Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1905-12-21
THURSDAY, DEC. 81, 1905
BOON TO CANVAS PRAIRIE.

Another long-awaited boon seems
coming within very short time to
the people of Camas Prairie in the
advent of the Milwaukee railroad
down the Clearwater river, which
will undoubtedly build over what is
known as the Missoula cutoff,
thereby making of that great rail-
road transcontinental road. The
purpose of the company is to build
westward from it's present eastern
terminus to Lewiston, where it will
connect with the new road now
building between Lewiston and
Riparia. At Riparia it will use
the Oregon Railroad and Naviga-
ton Co. g track to Wallula, and at
Wallula it will continue on down
the Columbia river to Portland.
The construction of this road
will practically revolutionize mat
tiers connected with the running of
transcontinental roads, because it
will have water grades all the way
west of the Bitter Root range.
And more than that, it will place
Camas Prairie within twenty miles
of a transcontinental road, which
of itself is benefit 80 great that
many of our people do not realize
the advantages which will there
upon ensue. What a great through
road has done for the state Of
Washington will be duplicated Oh
Camas Prairie. Being Oh branch
road, the only new population
which Camas Prairie has acquired
has been through the medium of
direct personal contact with the
new corners. Not many of the
vast numbers of the immigration
from the east have ever had their
attention called to Camas Prairie
and the opportunities it offers for
the profitable investment of capital
in homes or other industries, and in
consequence we have not received
much, il any, share of the great
population now flowing into the
northwest. With the coming of
the Milwaukee road all this will be
changed. 1t will be to the direct
interest and benefit of the road to
advertise and make known to the
farmers OF the east the great extent
Of agricultural land awaiting Guilt
walton in this section Immediately
tributary to it. The Milwaukee
road is powerful factor in promot-
ing immigration, and its policy of
promoting settlement along its line,
and in interesting capital to take
hold Of the countless opportunities
for developing the dormant natural
wealth of the great Clearwater
basin will undoubtedly be followed
in the future as it has been in the
past.
A country such as Camas Prairie,
situated only twenty miles from
one Of the greatest of all the trans
continental roads, is bound to be
enormously benefited thereby. II
there was a general knowledge
among the farming population Of
the east and middle west that the
best dairy country and the best hog
country in the world was to be
situated only twenty miles from a
through line of railroad, there
would be such an influx of popula-
tion here as would speedily trans
form the entire face OF the Prairie,
and the day we have long dreamed
of, when the importation Of eggs,
butter, cheese, lard and all kinds
of dairy produce would cease, and
in their stead we would have our
own packing plants to cure the
meat where the hogs are grown,
and we would be an exporting in
stead Of an importing community.
These changes are bound to come,
and the next decade will see many
of them fairly inaugurated to the
great benefit of all concerned.