The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-01-15
OK. SURVEY ON
S0.F0RK ROAD
Camp Being Pitched at For
est Line; Work Begins Mon
day with FL Men.


at Missoula, in keeping with the
promise of Engineer Bonner whe
here last week, approving the report !
made by that gentleman on the South |
Fork road survey, and authorizing Mr. |
Ring to go ahead with the work Of |
construction at once under the condl- |
tions laid down by the forest service |
officials. 1t might be well at this |
time to make a statement regarding |
the work that is to be done.
The purpose is to construct good
easy grade road of standard width
(ten feet from Mt. Idaho to the
bridge on the South Fork OF the
Clearwater river, distance Of some
thing over five miles from the forest
boundary line, The road from Mt.
Idaho to the point of connection, some
three miles in length, will have to
be regarded and fixed up in first
class shape to compare favorably with
the new piece of highway. All of the
work will be done under the direction
of the forest service, with Supervisor
Ring in full charge, and Anson Holm
es in immediate charge of the work
men. There is $3.50 in cash avail
able at this time for the work, OF
which sum the forest department
/ furnishes $4,000.
The governmet never puts up mon
! Inn, t1nlncc n
has the the sayso as to how 1t is
to be expended, for the reason that
it wants the work done right. 1t was
figured at first on putting in sew
government officials insisted that
it be widened to. ten feet, stating
/ that "a trunk line road of this i'm
portance, which would be for COM
mercial use and not solely for pleas
ure excursions, (as so many Of the
roads are) should be of a standard
width and easy grade" Adding that
it was expected that the fine body
of timber along the South Fork, to-
gether with the vast stores of miner
al deposited in the surrounding noun
tains, would be marketed over this
line, and that prospective settlers
would find in it a great incentive to
develop the country-that the char
acter of the road was therefore of
paramount importance. The work
will therefore conform to this idea,
and will, on the whole be one of the
best moves ever made in the county,
for it Is not the custom of the gov
ernment to start road projects, and
then after investing large sums, to
abandon them, before they really
reach any desirable point of connec-
tion. Consequently, without any pied
ges or promises from the government
or any of it's representatives, it Is
safe to say, figuring from the gov
ernment's work ON other roads, that
this road is not going to stop at the
, South Fork bridge. If it does not
stop there it will have to go on to
Elk City, or to connect with the road
from that place to Dixie and the
t, Buffalo Hump country.
The South Fork trail put in by
the forest service and the citizens
of Grangeville, Newsome, Golden and
Elk City, some three years ago, has
marked out an excellent water grade
line up the South Fork, and this is
no doubt the route the broad-gauge
road will pursue when constructed
furnishing a first class all-year road
The money used in building the trail
will in that event have been eXpend
ed TO a good advantage, and in the
meantime the benefits received by
those using the trail, have amounted
to usurous interest on the investment
1t has been recommend from a
desirable source that the citizens OF
Elk City and contiguous country be
: urged to cooperate in running a sur
vey from that place to the South
Fork brige, that maps and data may
be secured upon which to present to
the government reliable information
as to cost of construction of the
road on up to that place. From
!. statements made in the past there
t will be little trouble experienced il
y securing hearty cooperation.
: Bill Hahn Is now establishing hi
d camp at the forest boundary, some
+ three miles from Mt. Idaho, and will
e have everything in readiness to feet
e the twenty odd road builders whel
they begin work on next Monday.