Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1900-04-06
FINISHED AT LAST,
The Clearwater Short Line
Completed to Within 10
Miles of CranQevjlle.

TIC clearwater onOTt Line
Is now practically complete d
to the mouth of Cottonwood
creek, a distance of O. miles
from Potlatch. From Lewis
ton the railroad now runs up
the Clearwater for IS miles.
There is no indication of any
more railroad const ruction at
the present time.
When the truce between
the Northern Pacific and the
O. r. & N. was declared
August S of last year, the
Northern Pacific had already
let contracts for g miles of
road along the Clearwater.
This piece of road has been
finished but nothing else has
been done except surveying.
1t is probably true that the
Northern Pacific wants to find
way through the Bitter Root
mountains, but the engineers
have not yet discovered a pass
that can be used for a railroad.
1t is just I47 miles from
Missoula 10 the terminus of
the Clearwater Short Line,
but it will take at least two
years to complete the survey
and build the line.
So far as building between
Lewiston and Riparia is con.
cerned, the Northern Pacific
does not need Il line down the
Snake river until the Missoula
cutoff is completed. The
whole idea is to reduce the
expense ofhauling and shorten
the line. Local business plays
no part in the Northern Paci.
fic plans in connection with
the Missoula cutoff There
is nothing to show that the
Northern Pacific knows the
way through the Bitter Root
mountains. Engineer Clark
has a force of ~ men at work
somewhere in the vicinity of
Lolo pass trying to find a
feasible route. That is all
that is being done at the pres.
ent time by the Northern
Pacific.
The opening of the Clear.
water Short Line to Stuart
will change the map of Idaho.
The old siN-horse thorough.
brace coach that has wendell
its way through storm, dark.
ness and sunshine will be seen
no more crossing the soft
brown hills. The passing of
the six-horse stage, with all
its romantic memories, has an
element of sadness about it.
AS soon as trains are running
regularly on the Clearwater
Short Line the stage between
Lewiston and Grangeville
will be abandoned. The same
stage however, will be put on
between Stuart and Grange
vile, the distance being IS
miles. The mail will also 90
by way of Stuart to Grange.
vile, Mt. Idaho, Cottonwood
and other interior towns. 1t
looks as though Stuart was
going to be quite town, but
it will suffer all the drawbacks
experienced by other towns on
the reservation.
The Indians were allotted
all the best valley lands, and
they cannot dispose of their
property for a period of rs
years. They may lease build.
ing lots but good towns are
seldom built under such re.
strictions. Town site promot.
ers have secured vacant lands
near many of the railroad
depots on the rescry alton, and
they will probably build towns
in spite of the drawbacks.
The business done BY the
Northern Pacific on the
Clearwater Short Line is going
to be considerable. There
are nearly so mercantile
establishments scattered along
the road. Freight has been
moving forward, hut only in
a desultory way, for the road
is not yet completed. There
IS always plcny to do after
the steel rails are laid to make
I IL