Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1916-11-28
TO DEVELOPE
POWER site
Libby Company, Capitalized at $3.50, :
600, To Harness the Kootenai
River, 80 Miles East
SUING To CONDEMN THE LAND
President of Company Says Activities
Will Begin at Once

taken from Saturdays Libby Times,
of Libby, Mont, it seems that after
many years some definite action
is to be taken in the development
of electric power at Kootenai Falls
on the Kootenai river, some 80 miles
east of this city:
On Saturday last an important suit
was filed with Timothy Miller, clerk
of the district court, by the Inter
national Power and Construction
company. The suit is for the pur-
pose of condemning certain lands
owned by the Great Northern rail-
way and by David R. McGinnis of
Kalispell. These lands lie in the
Kootenai canyon, both below and
above the Kootenai falls, and take
in a section of the right-of-way of
the Great Northern from a point
about a half mile below Kootenai
station, to a point about a half
mile above that station. The OBJ
ject of the suit is to condemn these
lands, which are to be flooded, ac-
cording to the complaint filed, for
the purpose of creating water power.
The description of the lands sought
to be condemned is one of the
longest ever filed in this district
court.
1t is generally the belief that the
filing Of this action is for the pur-
pose Of clearing the way toward the
construction of a big power plant
at Kootenai falls. For many years
there have been statements made
from time to time by those sup
posed to have the construction of
such a plant under consideration,
that this power was to be developed,
but up to this time nothing has been
done toward actual construction
work. For several years past, many
engineers have come to Libby from
New York and other places, for the
purpose of making examinations of
the Kootenai canyon. The flow of
the water has been carefully re-
corded for the past five years, the
site for the proposed dam has been
diamond drilled, and, in fact, about
everything has been done which
one would suppose had to be done in
the preliminary stages of such an
enterprise.
The new concern, which is busy
at Kootenai falls, known as the In
ternational Power and Construction
company, has been but recently or.
ganized. Ostensibly it is composed
of local people. It's president i:
c. Ed Lukens, and its secretary i!
Leo H. Faust. Both of these gen
tlemen are we'll known over the state
and both have large interests. Who
their associates are, if they hav,
any, is not of knowledge in THU
office. When asked by a represen
tative of The Libby Times for f;
: statement of what the new compan,
proposes to do, Mr.. Lukens mad
= the following statement in sub
stance:
"Why, we propose to make power
of course. That's the object of in
cooperating the International Powe
? and Construction company. Eve
I since l have been identified wit
n Libby and this section of Montana
d have been hearing about some on
going to do something with the pow
+ er at Kootenai falls. Year afte
d year we have heard this, until it ha
e become an old story. And upon ms
king an examination of the recor
at Kootenai falls l have found thu
e this power was one of the yer
n first to be considered of all tn
II powers in Montana, and it is no
}. the very last one of all of the
( yet undeveloped. Those who hay
lie held the key to this situation fl
n something like a quarter of a Gel
L fury have now surrendered the
u rights, and they have been acquire
ID by the concern of which l am Il
te president.
Gust as soon as the necessal
legal entanglements can be pro
ut erly adjusted, you will see som
E. thing done at Kootenai falls. tt
s. time has come, and has long sin
n passed, when this great power shou
t. be utilized. 1t means too much
a the development of this section
re Montana to longer sit by and let
drag. Whatever have been the re
n. sons for its not being complet
n and a going concern before now,
don't know. But do know tn