The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-04
SURVEYORS AT
WORK IN IDAHO
New Lines to the Pacific Coast Being
Located,
RIGBY'S FINE PROSPECTS
LITTLE CITY EXPECTS ONE OR
MORE ROADS.
Special to The IIerald1


tants OF Rigny were pleasantly sur
pFised Thanksgiving day by having q
large crowd of railroad surveyors come
in TO this part of the country and COM
mence operations either Oh the pro-
posed western extension of the Chicago
& Northwestern or the Burlington
lines. Last Tuesday a corps of survey
ing engineers. passed through this
vicinity and went into winter camp on
the south fork of Snake river, about
% miles east OF Rigby. They went
prepared TO put in the winter, and it
is evidently their intention TO survey
for some line Of railroad in what is
known as the Box canyon, through
which runs the south fork of Snake
river. from COunard valley to the
mouth of the canyon, a distance of
about twenty miles. By following this
gorge a water grade can be obtained,
although some engineering difficulties
viii be encountered. The river is so
large that a railway will have to fol-
low either one side or the other, be-
cause it cannot be bridged without
great expense.
Locating Route.
1t Is believed these surveyors viii
work in this canyon all winter, and 10
cate definitely the route to be followed
by the road they represent, This crowd
OF engineers camped over night at a
prominent rancher's, about five miles
east of Rigby, and obtained from him
Of ntysxF aGf Of ann
also inquired the way TO get to the
mouth of Blacks canyon, a tributary
TO the Snake river, which comes in
from the north about midway along
the gorge mentioned above. They
claimed to be working for the Short
Line, but IL is well known this COM
pany is not building any line running
east from here. therefore the people
here have concluded that il they are
working for the Short Line, they are
surveying for the Chicago Northwest
ern road, which is now building west
from Casper, Wyoming, and whose
line has been surveyed over into Idaho
and down the south fork of Snake
river, as both of these are Hartman
lines.
Yesterday another gang of survey
Ors dropped in here from some I'M
known source, and are now camped
about two miles east of Rigby, run
ming a line west from the mouth of
the canyon Of the south fork of Snake
river westward past Rigby and on
across the valley toward Boise. This
crowd of engineers would not say for
whom they We're working. They came
in town and purchased a large guam
tity of surveyors stakes from the plan
sV1r mil . o
Lumber company, and returned TO
their work, taking receipt for the
money.
Best Route to the Coast.
Parties from up the river recently
reported that there is a gang of sur
Veyors working this way, having sur
veyed over into Idaho from Wyoming,
and that one party is working for the
burlington and the other is for the
Northwestern line. They do not seek
10 disguise their identity. The, North
western surveyed two lines through
here about ten years ago, recorded
bridge rights. etc, and then did moth
ing more. Both of these surveys
came down the south fork of Snake
river. passed just south of Righy and
on across this valley toward Boise.
The present surveyors are following
this same route, it being the best grade
and most direct toward Portland and
Seattle. The surveys cross the Cont
mental divide by traverstng what is
known as Hogback pass, which is not
very high, and after striking the south
fork of Snake river they have more
than one hundred miles of water grade
across Idaho. This is the only feasible
h.
affords u good entrance into this great
valley.
Bought Coal Lands.
The Northwestern people have pur-
chased great bodies of coal lands in
the vicinity of the Jackson Hole cnun-
try, and the parties who negotiated
this deal told the residents of that
locality that the rails of the North
western line would be laid into that
country next year. There are great
bodies of good coal In western Wyo-
ming and eastern Idaho along the
south fork of Snake river, which is one
inducement for railroads choosing this
route. /.
There is plenty of business in this
great valley for another road. The
lack of cars this year has convinced
all who are familiar with conditions
here that this country has developed
clear beyond the capacity OF the pres
ent railway facilities. and its growth
viii be hampered in the future unless
more railroads build III here.
Fremont county this year has pro-
duced over 100000 tons of sugar beets
alone. This has taxed the Oregon Short
Line TO the utmost. This means that
$4,000 has been paid to the farmers of
one county for one of the many farm
products raised. 1t is believed that no
locality in this intermountain country
can equal this result. This IS about
$50 10 every man, woman and child in
the county.