The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-09
GROWTH Of IDAHO
SURELY AST0N|SHES
Trip From Salt Lake to Black
foot Revelation to Tribune
Correspondent.
RECENTLY BARREN LAND
NOW FERTILE FIELDS
Many Thriving Towns Sur
rounded by Busy, Prosperous
Farmers and Ranchers.
Special to The Tribune.

Special to The Tribune.
BLACKFOOT, Idaho, July S,-To
one who has not made the trip within
the past two years, a ride now on the
Oregon Short Line railroad from Salt
Lake to this thriving town Will be
revelation. His surprise will be as
great as would that Of man residing
elsewhere who had not been IN Salt
Lake City for that length of time,
and had not heard of the transforma
there, should he be suddenly set down
in Zion
The writer had not travelled from
Salt Lake 10 Blackfoot since In the
late autumn OF 1906 until Monday last,
and TO say that he was surprised is
expressing it very mildly. We are all
accustomed to hearing of the remark
able growth and development of the
intermountain country, but even though
pretty closely on its advancement, we
must get out occasionally TO sec it
in order to fully realize and appre
ciate the changes that are being
wrought. They arc in evidence along
nearly every mile of the l95 between
Salt Lake and Blackfoot
Prosperity in Abundance,
The writer has never before seen
in his nearly ten years of residence in
Utah and Idaho the country gener
ally looking so well and so prosper.
Gus as il does now. The Improvement
is first evident between Salt Lake and
Ogden. although there the alfalfa
fields are somewhat marrcd. probably
by the new pest, and crops arc I'M
'avorably affected in some places by
lack of water. and in others by an
'xcess of IT, New orchards have been
planted in MANY favorabe-aud some
orable-locations and the trees
generally seem TO bc doing we'll. II
is near Brigham, however, that the
wonders Of field and farm and village
and town begin IN earnest, and they
continue TO multiply as the train pro
cecds norlhward. Brigham, embow
cred in shade trees and orchards, is
adding yearly 10 its fame as a fruit
center by improving its orchard meth
DDS. from the care OF the trees 10 the
packing and handling Of the fruit and
Is cnlarging IFS operations by setting
ont hundreds of acres of new orchards,
largely peaches and cherries. Many of
these orchards evidence IN tho uni
form growth health and an"arent per
fection of the trees a marked recent
advance toward a higher standard in
orchard practice. North of Bingham
is that remarkable stretch of level
land which is a shallow lake in winter
spring and carly summer. and other
fines q glistenng alkaIi Aat. This is
said to hold immense beds Of cement
and Il company has been formed which
proposes TO build a mill to prepare the
cement for tho market.
Rich Farms and Orchards.
Beyond this are HoneyvilIe and
Dewey and Collinston, with their thou
sands Of acres of rich farm and or.
chard lands, while away TO the west
is the WIDE sweep of the fertile valley
of tic Lower Bear river, with its
sugar factory and productive beet
fields, orchard and farm lands. AS
tho upper portion of this valley is
reached the acreage of dry farm land
increases, covering most Of the land
above the bitches, and extending far
mp the gentle rolling hills on either
side Of the valley. Many new farms
are to be seen everywhere, and there
is general disposition on all hands
10 displacc the saoebrush WASTES with
cultivated fields. New and better
farm houses have sprung up on every
hand, and there is an all peryading air
of thrift and prosperity.
Fertile Cache Valley.
Passing through the picturesque Bear
river canyon, always interesting from
n geological as well as from scenic
standpoint. there opens in our view the
blue vista Of Cache valley. the gran
arv Of Utah Fair. fertile and noun
tain-girt, IT is one of the gems, one Of
the undaunted wales, Of this interior
mountain land, Here the raising of
grain without irrigation has been re
duced TO a science and has been devel-
oped to very large proportions. There
is now under construction near the sta
ton at Cache Junction large grain
elevator of steel frame and the tubular
steel bin type. Here the same improved
conditions and the same air of thrift
and prosperity noted IN that portion of