The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-08-04
THE BOTTOMS
(Pocatello Tribunel

mat Tic SlCdt Nuh AONS |
Iof New York has taken over all the
projects in Idaho financed by the mil
Ilionaire Bulls of Pittsburg and that
practically definite assurances are
given that the gigantic Bruneau
project will go through, is good news
to the Gem state. 1t means that un-
limited financial are now
back of irrigation in Idaho and that
no proposition to elbow back the fore
front of the sagebrush desert VIII
be too big to tackle. 1t marks the
beginnings of Idaho's fame as an IT.
rigation state. Great has been the
Gem states fame along this line TOT
the past sixty years-greater than the
fame of any other state or country
on earth. With 10000 acres re-
claimed here, 100000 there, or So
900 over in the next county, a million
or SO along the upper valley, Uncle
Sans at work on the highest dam In
the world down in the southwest, the
most powerful financial house in New
England backing a Bannock county
!. project-with all these things behind
us and with us, now comes a great
Empire state syndicate with unlimit-
; ed mony, preparing to reclaim a mil,
lion acres--a veritable empire. IL
reads good. 1t strengthens mes
: faith in the manifest destiny of Ida
! no, the land of opportunity.
In the face of such big facts and
, figures, it seems trivial to mention so
} small an affair as the convenience and
l destiny of a scant couple of thousand
r Indians, cooped up on a reservation.
: But the great New York syndicate
will find itself up against a difficult
$ problem when the time comes for SET
Ting the details of its gigantic Bru-
:, neau plans. Part of those plans IN
d volve the construction of a Titantic
$ dam across the Snake river at Amer
: lean Falls AMI the backing up OF
!. flood water in that stream nearly to
t Blackfoot in the main channel, the
@ flooding of a vast acreage OF low
. living lands alono the stream o
e the falls, and the submerging OF the
e most valuable part of the Indian own
led lands on the Fort Hall reservation.
One prong of the proposed storage
reservoir, which will be the largest
in the world, is planned to extend up
q Bannock creek, flooding the famous
n Bannock Bottoms. the summer nome
and all-the-year-range OF the Ban
90 nocks and Lemhi Indians. Another
% prong will follow the turtuous wind
ings of the Portneuf river, submerg-
ing other valuable acres belonging to
a Uncle Sans wards. ITO tai this
" land awav from the Indians viii
mean to deprive them of their mos'
- valuable possession; it will mean the
~ ILLUMINATION of their principal means
40 of livelihood.
When the American Falls dam wa'
first suggested, Major Frank Cald
we'll was superintendent in charge O
Il the Fort Hall reservation. eff tina
dam is built and the Bottoms arr
flooded, Uncle Sam might as well is
sue prussic acid as rations and kill OF
ce the entire tribe. because they can
live without raising cattle and the,
nd can't raise cattle without ranging o.
tie the Bottoms" said the major. II
on was right.
nm But there is another solution of tn
on problem. There are millions OF acre
IDS of government land in Idaho. mostl
cn in forest reserves. In more than on
section of the state a compact bod
DIS of from 1000 to 100000 acres @
.ay forest land with fringes Of prairie
and tillable valleys can be located. ]
there much to prevent an exchange
ws Had the matter come up before allo
ments on the Fort Hall reservatlo
were made in severaltv, the problel
would not have been difficult to o
There yet may be ways and mean
~. If not. and the Bottoms are conden
ned. it will be ND to Uncle Sam
Il give grazing lands in lieu. and Wne
en- that time comes there will be a tr
the mendous howl from the Bannock
III That howl will be justified, naturall
But when the protests of two thou
eeh and semi-civilized Indians is oppes'
lse- to the clamor of prospective settle
on five hundred thousand acres
'eu reclaimed land. there a be but o.
. answer. Poor 10 must back down.
Since the dawn of civilization
the west. the Ind ans have De-
shunted from pillar to post, from 0
has Preservation to another. They ma
md, mot responded kindly to efforts
lists educate them to till thelr lahos III
lion have. been decreasing IN NUMBERS
ects rapidly that utter ext1n tloh Is u
rich a matter of a decade or two. IN
manifest destiny is written plarn
his So why, the logician asks, shot
stby their temporary interests interfe
with the broader schemes OF aggr
sive agricultural development?
And yet, removal of these smol
stained tepees from the n
Bottoms will be pitiful, even tragic
: III, will mean pulling up stakes u
znc were driven centuries before wn
. o. men peeped furtively over the Gr'
~ Monumental Divide. p
aoe Il will mean goodbye to the III
zoc nocks But If it must be sometll