The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-29

A review of the years work by any
of the large daily papers circulating
throughout the intermountain country
would be incomplete il southeastern
Idaho, or what is termed 1.-The Upper
Snake River valley" was left out, and
nothing said of this great inland en-
pire. Southeastern Idaho. composed of
Fremont. Bingham, Bannock, Twin
Falls and Cassia counties, can boast of
the largest valley and the greatest riv
er in the Rocky mouptain country. The
counties named are empires within
themselves, and as large ass some of the
states of the Union, yet they are all in
this one valley.
1t is impossible to correctly convey
to those unacquainted with this cOun-
try an idea of its bigness. In early
days before this land was inhabited
by white men, it was universally be-
lieved that the eastern part of Idaho
was too cold, that the altitude was too
great, and the soil too forbidding. to
be of any value to hOmeseekers. As
IN nearly every other instance, the set
Element of this country was made from
necessity more than choice-because of
older settled localities becoming over
populated-and not because of the
beauty or other attractions of eastern
Idaho.
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The fact remains however that in
the early eighties pioneers began to
wend their way from crowded Utah to
Idaho. then great only in its extensive
valleys, mighty rivers and lofty noun
tanis. They settled and were surprised
at the result of tickling the soil, for ii
yielded far beyond expectations. Album
dant wafer was found for irrigation,
the climate was found equal 10 that OF
northern Utah, for the altitude is about
the same as the Salt Lake valley. Re-
ports of the phenomenal success in all
lines of agriculture, stock raising and
irrigation enterprises soon found their
way back to the communities from
whence came the first pioneers. This
created a spirit of unrest and the desire
of many who then did not own any real
property TO possess farm and home
of their own brought many new
emigrants and settlers to this now
famed and ricn country. The rapid
settlement of eastern Idaho has only
been surpassed by that of Oklahoma
when it was thrown open for settle
ment a few years ago.
Great Snake River Valley.
Today no apologies are necessary for
this part of Idaho. For the past few
years she has given such a wonderful
account of herself that people who
have not been here think it incredible
and in some instances impossible. The
first great feature that attracted the
most attention was the extent of the
Snake River VaIleyLOr the upper part
of it, which from the Twin Falls cOun-
try to the head of the valley near
MarysVille. comprises a distance of
about 200 miles, with an average width
of about sixty miles. Through the
center of this great valley tract, most
of which is good agricultural land,
meanders the Snake river. the principal
tributary of the Columbia The Snake
river has its source in the Yellowstone
park and the South Fork; it runs
southwark nearly a hundred miles
through Wyoming before enter
ing the Gem state. The North Fork
heads in Henry lake on the west Side
of the park, and runs southwesterly.
uniting with the South Fork near Rig
by, in the southern part of Fremont
county. Into these two streams empty
the Teton, Warm, Fall, Salt and many
other rivers and smaller streams. While
this network of waterways is unequaled
in any section of the intermountain
country, still the large volume of wa
ter they carry is the chief distinctive
feature. This affords the source for
the greatest irrigation systems in the
world.
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The magnitude of eastern Idaho's ir-
rigation and agricultural possibilities
began to dawn upon those early set
tiers after they had produced their first
bounteous crops, because they had
come from countries of limited irriga-
tiOn and agricultural facilities. OF late
years the value of irrigation, and the
extent to which il can be carried in the
arid west. has forced its importance
upon congress Eastern statesmen
used to make sport Of the idea that
this enterprise was large enough, or
worthy the attention and efforts of the
nation. The wisdom of those who have
furthered irrigatiOn'S cause in a ma
uonal way is now demonstrated and no
longer doubted. The state of Idaho has
received more attention, and there has
been larger sums appropriated by con-
gress and expended on her great recla-
nation projects, than any other state
thus far. The land is here and, like
wise the water. which with the ideal
climate justified the government in
what it has done.
All this by way of preliminary. If a
correct and detailed story could be told
so as to include all of eastern IdahO's
growth and development during 1907
The increased acreage planted, the ad-
ditiOnal length Of canals constructed
the new towns built and the increased
size of those already in existence, the
new railroads built, likewise factories
erected. mines opened up, etc. etc. il
would surprise even the people who
live here, and have been engaged in
this work of enlargement in all lines of
industry. The scope of this land is so
great that the people living in one part
of a county are strangers to and know
but very little in regard to those living
in another part much less as to what
they are doing.
Idaho Products for 1907.
The following statistics viii partly
tell what the Upper Snake River val
ley has produced during the year about
TO close;
The sugar beet industry affords the
best chance of illustration, because fig
ures on other crops are hard to obtain.
At the three sugar factories in this
part of the state, located at Black
foot, Idaho Falls and Sugar City, the
following results obtained for the year:
81, 900, 600 pounds of sugar will be pro-
duced 1.-THE factories are not through
grinding yet, AID the result is partially
estimated): $4,000 tons of beets were
delivered at these factories; number of