Omaha daily bee., 1911-05-13
GRANDVIEW GETS RAILROADS
Cut-0ffs on Hartman System Benefit
Orchard Country.
TWO CONTRACTS ARE AWARDED
KeIton Pass to Barley and Twin
FalIs 10 Nyssa LineS Will BE
Pat Under Contract an
shor< Time.

GRANDvIEw. Idaho May 12,-(speciail
MAY Grandview considered itself de-
hnitely. placed on the railroad map OF the
west. 1his was done by the action Of the
Oregon Short Line railroad in awarding to
m ogden firm the contract for constructing
part of its extension from Twin Falls
idaho. down the Snake river to the present
main line at Nyssa, Ore.
on the same day the company awarded
h the same firm the contract for construct
Ing the lire from Kelton Pass, on the
Idaho-Utah line. to Burnley. Idaho on the
Snake river above Twin Falls. The fun
significance OF this move is appreciated
oniy when It Is understood that this new
lire not only clips fifty miles off the dis
tance by rail from Sale Lake City to Port
land. a reduction ten miles greater than
that obtained by the building OF the famous
and expensive Lucin Cutoff across the
srsat Salt lake, but with the completion Of
the section now building from Huntington
10 Lewiston IL gives the Union Pacific sys-
item an absolute water grade from the head
waters OF the Raft river on the Idaho
Utah line down the Snake and Columbia
rivers TO the Pacific coast, a distance Of
more. than 100 miles.
The Grandview valley, In the center Of
which Grandview is located, is really a
part of the Snake river valley, for IT lies
along the Snake river forty miles south of
Boise. Most of its way through southern
Idaho the Snake river runs through a box
canyon with perpendicular walls of lava
\ rock several hundred feet high, close to
either bank but at Grandview the canyon
widens out into a beautiful valley from one
20 two miles across. This valley is irri-
gated from the BruneRu river by a dam
and canal system built some years ago by
. A. J Wiley. consulting engineer for the
United States reclamation service. The
irrigation system is now owned and oper-
ated by the Grandview irrigation district,
which is composed OF the farmers whose
LAND II serves. The recent bond election
for the purchase Of the dam and canal
system had the distinction OF being abso-
lutely unanimous.
wealth In Alfalfa,
These farmers have had unusual success
IN the production Of alfalfa, cutting. three
crops year aggregatng seven to ten tons
30 the acre. Last year this alfalfa sold in
the stack for S4 per ton The old fruit
ranches have demonstrated the possibilities
OF fruit culture. The Hail ranch at the
upper end OF the valley has been in bearing
for fifteen to twenty years and not only
never had a failure, but never had dam
aging frost. Two years ago when the frost
ruined the peach crop almost throughout
the northwest. the Hall ranch Melted its
owners over $500 acre for every acre
An bearing The peaches the ranch pro-
duces are absolutely unexcelled. For years
the owners have disposed Of their product
20 the dining car service OF the oregon
Short Line railroad In 1909 this ranch OF
thirty aores-only twenty OF which vas ID
besring-sold for SS5,OOe TO two commission
merchants who had for years been hand,
ling its products. Eleven hundred and siEty
dollars an acre is the record price for
Grandview fruit land and when II is re-
membered that this ranch is twenty miles
from the nearest railroad point. only q
conjecture can. be made as TO the future
value Of such land In the valley when
the railroad construction work Is done The
oregon Short Line extension cuts the val.
ley from end to end.
Move LOnE PendinG.
For almost two years rumors OF this ex-
tension have been in the air and they were
4 confirmed in the minds OF many Al Grand
view by the heavy orchard land invest
ments and development work OF vel
known Iowa capitalists, headed by Prof
Holden. the agricultural expert OF N,
Iowa state college al Ames, and G. s. Gil
bertson Of Des Moines who was for thrss
terms treasurer Of Iowa during the admin