American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-08-10
EARLY PIONEER
SEEKING INFORMATION
Son of First Short Line Engineer,
Himself Fireman, Wants
Views of Idaho

Through the courtesy of Mr.. ID.
E. Burley, general passenger agent
of the Oregon Short Line, the Press
is furnished with copy of letter
written by real pioneer, a man
who was here when the sole resi-
dents of this section were Judge Oil
yer and his chum. Bannock Jim. 1t
is an interesting letter in that it
calls to mind the great changes that
have taken place since the writer
left the scenes about which he is in
quiring. His letter follows:
The writer's father ran the first
(track-laying) engine on the o. s.
l.. from Granger to Shoshone and
over the HALEY branch; also he was
your first passenger engineer.
The writer fired the track-lay-
ing engine from Shoshone to Burn
canyon, beyond Weiser. He left there
in 1883. The country was then des
ert, pure and simple, except for the
Weiser valley. Pocatello was sWail
rather God-forsaken looking village
and Shoshone was the same. Nampa,
which ! understand is now quite a
town. was but sidetrack in the
desert. Caldwell was small place
consisting mostly of saloons.
Would your company do one OF
its pioneers a favor, for the sake of
old times, of sending some views OF
Pocatello, American Falls, Shoshone,
Caldwell and Mountain Home?
Il would particularly appreciate
panoramic views, if available, to get
an idea of the size, etc, of these
desolate places of other days. Trust
ing that | am not asking too much
and that you can consistently COM
ply with my request, l am, with
many extended thanks for any favor
extended, Very truly,
+. II. RICHARDSON,
1888 West 9th St., Brooklyn, n. Y.
So far as it is possible to do, Mr..
Richardson will be supplied with
what he asks from American FAILS.
To such as he, however, the change
has been too great to be set forth
entirely by pictures. One of the
pleasure trips with which he humors
himself should be to Idaho, where
he will find the desert blooming as
the rose. When he was here no one
imagined that the territory through
which the Short Line was built ever
would be other than a desert The
/ lOhu NdS niot iNfo tA'N
plies, a short line to Oregon. There
was no prospect OF local traffic
other than supplied by shipments
of stock from the range. This was
quite an item, but nothing to com
pare with the traffic that now exists
which is increasing SO rapidly as to
tax the company to handle properly
Where Mr.. Richardson saw moth
ing but unbroken stretches of desert
is now one of the most productive
regions of the entire country, re-
gion which has witnessed more de-
velopment in a given time than any
other part of the west. 1t would be
worth his while to inspect the vas'
areas reclaimed by water and to see
the other vast areas being farmeo
without irrigation in a region when
was thought to be entirely worth
less in Mr.. Richardsons day. Neal
/ American Falls are many thousands
; of acres of land being profitably cul
tivated without water, producing ar
! abundance of wheat of the fines
Equality, and yielding fifty per CEN
more per acre than the average fol
the great wheat growing state o.
Kansas. By all means Richardson
should visit the scenes of his early
activities.