Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-18
Delca Beghtol Tells Why
She Likes Her Idaho Home

Dear Junior:
I will write another story and tell
why like my home.
live in large valley one hundred
and fifty miles long and sixty-five
miles wide. 1t is called Snake River
Valley.
The river is so called because it is
so irregular, much like snake. In
many places there are numerous
waterfalls such as the Shoshone Falls.
This cataract is two hundred and ten
feet in height and about one thousand
feet in width. The Snake River rises
in Yellowstone National park in
Wyoming. Then it flows across the
great lava plains of Idaho.
The Snake river is one thousand two
hundred miles long from it's source to
where it empties into the sea. 1t is
the longest river on the western side
of the. Rocky Mountains. The Snake
River flows through the Seven Devils
canyon. Here it has cut through lava
and granite to the depth of about four
thousand feet.
To start at the head Of Snake river
you would see only little brook
about one foot wide. Then as you
follow the rivers course 1t gets wider
and wider until It Is large river. To
travel by rail along the Snake river
you see large ranches. In other
places you will see nothing but large
plains which stretch for many miles.
You can also see dead volcanoes
which have not been in action for
many years. On great stretches of
country you can see nothing but sage
brush and cactus.
The Snake river ranks next to the
Missouri river for it's wickedness and
swiftness.
l live in Fort Hall in the center Of
the Fort Hall Indian reservation.
There are about two thousand Indians
on the reservation. There is beauti-
full scenery to be seen from the valley
looking toward Mount Putnam. This
is a very large'mountain in the Bitter
Root chain. The game is deer, elk,
grizzly bears and many smaller ami
mails such as grouse, sage hens, fool
hens, squirrels, Jack rabbits, snowshed
rabbits and cotton tail rabbits.
Looking south you can see gradual
sloping mountains near pocatello,
Idaho Looking west you can see the
mountains called Big Butte and and
Twin Buttes. These large mountains
arc situated in the lava plains of
Idaho.
In the summer time the ranchers
summer their sheep. cattle and horses
near the Buttes. In the winter time
the livestock is kept in the corrals on
the ranches and feed on hay, oats and
wheat which is raised in the summer
time. Looking north you can see no
mountains to speak of. There Is just
a. gradual slope upward. It rises from
the elevation of four thousand four
hundred and forty-four feet at Fort
Hall to the elevation of about eight
thousand feet above sea level at the
Idaho and Montana line.
Now I am going to tell you what
Snake River valley produces. Some
of the products are timothy. hay.
lucern, wild hay, oats, wheat and
barley. Some of the vegetables are
sugar beets, potatoes, tomatoes, beets,
radishes, lettuce, beans and peas.
Some of the fruits are apples, cher
ries, plums, peaches, apricots and
pears. Some of the berries are straw
DeTTl6S, IdopUSl llSS, SoAi AisS Civ
gooseberries.
It is fine country to raise chick,
ems. ducks, geese and turkeys.
This country is good for a persons
health because it is warm in the day
time and cool at night. The altitude
is good for PERSONS lungs.
In many of the mountain streams
near Mount Putnam and in a larger
one called Ross Fork creek are many
different kinds of fish. There are
mountain trout, eastern brook trout,
rainbow trout, salmon trout and
salmon In the Snake river are fish
called sturgeon. These fish are SO
large they have to use speak to Kill
them because they would break the
strongest fish lines to pieces if used
Delca Beghtol, aged Is.
Fort Hall, Idaho.