Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-05-09
MANY PEOPLE SEEK
HOMES IN IDAHO

Colonel Allen Miller, state COM
missioner of immigration, labor and
satisfies, says that the volume of
his correspondence regarding the
state of Idaho as a place to make
new homes grows almost daily.
The larger number of the letters
ask for homestead lands. The av-
erage dweller in the Mississippi
valley, or anywhere east of the
Rockies, believes that there is still
wide expanse of virgin land, rich
beyond the dream of avarice, bound
less beyond the possibility of ex-
haustion, on the western slopes of
the great hills that form the water
shed and backbone of the continent.
They have read of the spreading
miles of prairie and forest, and con-
sidering it all the same as eastern
land, where every acre is cultiva-
ted, or at least owned and held for
an appreciate value, they believe
that the world is theirs if they but
cross the divide and start to follow
the streams to the westward until
they find likely spot to pitch
their tents.
They believe in the inaliera5le
right of every man to get a rich
quarter section of good land direct
from the government. They be-
1ieve that Providence is holding out
fertile farm for them, and that
it is right here in Idaho. They
have not read of the forest reserves,
which occupy 40 per cent of Ida
no; to the eastern farmer they are
as meaningless as the talk of a
scientist of the fourth dimension.
They do not realize that to get
farms of the richness of the best
Idaho irrigated standard, there will
be miles of rocks and barren lands
like the miles of barren pebbles
before finding bed of diamonds.
But still there are many inquiries
for Idaho homesteads. There have
been millions of acres of good home
steads taken in the state, there
are still many homestead applica-
tions being filed. And these home
hunters from the east want to be
among the ones who are yet tc
avail themselves of their rights.
A good many such will visit the
stare upon advice from the COM
missioner's office.
Others want irrigated land, with
or without the homestead right
lands with the possibility of bid
ding adieu to the necessities of &
variable rainfall lands where &
spade and good right arm are Z
home made Jupiter Pluvius more
potent than the old Greek god, who
might be invoked in vain by tn,
devout who have not a good water
right and a farm to use it on, are
most attractive. Tales of the mar
velous Nile, of the Euphrates
where the rivers and not the rains
are the moisture sources for all tina
grows are part of the race history
and irrigation appeals as natural,
to the average farmer as would al
everlasting youth to the pleasure
lover. They want irrigated land
Idaho has made an internationa
reputation for her fertile irrigated
field. Perhaps the irrigation hunt
ers are not less sturdy, nor less de
sirable citizens from any stand
point, than those who ask 70
homesteads; they are undoubtedl.
richer in earthly possessions.
There is some demand for timbe
land. The story of timber fraud
in the west has called attention t
the fact that Idaho, too, has or ha
had some good timber. Skywar'
prices for lumber all over the cas-
have also had TO do with the gen
eral idea that timber is a VALUABLE
acquisition. So there are many in