The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-05-09
A Letter from Idaho.
Steele. Idaho Anrtl 2I 1901


Steele, Idaho, April 81, 1901.
Editor REPORTERS:
This is the first opportunity / have
had of writing to you since | came to
Idaho. This leaves us all enjoying the
best of health and like the country just
splendid. The farming here is most
done, some are not done seeding vet.
The season is later this year than has
ever been known since the reservation
opened. The years previous to this
farming was done by middle of March,
anyway, farming here consists of raising
mostly small grain, such as wheat, oats,
barley and flax. Flax is the most pay
ing article raised here now; generally an
average of Is bushels and is worth about
$l.35 per bushel. Wheat does fine here
but at present the market is quite low,
only 55 cents per bushel. 1t generally
will average 40 bushels to the acre and
lots of it goes 65 bushels to the acre.
They raise every kind of vegetable here
and all kinds of fruit. The apples here
grow very large but are not so we'll fla
vored as the apples i'll Iowa. They say
peaches are fine here. The convent
ence to railways is quite unhandy here.
The railroads are mostly built up the
canyons so that makes the stations
mostly in the valleys or on the streams.
Our nearest railroad point is little
place called Peck of about 100 inhahit.
ants. The railroad station is one mile
and half from the town Peck across
the Clearwater river. This river is
northwest of us and is not very wide
but quite deep and flows with a very
swift current. Lots OF fish are caught
in Clearwater. After we leave Peck to
go to our home we have to go up a
mountain $500 feet high, the road going
back and forth until you reach the top,
and when you are going up this grade
there are very few places that teams
can pass and any one who doesn't
understand travelling up or down is liza,
BILE to meet some one with another
team and thu n one Of them will have tc
go back until they get to an opening in
the read where they can pass and there
is lots of danger of falling over. The
first and only time have gone up the
"blg hill", as it is called, came up or
horse back on account of muddy roads
and of course it looked awful scary tt
me, but nerved myself for the occasion
and didn't find it so terrible after all
In fact rather enjoyed it for comm,
up this mountain is some of the grand
est sights Tor was so to me) of pine ant
fir trees some being several feet higl
and very Straight. The grass was per
fectly green so that tho cattle could ge
their living and that was the 10th da,
of March. We have splendid pasture
here down on the benches Of the can
yons. We live between Big Canyo
, and Little Canyon on top of this noun
tain ! mentioned and the lay of tn
land is good and the richest soil eve
: saw; will produce more grain to tn
acre one year with another than an
place in the east. Taking it all over
think this the finest country to rails
everything ever saw and it is done tn
easiest. am we'll pleased with III
country in every way. They hav
Church, Schools and Sunday Schools.
like the people here splendid, the mos
accommodating people ever met.
D am satisfied already would rather liv
2 here than any place | have ever live
yet, still think old Iowa can't be bea
in some ways. But man can make
living here without so much hard work
! am now engaged in teaching schoo
1t is subscription school. get So
for three months. They haven't "
got Nez Perces county laid off in di
lricts properly SO the one am teact
ling at is such distance from the at
joining districts that the peopl
thought they would have school {
their own. So am trying to teach
for them. like the school splendid
have 81 scholars. Teachers usual
get $40 to $50 month here but the
have large schools where they teach i
the districts. We can see mountain
all around us. The Cordalains on tn
north and little east. The Bitterrot
Mountains, NJ oscow Mountain and man
others. There isn't much game hel
consequently not much hunting. BIZ
yesterday as Earl was crossing Big Cal
yon he accidentally came across fol
deer but he only had shot gun wit
him so he didn't get shot at then
Up in the mountains some fifteen {
twenty miles there is lots of game. b
the game laws are very strict here, onl
certain times man is allowed 10 hun
The country is very thickly settled her
Prices are very much like they are !
the east. That is groceries or dry good
anything excepting hardware and it
high. Cattle are good price, hogs 5
81 dressed. Horses are pretty ia
price. Well, | think ] have write
you pretty long letter for the frs
still there are many things would Lii
to write about but haven't the tim
Will now close my letter with the hoE
that this will interest you who read
[ will try to write another letter when
have the time. DELL COIN.