The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-12-28
ADVANTAGES IN IDAHO.
DR.. E. j. Davis Set Them Forth In an
Impartial Writeup.

known former fellow townsman, Dr.
E. J. Davis, will prove of interest to
all of his friends:
Weiser, Ida., Dec. 18th, 1900.
George Wright Esq. Dear Sir: In
reply to your letter of inquiry in re-
gard to Idaho, and the oppor tunities
here for thrifty, energetic people to
find and make new homes, have this to
say. could not advise any man with
a family to come here with the inten-
tion of working as day laborer,
though such persons get from 81 to
g. day and generally find ready
employment Sheep and cattle herders
get from $50 to $40 month and camp
tenders from $50 to $50 month and
board. In coming here the individual,
if a married man. ought to have some
money to enable him to buy tract of
land, say 10, 90 or 80 acres, and pay
it at least part down. Land in the
native state can be bought in this val
ley for from $50 to $40 per acre, locat-
ed from three to ten miles from Weiser.
Putting it into alfalfa he can raise a
crop the first year of from 2 to tons
per acre and should he not have stock
to feed it to he can find ready sale for
it in town for So to Sc per ton. After
the first year they raise three crops q
year of from 8 to 4 tons each. Sheep
men who buy in large quantities pay
from So. 80 to 81 ton for it.
In this valley one can do better on a
small tract of land raising fruit, all
kinds of berries, keep few COWS,
chickens and pigs. Berries of all kinds
sell readily in town and bring good
prices. Butter and eggs are scarce and
high, the former bring from 80 to 80
cents a pound and eggs are now
worth 80 cents dozen, and will prob
ably be higher before spring. Most of
the ranchers have not got into the kanck
of selecting good mixers and butter
producers or of taking proper care of
such as they have. There is not enough
butter made alb out Weiser to supply
home demand. There is good cream
cry plant here, not in operation pow
but will be in the spring, having been
leased to a gentleman from Kansas
Pork, beef and mutton bring good
prices, the former selling for 81 to
81 80 hundred live weight. Clothing,
dry goods and groceries can be bought
about as cheap here as in Mankato.
Washington county, Idaho, has been
called the land of promise by a local
writer. The land of realization would
be more appropriate. The valleys
produce every kind of vegetation, the
mountains are filled with all the pre-
cious metals, the hills in the central
portion are covered with grass for
grazing for all kind of stock, and in
the northern portion heavily timbered.
The county is over hundred miles
long north and south. The south
ern portion. especially the Snake river
valley, is a natural fruit country.
Apples, prunes, peaches and plums are
grown here in great quantities. Prune
trees begin to bear at five years, pears
at six and apples at seven, that is in
paying quantities. A gentleman here
sent sample of apples peaches, and
pears from his ranch near town to the
Paris exposition and got second prize.
Had they been sent by the state they
would have taken first prize. An
evaporating plant was erected here this
year costing between 81, 900 and So, 600,
one of the largest on the coast. 1t
handled about 900, 900 pounds of green
prunes, but next season other fruit
will be given attention.
There are about 25O, 900 sheep owned
in this county. A man that has a
bunch of sheep is rated here all right
financially. Two million pounds of
wool are exported from here annually.
Sheep, cattle, horses and hogs are also
among the heavy shipments,
Weiser is situated in the Snake river
valley at the confluence of the Snake
and Weiser rivers. 1t is located on
the Oregon Short Line railway, now
constructed about about sixty miles.
They intend to go on with its con-
struction in the spring and eventually
connect with the Northern Pacific,
which is reaching out from Lewiston
on the Clearwater river. By the ex-
tension of this road numbering will
spring into Importance and fresh inn
petus will be given to mining interests
in the northern section of this county.
We located here, first, on account of
the climate, and thus far it has dealt
kindly with our family; secondly, be-
cause of the varied resources of this
section; and thirdly, because of it's
future possibilities.
Let us turn this picture over and
look at it's reverse side for moment.
One will find here many of the natural
discomforts incident to new coun-
try. refer now especially to the town.
There are sidewalks on most of the
streets, they have laid over five miles
during the past year and half. The
streets are not lighted at night, and
it seems strange to former Mankato-
tie to see pedestrians plodding along
carrying a lantern. 1t is quite dusty
here in midsummer during the dry
season. These conditions will be re-
medied within year for the city voted
&Ah O0O for water and elactr;c liob+;no