Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1901-08-15
SALMON RIVER WAGON ROAD
A Little Ancient History in Connection
With the nte'priSe.


With the Enterprise. |
Commissioner w. II. Cassidy was
II town for several days last week
md Informed us that the commits |
sioners. of the Salmon River Wagon
road have given the contractors
until September Is, to complete the
road. That the Oregon Short
Line and the Pacific and Idaho
Northern railroads had each paid
the amount which they had prom
ised. and through the financial
windfall thus obtained, they hoped
to soon be able to announce to the
people OF the state that the hest
and most desirable road in the
commonwealth was at last opened
to travel,
And SO at last this long-talked-of
Salmon river wagon road is about
to become y substantial and 40
complished fact. 1t il an enter-
prise which has been talked about
ever since the organisatou OF Idehn
Territory In the early si1ty's.
The government OF the pnitad
States have twinA surveyed II for
the construction Of y military
wagon road hetween Boise and
Lapwai, but no appropriations for
its construction wers ever made by
congress-,
At length IN lsaa II seemed that
the project Of building wagon
road over this route was to be
fairly inaugurated In the sum-
mer OF that year Hon. A. F.
Parker made trip through all the
prominent towns of Southern Idaho
and secured from every board OF
trade in the state, including Lew
iston, memorials to the territorial
legislature to make the necessary
appropriations of $4,000, which
was estimated would be required
to complete the road and build a
steel bridge across the Salmon
river.
Thus far the matter progressed
smoothly enough. Members from
the southern counties were
pledged before their election to vote
for the bill, and matters were in
shape for the bill to pass both
houses of the territorial Legislature
when an unexpected snag pre-
sented itself which knocked the
well-laid plans into a cooked hat
That very session of congress
enacted that the legislation passec
by all the territorial legislatures
must be- approved by the president
of the United States before they
could finally become laws.
1t was objected that the presi
dent would not approve bill APP
propriating $4,000 for the con
strnction of IA wagon road through
} two counties only, and copy o
the bill was presented to the presi
dent through Senator Voorhees,, Q
j Indiana, and his answer returned
! that the bill must be made NOR
/ general-it must embrace NOR
) than two counties of Idaho ant
r Washington.
BY this time the territorial leg
/ islature was in session. Idah
9 county was represented by Tol
Q Nelson in the Council chamber
e and G. NJ. Day in the House. 4
! caucus of the friends of the mea'
ure was called and it was deci Re
! best to change the route: and s
/ a bill was passed appropriatin
1 $50, 900 to "Provide for WACO
3 road between Mt. Idaho, in Idah
county, and Little Salmon Meat
ows, in Washington county.
The various assortment of scan
!: dals growing out Of the constru'
@ ton Of this rOad-or rather, out
y the expenditure of the appropri
# ton, so disgusted The people G
: the state, that any mention {
O further road construction by th
!. state was promptly sat down OF
J. Later on, an appropriation was 81
: cured to build a road into Elk Cit
v and up Salmon river and still lat
a an appropriation Was actual
Il made for the completion of ii
e Little Salmon route, but it Wi
unfortunately vetoed by Ex-Go'
: ernor w. J. Mcconnell, for VIII
t reason was never known, as he h;
! all along been a strong advocate
it's passage, and, indeed, secure
!. many votes in this county by h
J. strong advocacy of the measur
g even coming through the state
: way of Salmon Meadows in cor
G pany with Frank Fem. pledeir
v his services to help lobby the a
a preparation through the Legislature
k and also promising to approve
O The bill passed and VAS killed |
McConnell's vote.
And SO the matter again restt
for several years Meanwhi
private enterprise had taken hOl'
e and backed by the county hel
It had completed u section, practira
d ly providing access to The Lit
g Salmon valley from this end IT
!. scent Of the old scandals was sti
Y strong enough to prevent tho u
d preparation of all the money tn,
# was really needed /" complete Il
i road, but it waa secured, and j
|: expenditure, supplemented by Il