The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1916-08-25
RAILROAD MOVE
on MONTH FORK
May be Beginning of Impor-
tant Developments

Inc railroad move IN the North
Fork section of the Clearwater tim
Der district may mean the begin
ming of the work for the south loop
of the Milwaukee road, announced
at the time the company first indi-
Gated its intention to build it's line
to the Pacific coast. This is the
suggestion of people Of the North
Fork section who are familiar with
the nature of the. location now be-
ing made by the Milwaukee engi-
neers and who do not believe in the
logic Of hauling logs uphill when
they will roll down-hill to better
mill sites and where climatic condi-
tions are more favorable for curing
the product.
The Milwaukee several months
ago announced it's plans for con-
structing an extension from Elk
River into the Clearwater timber
district. Two engineering parties
have been engaged in the location
work for the past four months and
the permanent location of the line
from Elk River to the mouth of Elk
creek is now being made. This
line will be about II miles in length
and will reach the North Fork at a
point about eight miles above All
sahka. Another crew is working
down the North Fork from Big
Island, point about 25 miles above
the mouth of Elk creek. This lat
ter crew has been engaged in pre-
liminary location work in the Reeds
creek section and has made investi-
cations at Big Island, where a dam
to provide facilities for storing logs
will be constructed.
The Milwaukee railroad has pur-
chased considerable land at Big
Island and has options on other
property. Among the purchases is
the claim of Robert Lamont, while
it is known options have been Sc
cured on the holdings of Mrs.
Blevins.
Among the residents of the North
Fork country are experienced lum-
bermen who have worked in impor-
tant capacities with the largest
numbering companies of Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Michigan and they
scout the idea that the Clearwater
timber will be hauled up the heavy
grade from the mouth of Elk creek
to the high ridge upon which the
Elk River mills are constructed
They would rather believe that the
real plans are to locate mill on
the River, either at Big Island OF
some point on the main Clearwater
and haul the logs from Elk River
district to this new mill. They
support this idea with the report.
given out as semi-authentic, that the
Elk River milling site has Ions
~aen unsatisfactory because of un
\ ,6rable weather conditions fol
curing the lumber and the absence
of a market for the cheap products
What the North Fork people
really believe is that the line will
be constructed from Elk River tt
the mouth of Elk creek and from
Big Island to the mouth Of Ell
creek, but they also believe th'
line will be brought down tn
North Fork to the main Clearwate
river and it will be constructed VI
the North Fork to a connection
with the main line in Montana. l
is a proposition of dealing with
tonnage to extend beyond hun
dred years and they point to tn
map and shake their heads when i
is suggested the actual construction
now contemplated is to haul thi
Clearwater timber up the Elk cree
grade, down into the St. Joe canyo
and over the northern Bitter Root:
a circle of several days circumfer
ence from the standpoint of tn
average daily mileage for load G
freight, when a very small inves