The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-04-11
Historical Notes
Old Times i'm Gilmore.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Say do some OF you old mossbackS OF Southern IL
more remember when the grade of the Oregon
Short Line was constructed and when the track
layers followed the graders?
You will remember that the end of the track
a tough place. something ferce-a place where ruff
fianism was in the ascendancy and the law OF the
land was worth not cent on the dollar.
Tn the spring Of 1883 G1enns Ferry the end
of the track and close to the old ferry the Snake
river about mile east of the present TOWNSHIP was
a town composed of tents, shaCkS and dugouts. She
was a hot number of a pace-a typical frontier
town-of the kind that has passed away before the
march of civilization.
The population was aggregation of graders,
trackayers, cowboys placer miners saloon keepers,
gamblers, mule SINNERS, Mexican and Indians
There was large contingent of abandoned men
and women in the camp human vultures who tol-
lowed up the grade for the purpose OF prey1ng on
the workingmen employed on the construction All
kinds of whisky was dispensed in a number OF
board and tent structures that dotted the camp LII
four large tent buildings the music of the fiddle and
the old square piano sounded the night air, pro-
claiming the revery of the frontier dancehall The
rattle of the chips and the cry of the dealer made
an incessant din about the poker and faro tables
The skulkng sandbagger and the sneaking holdup
roamed about the camp like wild beasts watching
for prey.
The Denver hall the Palace of Pleasure the Re
treat and the Rialto combined all vaudev1lhSm ana
dance hall for time, fourished and then wlthered
and died. as the tracklaying went farther west. ne
board structures became deserted and were either
torn down and carried away, or went to rum Inc
d1gouts caved in and all that is left OF that immature
Rabvon TODAY are number of unmarked graves on
the river bank The occupants of these unknown
graves in most cases, died with their boots on
Even the old ferry house. pioneer landmark,
is now heap of ruins, and where once the song
of the vaudeville artist, the music OF the dance nall
hdders the rattle of the poker chips the cllnk OF the
whisky glasses, the bantant roar OF the drunken
"bad man" and the popping of the selt-cocker, re-
sounded on the midnight air, all is as still as the hals
of the dead.
In substantial frame building in the camp an
honest man named Pat Campbell kept saloon,
which he conducted in a decent orderly manner lie
never. knowingly permitted dissolute characters OF
any kind to frequent his place. One afternoon
couple of trackayers who had drawn their pay
called into his place and ordering drinks sat down
with the intention of spending short tnne-and
LITTLE money too-there A brace of holdups ike
hungry wolves looking for prey, entered the saloon
and tried to work themselves into the good graces
Of the track1ayers. Campbell, knowing the charac-
ter of the two men, advised the tracklayers to go
TO the ferry house and put up there tor the gh dS
matter of safety, which they did
The ho1d,ns went out but returned III short
time and notified Campbell that if he renamed III
the camp "A hours longer they or some OF thel
friends world make meat for the grave digger out
of him
Campbell although quiet and inottenslve man.
u,oc no coward and had intention whatever TO
do the bidding of the thugs-so he determined to IN
woke the law for protection