The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-09
News of the (ntermOuntain ReqiOn

the valley on the other side of the range
is everywhere in evidence. Much new
land is being brought under cultivation,
and the checkcrboard OF green and vel
low spaces-indicating at tins season
respectively fields of oats and wheat
are wear by year extending higher and
higher up The foothills. procIalming to
the observer that the arid farmers are
overflowing the valley and climbing the
mountain sides,
Now to the Northward.
AS the railroad advances northward
into Idaho, it leaves Bear river far TO
the eastward-the last the passenger
can see of that historic stream being
Its PERCEPTIONS banks as ii enters the
valley through the encroaching Gordon
of mountains that all but enclose it
in the north, as well "a in the cast
south and west The railroad follows
a narrow valley to the left that leads
imperceptibly over the rim of the great
basin and energies into the valley Of
Marsh creek, n tributary of the Port
ncuf. which in turn falls INTO the
Snake This valley is generally narrow
and is lilsc a beautiful green ribbon,
uniting the valleys of the Bear with
the wide and breezy plain of the Snake,
and binding together the sister states
IF Utah and Idaho. Near Downey the
valley wdens out, and here is located
the new Marsh creek irrigation project
that is putting 10000 acres, mostly
sagebrush land. under ditch. 1t is
fine body of land and the work OF re.
claiming ii is well advanced, miles OF
the newly completed bitches being Wis
ible from the train,
McCammon has shown great progress
in the past two years, and at Poca-
tello the Improvement in the town IS
readily seen from the railroad, and is
said TO be much greater than the view
from that point would Indicate.
Blackfoot Booming.
Blackfoot has long had the reputa,
tion of being slow-whether deserved
or not, The writer does not undertake
TO say-but there is no doubt of the
fact that the town is now prosperous
and progressive and is making Il steady
and substantial growth. There is con
siderable building in progress; business
is good, and there is unfoundcd conf
dencc in the town and the country
which surrounds IT. One thing that was
long neglected, and that now seems to
be receiving TO greater degree the AT.
tenton it merits, is the raising of
fruit. especially apples, and many. new
and exceedingly fine young orchards
are to be seen. 1t would be hard TO
find finer land anywhere. even in this
highly favored valley of the Snake,
than that surrounding Blackfoot.
In conversation with Alex Nounle, an
old resident, large property owner and
prominent citizen of Blackfoot, that
gentleman said: 81 have never seen
the situation here so satisfactory as
ii is now At the time the sugar
factory was built we had little boom,
and when that flattened out somewhat,
we found the town was ovcrbuilt.
Things were stagnant for time and
there were good many empty houses
and vacant business rooms. This con
dition was gradually overcome. and now,
although there has been some building
going on all the time, there IS not an
empty house or storeroom. and | think
our population has reached $500 Prop-
crty values are advancing all along the
line. and the crop outlook was never
better,
Last wear the Western Milling. and
Elevator company erected here an cle-
vator with bin capacity of 100000
bushels of grain, and. in connection,
storage capacity for 100 ears of pota-
toes. The potato storage building mas
walls Of lava rock two feet in thickness
The potato crop is becoming very I'M
portant one here and the acreage In the
country surrounding Blackfoot is in
creasing year by year, The prospect
this year is the best ever known here,
and the indications are that the potato
crop Of 1909 will be a record one in
Bingham county,
There are four rural delivery routes
running out of Blackfoot. The postof"
flee receipts are now sufficient to en-.
title the town to city free delivery; and
Postmaster Wall expects to lnauguratc
that service as soon as some local de.
tails can be attended TO,