The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-08-22
0. 5. |. OFFICIALS
IN ATTENDANCE
Joel l.. Priest, Industrial Agent Of Short
Line, Presents the Beautiful Structure
and Grounds to Blackfoot and Vicinity
With Appropriate Remarks.

On Saturday evening the 18th ot
August the new depot at Blackfoot
was formally opened and dedicated.
Several hundred citizens Of the town
and surrounding country assembled
for the occasion, as well as some OF
the officials of the road and there was
mutual satisfaction and pleasure in
the event.
Building and improving railroads
in new states is always fraught with
risk and problems of expansion, and
Blackfoot is only one of many towns
that have been pressing their claims
for depots and other improvements
and taking what they could get. Only
a few places can get new depots in a
season, and the old frame building
erected in 1895 has been inadequate
for many years, and while the public
have been agitating for a new one
they have ais been studying the
problem of where to put it. Many
months of study of this question, and
stuy of the problems of operation Of
the road, finally crystallized into the
decision that the center of the, town
was the best location, and in the cen
ter of town it stands, without any OBJ,
lection or complaining, the location
being satisfactory alike to the com
pany Al d to the people of the town.
The material used in the building
is a gray stone from Rexburg, asbest'
IS STATE roofing, hardwood floors and
heavy oak doors. 1t is one-story
structure in bungalo style, 50x125 IT
on the ground, and surrounded by
thirty feet of paving. At the ends OF
the paving the yards are laid with
fine stone, sand and clay that pack
and form a solid base almost equal
to cement, and this reaches the re-
mainder of the two blocks occupied
by the building and paving surround
ing it. Broad driveways along the
side are being laid with the same
materials, and the parking is to be
extended to reach about three blocks
on each side of the tracks, making the
depot occupy a central position in tht
parking.
Only one railroad track passes the
depot, the switches and switching tc
be confined to the yards above and be-
low. The warehouse and freight de-
pot will be situated two blocks above
the passenger depot, and the old pas
senger depot is to be removed to serve
lis the freight office. A round house
and coal chute are in course Of con-
struction to the southwark in the wye
and the stockyards are above the
freight depot, opposite fairgrounds
Most of the sidings are between the
freight depot and the sugar factory
and the trackage for the cars being
loaded with produce will be on the
easterly side of the main line near the
freight depot, the capacity Of such
sidings to be about fifty cars.
The track for the accommodation
of the trains on the Aberdeen ant
Mackay branches extends to the end o.
of the passenger depot on the south
and trains can be made up or receiv
ed while others are on the main line
The coal sheds, private warehouses
and the elevators occupy places tt
the southwark from the depot in th'
region of the wye, and telegraph bust
ness formerly conducted at the pas
senger depot is now conducted at tn
telephone exchange known as tn
Western Union telegraph and Cabl'
office, situated on South Main street
just below the Touring mill.
The business of the railway com
pany at Blackfoot is steadily expand
ing, and during the year 1912 abou
sixty thousand tickets were sold. Fo
the month of May 1913, over 81
thousand tickets we're sold, or one ev
cry seven minutes, day and night. Tw
thousand six hundred and forty car
of freight were received during 1911;
and 1850 carloads shipped out. Th
pay roll of employees is about $50
100000 year, and in 1912 about S.
900 was expended on improvements
During the present year improve
ments have amounted to about $45
900, and it is expected that some 9