The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1909-05-12
FORESTRY A
GOOD SYSTEM
Idaho County is a Beneficiary
of the National Forest
System.

1t is often asserted, in broad, gen.
eral way, that the development of.
natural resources is prevented or re-
tarted by the presence of a National
Forest within the limits of a state
Such glittering generalities are not
borne out by the experience of the
people of Idaho county, which has
probably greater percentage of its
area inside the National Forests than
any other county in the country. AS
is usually the case, the National For
ests affecting Idaho county embrace
tile rough, mountainous sections where
settlement and development are al
ways slowest. These mountain reg-
ions are usually mineral bearing to
greater or less extent, and the mining
industry is practically the only one
that has thus far been established on
firm basis. The topography of the
country is such that the construction
of roads and trails is expensive. The
limited amount of taxable property
there reduces the funds available for
road construction to a minimum, and
when expenditures for the establish
ment of lines Of communication are
made, the money must usually come
from the pockets of tax payers in
other portions of the county. In the
experience of Idaho county there has
been constant friction between the
tax payers of the agricultural regions
and those of the mining territory over
the question of road expenditures;
the former Directing strenuously to
furnishing the money for producing
benefits which the latter alone would
enjoy. The first Forest Reserve in
Idaho was established in 1897. Prior
to that time, in all the history of this
county, the taxable property within
the limits of the present National For
ests was confined to small amount
of personal property, and a few i'm
provementS on mining claims, to-
gether with buildings and similar i'm
provements made on unsurveyed land
in some of the mining towns. The
bulk of the revenues of Idaho county
have ever been drawn from the agri-
cultural and stock raising interests.
The amount received from the min
ing or mountainous sections being al
most insignificant, for the reason that
the mines themselves were not sub
ject to taxation. In all the history of
Idaho county prior to the creation of
the first National Forest there was
hardly farm or single acre of ag-
ricultural land subject to taxation within
what is now the National Forests.
The country was wholly unSurveyed
and even for the very few scattered
tracts of possible agricultural land, a
would be settler had no means of ac
curing title, so as to make it taxable.
The chief difficulty in the way of
making these isolated tracts of agri-
cultural land amenable to settlement
and agricultural use was the entire alb
sence of roads and other means of
communication whereby the lands
could be made accessible and their
products transported to market.
Since the National Forests were es-
tablished, and especially within the
last two or three years very different
condition of affairs has been brought
about in this mountain region. The
general Government has expended
very large sums of money in the con-
struction CT roads and trails and has
by that means rendered many tracts
previously inaccessible, open to set
tlement and subject to the will of the
home builder Not only has the
Forest Service opened up these lands
so that settlers might utilize them but