Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1911-09-16
KOOTENAI HAS
BRIGHT FUTURE
Petition for Formation Of Drainage Dis
trict to be Presented to the
County Commissioners.
BOARD WILL TAKE ACTION OCT. 9
The Kootenai Valley Will Become the
pride Of the Panhandle.

From "Wilderness to an Oasis
of Prosperity" briefly tells the story
of development that will come to
1.-The Great Kootenai Valley" when
the present drainage system has
been adapted by the County Com
missioners, which action will, no
doubt, be taken at their meeting
October 9th, when the petition
signed by the numerous landowners
of this valley is presented.
The Kootenai Valley, which ex-
tends from Boomers Ferry to the
national boundary line along the
Kootenai river, from which il de-
lrives its name, was at sometime
i'm either unrecorded of forgotten
history the basin of an immense
lake or inland sea. During CEN
turtles unnum bered, the falling rains
produced a general erosion of the
mountains which carried TO this
lake layer upon layer OF sediment,
stratum upon stratum OF rich soil,
covering the whole with alluvial
deposit which is the foundation for
the luxuriant vegetation which
grows in profusion the entire length
of this valley. Realizing that the
natural vegetation is always
guide which bespeaks the fertility
of the soil, those who first took up
the subject cf development sent
samples of the soil to the State
Agricultural Experiment Station,
Pullman, Wash, which returned q
report showing the life giving prop
critics of this valley exceeded those
of the great Mississippi Valley.
Situated between two ranges
of mountains, sloping toward the
sun on the south and west, this
beautiful valley is free from the
rigorous winters of the country i'm
mediately east of it, and with the
sun lending ita warm, life-giving
powers the young orchards are de-
veloping in remarkable manner,
The development is at present
greatly retarded by the overlooking
of the Kootenai River which has
placed many otherwise valuable
ranches out of the reach of the agri-
culturist, but, like the forerunner
of the remarkable Imperial Valley
in California, when the Govern
ment expended over one million
dollars in Harvesting the Colorado
river and retaining several thou
sand acres of fertile land, those
familiar with the possibilities OF
this valley have perfected a system
of drainage, which if adopted by
the county commissioners October
9th, will open for immediate devel-
opement 10000 acres of the choicest
land in all the world.
With its favored location, the
climatic conditions which are nm.
surpassed, together with the fertili-
ty of its soil, will produce one of.the
greatest fruit bearing districts il all
the West. Land selling today at
from $500 to $500 per acre will
with the establishment of a drain
age system advance in value in the
next few years until there would be
greater demand for $4,000 to
$4,000 per acre land than the val
ley could supply.
These possibilities have been
foreseen by the men who have by
hard labor, self denial and an album
dance of optimism, carried forward
a system OF investigation which has
proven the advissbility of the
present project beyond shadow OF
doubt. With the ever annoying
and destructive overflow under con
troll, ii is no idle dream to think O
the Great Kootenai Valley occupy
ing leading place in the fruit pro