The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1916-02-10


From the best data obtaAnable, w
learn that the elevations &c various
points on the route are as follows:
Mccall ................- o0So xee
New Meadows .-..........s SSH zee
higgins :. ...............-1 tlV Tee
Whifebird ............- -419v 1co,
Grangeville :. ..-........ -. oe4s 1oel
Grangeville (Summitl ...-. so1o ree'
The construction OF this road has
Ibeen agitated ever since the creation OF
. Idaho territory. In 1879 and suose'
! quent sessions Of the national congress
4 the United States war Department re-
commended the appropriation or SsVs'
900 for the construction OF . wagon
road as a military necessity. Nothing
was done, however, until its eenasxne-
tion was authorized By house bill No.
SO. approved Feb. 10. 1899, which APP
propriated s27 900 for the construction
Of q wagon read between Little Salmon
Falls and Doumeeq Bar, three miles
above Whitebird, and connecting az
both ends with existing wagon roads 70
Salmon Meadows and Camas Prairie
| This appropriation was supplemented
Il by q donation Of $4,000 from the Ore
gOn Short Line railroad company, and
/ BY an equal amount from the Pacific
I a Idaho Northern Railroad company.
Owing TO the lack Of efficient state
supervision, the contractors largely lg-
nored the established survey and the
specifications, and followed the line OF
cheapest construction, with the result
that the road in places and for long
distances is simply narrow shelf high
above the river, with few turn-outs and
very rocky. AT several points the road
is flooded and impossible at high wat
er stage. As a connecting link between
the north and south, il is a positive
disgrace to the state Of Idaho. Travel
ing over il under the best conditions Is
hardship. The United States mail
route between New Meadows and
GrangeviIle, 6 times . week both ways,
occupies two days going and two Gays
returning, the alI-night lay-over being
at Lucille, where the stages arrive late
and depart early. AS q NATURAL eonse-
quenee the road Is used almost exclu-
hvely as q local highway, whereas IL
made into a good road it would become
the most extensively used and inter-
esting highway in the entire state.
When converted into q substantial
highway it VIII form an important link
in the proposed International highway
between Mexico and British Coiumbia,
(see exhibit ~
In 1911, under authority Of chapter
g Of the 1911 session laws, an appro-
priation Of $4,000 was made for the
purpose Of constructing Q steel bridge
across the Salmon river about two
miles below higgins.
The road from Round valley Is built
on the east side Of the Little Salmon
river to q point below the falls, whore
Il crosses to tbs west side and con
tinues 70 the state bridge, where the
river is crossed, and thence continues /
on the east side Of the main Salmon
river on to Whitebird.
Valuation Of Property.
The assessed valuation Of the tax
able property in Idaho county, real
and personal, in the region directly tri-
butary to the PROPOSED road Is s1,097,-
500. In this region, there are 20 school
with . school census Of 637.
The officials Of the Nez Perez Ma
Eional Forest service give the following
estimates of merchankable standing
timber within the Jurisdiction Of it's
forests, IN the region tributary te the
proposed road:
Yellow pine ....... $50 million feet
sodgepcie pine $500. 500 million feet
Red fir -....-..... go million feet
White fir ........ 1285 million feet
ramaraek ..... 160 million feet !
The livestock industry, under existing !
onditions, IL the most important fea-
ure attending the present development 1
( the Salmon river country. u
The acreage owned by the state on
be east side Of the Salmon river drain
GO basin, directly tributary 70 the pro- z
osed road, is 26,04O acres. The land 4
a the west side Of the river Is 0y54O 4
eres. The commercial values OF these =
lnds win be largely increased By the d
instruction Of the proposed road In
While the bars and benches along the n
yer are generally narrow, they are q
cry fertile and in a high state Of eul- Il
walton, and these places comprise che &
ak Of the land in cultivation along y
10 river. On the table lands. however, =
a very large acreage Of land, the =.
We as the best Of the prairie lands in i,
,rthern Idaho. We estimate that y
lout per cent only Of the land avail y
lie for cultivation, contiguous to the Il
I1mon river, is In cultivation. ~
An important feature TO be taken {,
to consideration IN connection with =
e construction Of the proposed rail-
I'd bed is the Eez Perce Indian re-
rvation, which comprises approx
sfely 1000 square miles Of territory. IN
lis land lies in Idaho, Lewis, Nez ea
ree and Clearwater counties. The hi
.al area Of the Indian allotments Is gr
) ,762 acres. OF these Indian ailot- te
nfs, about 10000 acres are sgxi- no
furaI. Of the agricultural land, hs
out 10000 acres are leased and TO
put 6000 acres are cultivated by In he
ms. The trust period extending over an
J majority Of the Indian allotments dil
Dires IN 1920. At the expiration Of en-
, treaty, unless the same 10 renewed liv
another period Of rs years, IL 10 OH
tainty that the greater proportion If an
lse lands win pass into the hands Of int
ual resident white eitizena, thus fro
terially Increasing the population lee
taxable property Of the several chs
mites. Increased population win not
essariIy increase the number Of ing
COL districts, place more property inn
the tar rolls, give more people 20 bro
X on the highways and provide more trai
DIS for highway districts. These tioi
ian lands are now generally leased Ia stai
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