The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1905-11-17
Wl|THJp Of KOoTnAL
One Of the Oldest Organized
Counties in the State.
INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT
More Than 100000 Acres Of
Unappropriated Lands.

/
| kootcnai county is one Of the
Oldest organized counties in the
state. It has an area OF 5000 square
miles, which is about 10 per cent
Of the entire area OF the state. 1t
is I4o miles long and from 40 to
SO miles in width. The county is
crossed by two trans-continental
railways--thc Northern Pacific
and Great Northern lines. Be.
sides these two main lines, there
is branch of the O. II. G. N. Co.
and the kootenai Valley Railway
company,
| The Spokane International rail-
way, now in course Of construct
ion, will connect with the Cana
dian Pacific railway and thus give
the advantages of another trunk
line. This road will run from the
British line to Spokane and will
traverse the entire north half Of
this comfy, thus opening an inn
mense new territory to settlement
| and development.
! The assessed valuation of the
county for the year 1905 is $6,-
! 577,76S, an increase Of half a
million over last year. The tax
rate is S3.2o per hundred dollars.
The general character Of the
I country is mountainous, but be-
tween the mountain range and
} along the lakes and rivers are
many fine valleys.
The lakes of this county are the
largest in the state, Lake Pend d.
Orielle being the largest.
:, The CGur d'Alene Indian reser'
vation occupies about $50 square
miles of the southwest corner o
q the county and is now being
jsurveyed. 1t is to be thrown oper
for settlement in the near future
and comprises some of the riches
land and best timber in the county
y The numbering industry is more
active than any other single indus
try at present. Although there
:. are seven or eight large and exten
. sive plants, besides numerous
= smaller mills, the industry is still
: :, in its infancy. The shipping ia
:, cilitics of this county are the bcs
!. Of any in the state. The amonn
~ of the product of the lumber in
II dustry of the county reaches ST.,
151,64o, and sao3,6 $50 Of this pai'
er annually for labor.
Ct But little has been accomplishe
~ in the development of the minin
:, Industry of this county. Th
-, range on which the great silver
u lead mines of Shoshone count
do are situated is known to cxten
er into this county. A number
d. valuable properties have been di'
in covered. In the Blacktail distri'
Of on Pend d'Orielle lake develop
ot ment work has been carried on e.
tcnsively and number OF the prt
perties are shipping ore.
There are many acres Of land
this county that are still unappr
no priated. The United States la,
~, Office for this district is located
~ CGur d'Alenc, and this distri
NJ. comprises all Of kootenai coun
The and the north part Of Shosho
son county. There are sos, 3S9 acr
of unappropriated surveyed laa
open to settlement, and 2,3oS, 8
acres of unsurvcycd lands in {
CUur d'Alene district. With Il
c@' amount Of land still open to settl
IN ment there are certainly many a
~. vantagcs open to the honeseck'
had Rathdrum, a lively town
We about 1900, is the county scat
and Kootcnai county. 1t is situated
: at the main line of the Northern I
cihc railway IS miles cast OF 81