Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1905-06-03

A Vast Territory teeming with varied Resources
as yet undevelOped, with Boomers Ferry as
the unavoidable Commercial Center.

The region lying around and tri-
butary to Boomers Ferry is so ex-
tensive as to seem almost too great
to people from the East, where a
few miles will encompass a whole
county. But we can safely claim
twenty-five miles on the West,
North and East, and fifteen miles
on the South as being the natural
trade district of Bonners Ferry.
To enumerate all the natural re-
sources of this territory would be
impossible at present, as there Will
doubtless be many things, of value
to civilization, yet discovered with
in this district, which at present
are not revealed.
But among those which stand out
most prominently are to be named
Timber, Minerals and Soil which
can not be surpassed for the prod
uction of grasses, fruit and root
crops. The timber is of many var
ieties, including White Pine, Vel
low Pine, Fir, Tamarack, Spruce,
Hemiook and Cedar, all of which
are of great commercial value for
lumber, ties and poles, and there
are several other varieties of less
quantity and less value.
The amount of this timber can
scarcely be estimated, for it covers
practically every foot of the valleys
and bench lands, and extends we'll
up on the sides of the higher noun
tains. This is true of the country
Immediately surrounding Boomers
Ferry, and also of the country for
several miles on each side of the
Kootenai River for $50 miles above
il, and this timber will all be man
ufactured at Boomers Ferry, because
it can all be run down the Koo-
tenai and its tributaries, and this
is the cheapest way yet found of
handling and transporting logs.
The facilities for manufacturing
this timber at Boomers Ferry at
present consist Of the mill of the
Boomers Ferry Lumber Company, a
thoroughly equipped and well man
aged modern plant of about $4,000
feet capacity for every u hours
run, and includes a Dry Kiln and
a Planning mill switch makes all
kinds of dressed lumber and
mouldings. This company employs
a large number of men all the year
through.
Then there is the Murphy saw
mill, a mill Of smaller capacity Of
about Is to 20 mills per day, with
i small planer attached also. Be-
sides these there arc five portable
mills in the near vicinity, with
cutting capacity varying from Il
1 5 mills per day, and much of theil
product is purchased by the Bon
nefs Ferry Lumber Co., and by
them converted into dressed mate
rial ready for the eastern market
and thus giving the smaller mills
a ready market for their entire pro
duet.
The transportation facilities con
sist of the transcontinental line o.
the Great Northern Railway, tn,
Kootenai Valley Railway, which
extends into British Columbia, con
Meeting with the Canadian Pacific
The navigable Kootenai River from
Boomers Ferry into She mining
district Of Kootenai Lake in British
Columb a and a new transcontinent
al line, the Spokane & lnternationa
which is just beginning construct
ion, and which will connect Will
Spokane ard the Canadian Pacific
Thus is the future Of Boomers Fer.
ry as great manufacturing cente
we'll assured.
Next in possibilities, perhaps, t.
the timber resources are the min
ing opportunities of this vicinity
The only mine that is operating Il
any extent at present, is the Buck
horn group, which is free-inillinl
gold proposition of very promising
value. The owners of this propert,
are preparing to install staml
mill, which will be in operation
before the summer is gone.
There are many other promising
properties that only lack develop
ment 10 give them an established
value. These enterprises all &c
their supplies from Boomers Ferry
and as is well known, there is n