The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-12-29

~a1 HEN BcDIaSflp fl2hKnu eA
NM pcrimepted with the key tied
WV 10 his kito bn little dreamed
OF the wonderful possibilities
be had opened to Idaho Tho year
Of 1912 lust passed into history proved
that this state is destined TO stand
/. promincptly forth as endowed with re
F. 1narkahe electrical energy that must be
barnessed. controlled and distributed
This is the one great fact that has
been driven homo 20 the men of enter
F., prise-thc men who do things IN
( idaho 1t is beyond question the most
noted realization of the year A new
era OF development has opened for the
extensive exploitation of natural re.
sources in field almost unlimited.
For centuries enough power has been
going to waste in Idabo's water arteries
10 drive every wheel of machinery IN
The northwest had il been transformed
Jnto electrical current. Today hut 4
small fraction Of that power is turn
'5ug the wheels OF factories, dlstribGt-
ing water to arid lands and lighting
cities both within and without the state.
Electricity has even become and will
I continue to bo on much larger scale
IN the future, a rival of fuel for heat
: ing purposes, for already it is being
delivered commercially to heat homes
and business houses.
The mighty Snake river which has
It's source in the perpetual SHOWS of
tho lofty mountains in and about the
Yellowstone National park and flow
Jug in great seni-circle, through or
touching the eastern. southern and
western portions Of the state for more
than GOO miles, is. like Franklin s key,
the key TO Idaho g wonderful posi-.
bilities as n phenomenal power state.
The Snake is the ono great river in
Idaho. It drains not only all the
southern section. but most of the north
err section rs well, its drainage basin
including about scvcn-cishts of the
state. It's course in Idaho until the
mouth OF The Wciser is reached is
through generally level plain, vary
ing in width from 10 to 100 miles and
thanked by rugged mountains. Its
electrical power generating possibilities
can easily he seea from the fact that
from an elevation OF 20G0 feet at the
western border OF the state the great
plain Of the Snake gradually rises 10
an elevation in the Teton basin on the
Wyoming line of COCO feet. At Miner,
southern Idaho. the Snake enters its
famous canyon 36 miles long and in
that distance makes descent of over
1000 feet, the three principal falls
bciUg Twin falls. Sboshouo falls aud
Anger falla. their respective heights be-
ing III fcst. 2l0 feet and $50 feet. These
fails with other falls and rapids both
above and below. afford some of the
finest and greatest power sites in the
United States.
Idaho. however. IS not required to
depcud oa only the Snake river to
furnish its power sites, The Bear,
tie Big and Little Wood rivers, the
Boise. the Paycttc, the Weiser, the
Owyhee. the Salmon, the Clearwater,
the st. Joe, the Spokane and numerous
other rivers most of which are charac
teristicaly swift. have hundreds of
rower sites located along their shores.
fhc majority. of these sites are still
unclaimed. The federal government has
considered them of so much import
auce as to withdraw many of the sites
from all forms Of entry. Private canital
however. developed many, especially
during the past year.