The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-09-23
BUILD new WAGON ROAD
BURKE TO THOMPSON
MAY WAIT TILL SPRING ON Ac-
COUNT OF BAD WEATHER.
SOME ROAD HISTORY.

WHtie the county cOIlI1lSSioHeTS
have authorized the construction of a
new wagon road to connect the old
Thompson road at a point about six
or eight miles above Burke with a
road that is being constructed to the
head of Cooper creek by the commits
sioners of Sanders county, Mont, 1t
is not believed that the work win be
undertaken this year. While the dis
lance is not great, 1t is believed that
stormy weather would probably pre-
vent its completion II started so late
and 1t is probable that nothing more
than clearing the right of way will be
undertaken this fall. The route lies
through heavy timber and the removal
of this will be the big end of the job.
County Surveyor ]. P. Hall has COM
pleted the survey and finds that the
distance from the old Thompson road
to a connection with the Montana
road at the summit will be 1900 feet
and that a uniform 4 per cent grade
will be maintained. Work on he
Montana side is now in progress. about
25 men being employed between the
Montana Standard mine and the SUM
nit. The work there Is really recon
struction and improving the grade Of
a road that was built by the Montana
Power company when the power line
was extended into this district.
Open Good Mineral Section.
In extending this road the county
commissioners are following a policy
that will be generally commended.
Mining is our only industry and any
thing that contributes to the develop
ment of mines is q benefit to all the
people Of the county. When men are
willing to devote their time. labor and
money for the development of new ore
deposits, the county should go as far as
possible toward building wagon roads
to make the properties accessible. The
proposed wagon road will not only
prove a great advantage to mining
properties on both sides of the divide,
baA ~ zig HVPOlAAl6 aP VI oAlotiNi
public highway between the states that
viii operate to the advantage of both.
1t is probable that when this new road
Is completed steps will be taken to
practically rebuild the old road to the
point where the new one leaves it. The
old road has several extremely steep
grades and most of it will average 10
per cent.
A Locally Famous Road.
The present road from Burke to
Thompson, OF rather to a connection
with the Murray Thompson road, was
built in 1887 by the late S. S. Glidden,
at that time manager Of the Tiger
Mining company. AT that time there
was no wagon road connecting Wal
lace and Burke, and in fact it was
many years after Burke had two rail-
roads before 1t was possible to drive
a wagon between these two towns. The
road from Burke to Thompson was a
toll road, and the revenue derived
from it was probably an insignificant
itRm compared with the cost of its con
struetion. The collection of tolls was
merely incidental and was a striking
example of the thrift which was one
of the most prominent characteristics
Of the man who built it. The real pur-
pose Of the road from Burke was ia
enable the Tiger Mining company to
deliver the machinery for the first mill
on Canyon creek from Thompson Falls
to Burke and at the same time make
1t possible to haul ore from the Tiger
mine to the railroad. The machinery
for the Tiger mill was therefore haul
ed in over this road and the first ore
that was shipped above Wardner was
hauled to the railroad over this road
also. BY the time the mill was com
pleted the narrow gauge railroad was
extended from Wallace to Burke, and
II Is worthy of note that this, too, was
built by S. S. Glidden who afterwards
Ii over to ID. G. Corbin, who a
few years later turned over the entire
narrow gauge system to the Northern
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THE NORTHERN LIGHT.