Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1902-07-24
NJ Work Been Done on II for Over a
Year-Could Be Repaired
at Small Cost.
CONDITION CAUSED BY SHEEP TRAVEL
Has the Effect of Losing the Trade of
the Marshall Lake Country
to Orangeville.

A. L. Reynolds was out from his
Salmon river ferry last week to
spend few days with his family,
and returned Monday. He reports
the grades on both sides of the state
wagon road as being in bad shape
through, slides and loose rock,
which makes bad travelling for
heavy teams, although it is passa-
BILE enough for light rigs. Not q
great amount Of money is required
to fix it up as there are no wash
outs Of consequence. ).
The great trouble is simply in
the neglect or refusal of the duly
appointed road supervisors to at
tend to their duties. The state
road between Mt. Idaho and the
river is divided into five road dis
tricts, with as many supervisors,
but not a lick of work, says Mr..
Reynolds, has been done since last
year on any portion thereof. Prob
ably a solution of the difficulty will
be found in the adoption of the
contract system for the mountain
roads, which the FREE Press has
persistently advocated for many
y ears, and which has been found
to work admirably in other coun-
ties of this state.
Mr.. Reynolds says the road can
be easily fixed up in good shape at
small expense, and the commission
ers should make an appropriation
at once for immediate expenditure,
and not wait for the action of road
supervisors The damage to the
road is mainly caused by the pass
age of sheep. The trail down the
Salmon river from the ferry cross
ing is almost obliterated by the
passage of these animals, and they
have thus caused the loss of more
horses by rolling this summer than
in all the previous years put to-
gether. They pile the trails and
roads full Of loose material and
rocks SO that travellers are unable
to discern the trail from the sur
rounding country. and they thus
get into impossible places. On his
way out he passed at White Bird
and Slate creek 10000 head OF
sheep belonging to Riggs Bros.
bound for their summer grazing
fields in the Umbrella butte coun.
try, and they have completely filled
the road with soil and rocks. The
next legislature should enact a law
requiring sheep owners to clean
out the roads and trails after they
have driven their flocks over them
! Speaking Of the condition of the
state road, Mr.. Reynolds said
1.-The people of Council are taking
advantage of the condition of thu
state road between Grangeville ant
and the hot springs to ship supplies
into the Marshall lake country
Four four-horse teams pulled intt
that camp last week loaded will
freight direct from Council, ant
they offer to freight in all the sup
plies the people of the camp ma.
require at the rate of II cents pc
pound. They are thus invading
territory which by every law shoul'
be controlled by Grangeviile ant
Camas Prairie, and unless some
thing is done to keep our end O
the road in proper repair we ar
going to lose the trade of the Mar
shall lake section. l have person
ally expended $4OO and more i
making the road passable, and
am unwilling to do anything fu,
ther until l see whether the CON
missioners will allow me what
have expended"
Asked as to the amount of th
travel over the ferry, Mr.. Reynold
continued: "The main travel
now coming out of Thunder MouI
! tain, with very little going in. Th
! travel going in is all headed Il
! Marshall lake, and from all I ca
hear it is going to make q goo
camp and has some good mine
! The returning pilgrims from Thur
: der Mountain tell conflicting sto
( les concerning that camp. Opil
! ions are about equally divides
some condemning it outright as
{ first-class fake, while others cor
8 mend it as vast mineral belt wit
: a great future before it. As a ma
: ter Of fact, we know no more
: the real merits of Thunder Mou
Z tain at this time than we did
, year ago, before there was al
boom. Development work alo
3 can tell the tale"