Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16
Idaho, the State of ~ Tomorrow" and Its Resources

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/ ton purposes at 100000. During that
period she has constructed by private
enterprise alone 3.1O0 miles Of irrigation
canals at q cost OF SlO.OOO,OOO, and put
under irrigation I'm the neighborhood
OF 100000 acres Of land. Every acre
OF which is worth $50. aggregating
t000J0OOO. In the humid portion of
the state she has cleared and put un-
der cultivation 100000 acres more,
worth at low estimate, $40 an acre,
making 100000 more.
Immense Wheat Surplus.
And It Is estimated that her surplus
| wheat crop for 1905 VIII be 100000
bushels. she viii have a large sur
| plus OF the other cereals, and her pota-
toe and hay crop is something de-
| llghtful 70 look at. During that time
| rhc has planted to orchard over 10000
this year IN the neighborhood OF 800
oars. which will bring her in close on
! 100000. She has built and equipped
, l7G3 miles Of railroad and at the same
! time constructed state wagon roads,
! costing over $4,000. She commenced
without a saw mill ana has now over
$50 ana at least seven other immense
| plants are being erected. In 1870 there
| was not q smelter or quartz mill IN
3 the territory, now there are over so big
IaF =
put for 1904 was over S2300O00O,
The Sugar Industry.
] within the last few year. she has
built three great sugar factories and
has contracted for the building Of two
| others. and when finished. the whole
VIII cost over 100000. When she
commenced to build this young empire,
| she had her "thousandth hill" but the
traditional cattle were not there. Now
she has 100000 head Of cattle, 100000
head OF horses, 10000 head Of swine
| and 100000 head ot sheep with a wool
clip OF 25CQ0Q0) pounds, During that
time she has built and equipped over
| l.0c0 schooiaouses, costing over $1,000
900. and expended for the school year
{ lJC4-J for the education Of her $4,000
school children a uttle over $l0000OO.
ond at the same time, has built
G,.ed out and equipped a model reform
school an academy OF applied science.
r1o good normal schools and a state
university, equal to any in the Union.
To maintain which. she pays annually
In the neighhorhoo1 Of $4,000.
Matchlcss Resources.
Idaho has not gone forward in popu-
latlon and wealth as rapidly as her sis
ter states. Oregon and Washington and
| yet her undeyelopel resources are per-
| haps greater than those Of either state.
Her mineral resources are far superior.
Her white pine forests have no paral-
| lei in the Union. Her rivers in number
and capacity to furnish water for irri-
CATION and power for manufacturing
have an excellence and superiority far
beyond any Of the arid states, and. in
deed, so far as the generation OF power
Is concerned, is superior to any state in
the T.. ion. Her agricultural lands in
the humid Part Of the state for fertility
OF soil. production OF the cereals ana
timothy. have few, IL any, equals any
whore. The fact that until within the
last few years immigration has passed
through the state and settled in Ore
eon and washington in preference to
idaho. may be readily accounted for.
Three frank Railroads.
Three trunk lines Of railroad pass
through the state from ocean to ocean.
The Oregon short Line enters the state
from the desolate lands OF Wyoming
and passes through the most uninvit-
ing part Of H. The traveller or immi-
grant from the car window, sees moth
ing save a very few limited green
patches. except sage brush. jack rab-
bits and lava rock, until he reaches
Nampa. The two other trunk lines
pass through the extreme northers part
Of the state. which has "A width of only
Is miles and the traveller is out of 1t
before he knows he Is IN it, II he does
happen to make an observation, the
view Is not at all inviting, as tbs
northern part OF the Panhandle, through
which these roads run. Is the poorest
part OF the state; and on this account
the homeseeker passes out OF the state
wholly ignorant OF he great oppor-
tunitles he left behind.
In late years, the Short Line has been
doing a great work for the state. 1t has
recently built branch into the rich
Maad valley, another into the upper
Cache valley. another from Idaho Falls
through the fertile bottom lands of Free
mont county to 81. Anthony and Is
pushing on 20 the coal fields in the Te-
ton Basin. and has just finished an
other track from MInidoka to Twin
Falls. The Northern Pacific has also
within a short time built branch from
Spokane in Washington to Lewiston,
Ida. going through the Palouse coun-
try I'm Latah county, and extended II up
the Clearwater river TO Sites, In Idaho
county. and IS now engaged in extend
ing the Spokane branch from Lewiston
20 Grangeylle, a distance % 100 miles
over the fertile Nez Perez ad Camas
Prairies. There are strong indications
that this road win be extended 10 ami
up the Salmon river 20 Meadows, IN
Washington county Joining Mt that
point the Pacific Idaho Northern.
Increase of Wealth,
In the decade and n. halt, since 1890.