the value of
the supplies taken in for the sup
port of the miners. From Camas
prairie last fall, 10000 hogs were
driven out to market, and about
3, 900 each of cattle, horses and
sheep. Besides these, of course,
the local market was supplied. It
is not found to be profitable ordin-
arily to raise grain, hay or root
crops for the outside market, the
cost of freighting by teams over
Craig mountain being too heavy,
and the home demand is SO limited
that there is small inducement for
systematic farming. Scarcely one
tenth of the land that might be
titled is now under cultivation.
The rich alluvial soil, ranging in
color from a mode brown to inky
black, occasionally of clayey tex