Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1916-03-16
SCENIC PORTION OF IDAHO.
The Central Mountain Area Of Idaho
$4,000 Square Miles.

The central mountain area extends
from the Clark Fork of the Columbia
and Pend 'Oreille Lake to the Snake
River Plains. 1t is continuous on the
East but broken by the lava plateau
regions such as the country around
Moscow, Camas Prairie, etc, on the
west. 1t has an area of roughly $4,000
square miles.
1t has been described by the United
State Geological Survey as one of the
most rugged and inaccessible regions
in the United States The mountain
SUBMITS gradually increase in height
in going from the north to the south
eliminating in Hyndman Peak with an
elevation of l2047 feet In the Occur
d'Alene region the SUBMITS seldom ex-
coed 5000 feet, and are about interme-
date between these figures along the
Salmon River where they run up to
over 5000 feet While Mt. Hyndman
has been considered the highest noun
tain in the state it has been recently
reported that one of the White Cloud
Peaks near the head of the Salmon is
over 10000 feet.
This region is better described as a
range of deep canyons rather than a
mass of mountains. The mountains of
this region are known geologically as
erosion mountains; that is they have
been produced by the erosive action of
the streams in cutting Own their chan
nels from what was at one time an al
most level plain. This plain, which
evidently contained some low noun
tains was formed in what is known as
the Eocene preiod, by the gradual plan
ing down of the land by the streams
that existed at that time. Sediments
that must have been derived from
these streams are found on almost all
sides of this area, particularly on the
east side in eastern Montana and the
Dakotas where an inland sea then ex-
listed.
Later on this plain was gradually |
elevated above sea-level to it's present |
height and the streams cut deep chan
nels through it leaving ridges between
with much the same elevation, and in
some places remnants of the plain, as
Poverty Flat just North of Clayton.
This plateau was evidently raised more
rapidly in the southern part than in
north as there the mountains are both
higher and more rugged and the
streams more rapid. This is particu-
larly noticeable in the Saw Tooth and
Smoky Mountains.
In this mountain area were formed
many large lakes which were later
drained or filled up. Long Valley is
one of these with Payette Lake at the
head of the valley, the remnant of what
was once large lake. Stanley Basin
is evidently another with a few rem
nanats in the form of Red Fish and
other small lakes. Around Gilmore are
other lake-filled basins.
The Salmon River bisects this old
eroded plateau regions and being the
largest stream, has cut very deep |
canyon. Altho this Salmon Canyon
does not possess all the scenic features
of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado,
it is still sufficiently grand to be worth |
visit The finest scenery of the can
yon, however, is unfortunately remote
even from wagon road. One of the
most typical parts is where the Thun-
der Mountain trail crosses the river
below Dixie. Here the canyon is nearly |
a mile deep and in many countries less
rich in mountain scenery than our
Western states, would be visited as
tourist resort by thousands of people
yearly; in fact one of the greatest un-
developed resources of Idaho is the
mountain scenery and resorts of this
deeply disected region in the central
part of the state. D. c. Livingstone,
Department of Geology OF
Idaho.