The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-18
ASHTON, IDAHO, IS
PROMISING TOWN
Young, but Substantial, Enter
prising, Thriving and Fav-
Orably Located.
SURROUNDED BY COUNTRY
OF WONDERFUL RICHNESS
Great Variety of Crops Already
Being Raised in Contiguous
and Tributary Region.
BY w. &. DUVAJL.

ASHTON. Ida, July 17--One of the
most substantial as well as one of the
most promising of the new towns OF
Idaho is Ashton, situated in the east
central part of Fremont county, fifteen
miles northeast Of St Anthony, about
twenty-five miles from the Wyoming
state line and but few miles from
the southwestern corner OF the
Yellowstone National park. 1t
is on the Yellowstone branch of the
O. s. L. railroad, which was extended
from ST. Anthony TO this point in the
latter part of 1905, the first train being
run to the present site of Ashton Jan
uary /, 1906. The railroad now eX-
tends fifty-six miles beyond Ashton TO
the western entrance to the park at
Yellowstone, Mont A few miles be-
yond Ashton, however, the railroad en-
t,1s the mountains through the canyon
o9 the North Fork of the Snake, and rs
the only traffic there is on that section
of the road is the tourist travel no
trains are run beyond Ashton, except
The park special daily and freight
train up and back once week to carry
supplies to the park. Even these trans
are run only during the park season,
cnl of the road is not operated III
winter no eIfoit is made to keep. 1T
clear of snow, and the result is that
about forty miles of it lies for half
the year buried under n blanket of
white from eight TO twenty feet IN
thickness This condition of affairs
makes Ashton practically tie terminus
Of the road so far as business is con
cerned. and gives it all The attendant
advantages.
Should Soon Be City.
If Ashton is to keep breast of The
vast extent of MAGNIFICENT country
with which it is surrounded, it viii
within a few years become an import
ant little city It's tributary area of
cultivable land extends six miles north,
more than thirty east. south to the -
ritory of st. Anthony and west ncaliN
or quite ten miles. IT includes more
than 100000 acres Of tillabe and lrr.-
gable land, only about twenty-five per
cent of which is as vet under cult.Sa
fion. The average yield of wheat 1T
this area is 35 to 40 bushels and oats
average 90 to 75 bushels. weighing over
forty pounds to the measured hrshcl.
Barley produces from GO to rs bushels.
In exceptional yields numerous in
stances are cited of wheat going 90 TO
90 bushels per acre, and oats 100 to
120 bushels per acre. Ashton has the
unusual advantage of having enormous
areas of both irrigated and non-irri-
gated farming lands within her trlbu-
tary aren, and the non-irriGatei farm
is a much more pronounced sdCCCss here
than in. the lower attitudes and more
southern latitudes Of the intermountain
country on account Of the much greater
annual precipitation here. The snow
fall and rainfall are both perceptlbly
heavier here than even but twenty or
thirty miles down the valley, due to its
location nearer the foothills. There is
a field of wheat adjoining the town
site of Ashton, sowed last September
on land from which the sage brush had
been cleared but a month previous, and
which has not had drop of water eX-
cept that provided by nature. which
is almost ready to harvest and Will
yield probably thirty-five bushels per
acre. The Importance of Ashton as a
grain market is attcsted bv the location
here Of three large grain elevators.
greater number than is possessed by
any other town in southern or eastern
Idaho. Good improved farming land
within reasonable distance of market
sells for from 500 to SIS per acre.
fine 1or the Farmers.
The soil Of the Ashton country is a
dark. rich loan of the usual volcanic
ash basis, but containing more yege-
table matter than the soils Of the cen
trail and lower Snake river valley. It
does not sub-irrigate. but is easily wa
tered, does not bake as a result Of
flooding and does not wash, as is shown
by many bitches that have been con
structed in the country for years and
which retain their original width and
depth. The soil is remarkably uni
form in fertility. there being no alkali
spots and no hard-pan beneath TO pro-
duce barren spots. Like all the cen
trail and upper portions Of the Snake
river valley, the surface Of the coun-
try was ages ago covered by successive
lava flows. This lava outcrops along
the streams, where the soil has been
washed away and occasionally on the
level or gently rolling plains the crests
of lava swells and hummocks appear
above the surface.
Great Crops of Hay.
Throughout the Ashton region alfal-
fa and timothy hay both do well. An
illustration Of this is seen on the High.
land ranch at Squirrel. seven or eight
miles southeast of ST, Anthony Here
the alfalfa yields, under irrigation
seven tons per acre in the two cuttings.
timothy three tons per acre and wheat
fifty or sixty-hve bushels per acre in
shipped 1000 tons of timothy hay at
Sl475 per ton +. o. b. at Ashton Mr..
Baker on his ranch, half mile north
of Ashton. has demonstrated that this is