Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-08-08


into the realm of imagery to de-
scribe Idaho in prehistoric ages as
follows:
Ages ago, when the earth was
young, the great Snake river plain
in Idaho, now a Gene OF utter des-
olation, was a semi-tropical garden.
Countless streams crossed il and
lrngthwise through it flowed the
mighty Snake. In h forest pti-
meval and over the verdure clad
plains roarncd the mastadon, the
mammoth, the camel, a queer
kind of horse, and many other
species of prehistoric animals. We
know all this to be true by rca-
son of the discovery of the re-
mains Of the extinct animals in the
recent excavations made at Mini
doka rapids.
A great catastrophe overwhelmed
this valley. On even different
occasions the lofty Tetons which
frame its eastern boundary, and
which were then active VOLCANOES,
erupted and poured forth a sea of
lava which swept downward and
westward, covering the beautiful
valley with a blanket of frey liquid
more than 500 feet thick. In the
cataclysms all the teerning life
burned up and their channels oblit-
Grated.
The Snake river cut it's way
through the lava sheets, carving
for itself one of the most wonderful
canyons in the west; other stream
from the south persisted and finally
joined the parent stream. On the
north the rivers encountered the
wall of lava but did not cut through
il. 1t is a striking photographic
feature OF the valley that for hum
oreds of miles not a river crosses it
from the north.
Among h stream which flow
southwark from the range of ow-
capped mountains on the northern
edge of the valley two are especially
interesting, the Big and Little Lost
rivers. In that long ago before the
mountains belched forth fire these
rivers formed an important tribu-
tary OF the Snake, but the channe
was obliterated by successive layers
Of lava which flowed over 1T
Today the floods of these rivers
flow for a short distance on the
surface of the plain and then disap-
pear in assures, crevices, or in the
softer and looser formations. Both
are truly lost rivers, for they never
appear again as streams
1t is more than 100 miles from
where they lose themselves IN the
lava to the canyon of the Snake
river. Yet it is believed thai Z
part of the waters of these rivers,
passing through subterranean chan.
nels hundreds of feet below the sur.
face, finally reach their former con
fluent. Shepherds in winter on this
broad plain have long insisted tina
at several places where there wer'
yawning chasms in the lava tn,
rushing waters could DC heard dis
tinctly.
Further evidence of the ~Soundnes
OF this theory is found in the hug
springs which break out along tn
northern walls of Snake canyon.
One group of these near the hea
of Hagerman valley is the most re
m~arkable in the world. They ar
known as Thousand springs. 1t i
as difficult TO describe them as it
10 find words to portray Niagrs
Conceive, if you an, more tina
half a mile of precipitous canyon
with black and frowning face near
" 500 feet high. Then imagin
1000 geysers rushing forth undo
tremendous pressure, the water
white with foam, describing~a per
feet parabola and then falling shee
200 feet, to be dashed into spra
on the rocks below. The roar {
these cataracts is d~eafening. |
the spray which rises the brigh
sun paints innumerable rainbow
of indescribable coloring and bcaut,
More than 900, 900 gallons
water pour out of these fountain
every minute in the year You ca
travel for 10 miles down the canyo
and never be out of sight of a doze
Waterfalls
More than half of the normal flo
Of the river 1T this point is supple
BY these springs, which have the
purccs probably hundreds of mill
N~kthc north and which are draw
some underground reserve
Nth the treeless plain