Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-05-12


and sampled the wheat grown her
- and he pronounced it the best avai
able for -four for the Oriental ina
ket, it ranking in strength next
the wheat of the famous Red riv,
valley of Minnesota and Mort
Dakota, which is out of the que.
l. ton as a competitor in the Orien
because of the cost of transports
ton to the seabOard.
The impetus brought by pros
, pect Of railroad facilities for reach
ing the outer world may be appre
ciated when it is understood tina
Grangeville, which is the chic
trading center of Camas prairie
and for the Florence, Elk City ant
Buffalo Hump mining districts, j,
10 miles from Lewiston, with ,
mountain ridge rising to an alti
, tude of 5000 feet intervening
Everything freighted into or out 'o
this country must be teamed over
Craig's mountain. Besides the
length of the road and the neces.
saiily heavy grades, climatic con-
ditions are quite various at the diff
ferent attitudes, and for severa!
months every year the mud on
some part of the road makes team
ing very difficult, and sometimes
practically impossible. Two cents
per pound is today being paid for
all freight handled between the
two points. This is handicap
that is discouraging to those who
have to compete with the world, so
the competition from this section
has not been worth mentioning.
Now two lines of railroad are
projected through the country.
The 0. r. & N. has done more
than make preliminary survey.
IT has definitely located it's line
and obtained the right of way ND
the Clearwater across the Camas
prairie to the very heart of Grange
vile. The Northern Pacific's sur
vey clings t. the Clearwater river,
following up the canyon on the side
opposite from the prairie and aim
ing, it is said, for a pass in the
mountains that shall let it through
into Montana. That company now
has engineers in the Buffalo Hump
section accommodating. The build
ing of either road will give the re-
lief looked for, though consider
able readjustment would be neces-
sary before the country would ac-
itself to going to the
river canyon for and with all its
freight. This is why the o. Z. &
N. is looked upon as having the
real key o"the Situation; it falls
in with the trend of a growth that
has already made great progress
and operates as promoting, not a
iiverting, agent. 1t penetrates
the country where produce is ac-
Jually grown and will have the
irst chance to handle all that is
offered to the market. With rail-
'oad up the canyon and with no
'oad across the prairie, the country
would eventually accommodate it.
self to the conditions thus imposed
ipon it, but a railroad across the
prairie as now located would leave
'he country invulnerable from the
liver canyon.
There is no doubt that the o. r.
= N. has a great advantage over
is competitor in the matter of
ocation for local business from the
'oint where it crosses to the left
'ank of the Clearwater, a few miles
'bove Lewiston. The grain-grow-
ng prairies above that point are all
IN the northerly side of the
liver. The bench lands of the res
'rvation, Nez Perez prairie, Mason
'rairie, and the numerous open
ngs in the tree-clad hills will not
end their produce across the tur-
'ulent river when equal, if not
shipping accommodations
re on the.hither side. The same
eason holds as to the pro-
luce OF this splendid expanse of
olling farm land, Camas prairie,
lot half of whose 500, 900 fertile
'cres have ever been plowed. It's
business will not go down in the
clearwater canyon and cross the
stream when equal or better facili-
les are right in the middle of the
'rairie. The matter of grades is
mother question, but not a serious
me, for road built to accommo-
late local traffic.
Buffalo Hump is 5000 feet above
he sea, and a road built up the
clearwater canyon to point
abreast of the mines cannot make
he dizzy climb to the mines, and
inless it gets out of the canyon it
must remain 25 miles away from
hat camp. Grangeville is $500
eet above the sea, and a railroad
quilt here will be fairly started on
he rise to the Hump. The route
rom here to the Buffalo Hump
mines covers fully 30 miles of
mountains, but the rise to the crest
II the ridge is not specially difficult
o those familiar with mountain
and then the crest can