The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-06-30


exposition again. / got the letter you
sent to the Licke House at San Fran
cisco, and this morning when / went to
the Idaho buildingI got two more. 1t
was good of you to write, even if there
wasn't much to tell. When fellow is
away for while he gets more good out
Of his trip if he hears that things are al
right at home, and that he will be ex-
pected to settle down to the daily grind
whenever he gets back and gets the Gin
der out of Ills ears. l forgot to tell you
that the Southern Pacific and the Santa
Fe in California and Oregon burn crude
oil in their engine and don't have any
cinder flying. They oil the roadbeds too,
to keep the dust down so it is clean
travelling, like electric cars. 1t takes 36
hours to run from San Francisco to
Portland by the Shasta Route, and it is
very nice run. In the Sacramento
Valley they were operating their com
bined reapers and threshers in the wheat
fields, and it was pretty hot. We start
ed out in the morning and got to Shasta
Springs in the evening. This is the
mineral springs near Mt. Shasta, and the
water comes tumbling down the track,
in the glare of electric lights that are ar
ranged to give beautiful effect. This
is the only place l ever saw where the
railroad company is always ready to
"set 'em up" The train stops SO people
can get drink at the "McMonnies'
Fountain and everybody gets, dipper
and then gets full. 1t is about four
hours run from there to the summit,
and if you pass this place in the day
light you will see some fine railroad en-
gineering. When the train gets high up
on the range of mountains it passes
through the tunnel of the Siskiyou, runs
along on the north side of the range,
headed east, goes into another tunnel
and turns around, comes out of the
near the place where it came
out of the first tunnel, only it is consid-
erably below it, runs eastward along the
side few hundred feet below
the other track, in the midst of the "for-
est primeval,' makes another tnrn and
comes back below the other tracks to a
station in the valley. 1t is remarkable
piece of work, and worthy of the atten-
tion of anyone who admires stroke of
human achievement. If you wish to see
this you must leave Portland or San
Francisco in the evening; but in that
event you will miss the Sacramento Val
ley and the Valley of the Willamette,
and you will spend two nights on the
road. The scenery for part of the day
north of the Siskiyou will just be hilly
country covered with pines, and marked
up with old placer "diggins." If you
take the trip to Mt Tamalpais while
you are at San Francisco you can afford
to miss the Siskiyou, and you Will see
some ine mountain scenery in Oregon
between Myrtle Creek and Eugene, and
fine valley scenery from Eugene to Port
land.
Youknow it is nice to "see ourselves
rs others see us" and on this trip met
a gentleman and his wife from Ceilings
Ton, Utah who had been on a trip
through Old Mexico and California and
we're going to Portland. They have
been making some money on blooded /
sheep and sugar beets, and he told me
quite an interesting story about the de-
velopment of the Snake River Valley in
Idaho, and the wonderful resources of
the country for agriculture. He didn't
ask me where lived, and ! kept him
busy as could telling me about the
its Mormons, its Gentilas, its
big canal schemes &C., and made my e.