Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-07-05


of Idaho at the Jason Lee memorial
services at Salem, June IS. He said
in part:
A land of fertile valleys, of mag
nificent streams, of broad ranges of
mountains, whose everlasting SHOWS
have challenged the rising sun since
the morning stars first sang to-
gether, of lakes whose placid bosoms
reflect back the fragrant forest and
the summer skies, of forest and
field and waterfall, of blue skies
and bountiful sunshine-such is
Idaho, Gem Of the Mountains,
Land OF Opportunity.
Nature has been lavish In this
land Of promise. She has given us
soil for the plow and water enough
for the harvest; timber enough
for our homes and power for our
factories; iron and copper for the
arts; gold for nations commerce
and lead for a nations defense.
Wilderness enough for recreation
and winter enough for vigor; seem
cry enough for sentiment and sum
shine enough for sense.
Of the early settlement of Idaho
will say but little. She is a young
state, and age has not yet clothed
her early history with romance.
She was first settled in the cary
sixties by miners and stockmen.
Idaho has been in the past and is
now handicapped by the fact that
thetmain line of travel through the
state crosses what until lately has
been known as the Snake river
desert. For so years the tide of
western immigration flowed past
our doors unmindful of the empire
awaiting development in the inter
mountain region. Even yet people
passing through the state on the
train have no conception, from
what they see, of what the state has
to offer in soil and mineral wealth
and scenery and climate, and for
the benefit of such l will make {
low SldlClllClllS. AlOlSll OlctooCI
as an arid state, Idaho is by fai
the best watered of the arid state:
and one of the best watcred IL
the Union. 1t is the only state
with the possible exception of Wash
ington, which has a river of the
magnitude of the Snake flowinl
1000 miles within it's own terri
tories. This river has numerous
large and important tributaries, al
available for irrigation. Idaho ha
the greatest natural water powe
of any state in the union, ant
this time we will not excep
which has the American Falls O
Niagra. Hundreds of thousands Q
horse power are being developed o.
the cataracts of the Snake, an
on the Salmon. One hundred thous
and horse power at one cataract
the Augur Falls, and above an
below a dozen other falls of great
~ Vi 100 NAAAACiAolOAlSs LINZ III
rays of a SPIDERS web, electr
wires will radiate from the SnalS
river valley, carrying the imprisor
ed energies of the Snake rive
valley over hill and dale, propellin
trolley cars, lighting distant cite
and homes and turning the wheel
of industry in our own and neigh
boring states.
And now will make a state
ment that to the people of Salei
may sound like heresy. The Snak
river valley is larger and will SUI
port a greater population than tn
valley OF the Willamette. 1t
nearly 500 miles long and fro
two to forty miles in width. 1t
being rapidly reduced by irrigatic
to high state of cultivation
Over 1000, 900 acres are now
process of reclamation. Think VIII
this means in a country where 4
acres is as much land as one fami
can properly take care of. If W
would have an object lesson of II
boundless possibilities of America
enterprise, visit Twin Falls, whe
a town of 5000 people, with modei
improvements and buildings, al
two banks carrying a combined d
post of $3.50, O0OO, has been bui
in one year. The tract itself, a va
plain, dotted with homes as far
the eye can reach, with great irr
cation canals like rivers meanderii
through the land, carrying a volun
of water 20 feet wide and 7 fe
deep, and capable of being navigat
by river steamboats, if it were co
sidered advisable. Visit the Mir
doka dam, which is just being cor
pletcd by the govcrnmer