The Glenwood post., 1917-04-28
NIGER IN THE WOODPILE
ON MCCLURE PASS ROAD?


States shouting in every issue for peo
pie to plant, plant, plant, to the end
that we may have food against the day
when the shortage is sure to come; with
p. d. Armour, the big packer, advising
that we adopt at once at least one meao-
less day in each week; with government
food experts agreed that the country
is up against the most serious food
problem in its history, unless strenuous
measures are adopted for conserving
our resources and producing more food;
with all this talk of food dictators who
shall say how much we can eat per
diem; with absolute knowledge of a
wheat shortage this season, by reason
of partial failure of the winter wheat
crop, and with the knowledge that all
of our surplus from previous crops has
been shipped to Europe; taking all
these facts into consideration:
1t lends emphasis to the demand for
the building of that Mcclure Pass road
without further delay. Across the Ii
vide known as Mcclure Pass is region,
known generally as the Muddy country,
which is really garden spot. There
are thousands of acres of tillable, rich
soil over there Just waiting for devcl-
opment that will come with road in
there. Already there are fifty or more
settlers in the Muddy country. Thee
would be lot more if there was good
road in and out.
Which brings us down to the real
point of this article, and that is to in,
quire what is the real reason behind
the failure to open this country up.
Here are some facts worthy of consid-
Grafton:
Several persons from this town have
gone over into that country and sought
to file on ground for homestead. Matt
Downing was one Marble man who
made four filings before the forest re-
serve people would let him light. Even
now, in his present location, he is not
certain that they will allow him his
final papers.
Along Lee creek which is not far
from Marble, we have the experience
of half dozen Marble men who have
tried to take up homesteads, only 10
find that some powerful influence kept
them from gaining what they desired.
Louis Idzenton has been trying for
years to get homestead on the Lee
creek trail at point across the divide
known as the "big corral' There is
splendid open piece of ground at this
point, well watered by the upper reach
es Of Lee creek, which would make an
ideal homestead, but Louie can't get it.
Neither could Charles Van Zant get this
piece, and neither could Rich Thompson,
both of whom tried it before Louie
1dzenton.
Judge Thompson tried for number
of years before he finally got his home
stead a couple of miles this side of the
junction of Lee creek with the Muddy
creek. Between Thompson ranch and
the Muddy there is a splendid section
of the same kind of rich bottom land
which is in the Thompson homestead.
Cattlemen have fenced it in, including
part of the old trail, which has been
used for many years, and homesteaders
can't touch it. These same cattlemen,
for many years, scared out of the Lee
creek valley all prospective settlers by
claiming a water power right. 1t was
finally determined by searching the rec
ords that no such right existed or ever
had been given. It was a bluff, pure
and simple, but it stuck for years.
These are facts that this writer can
prove. We are just wondering if the
same interests that have been powerful
enough to keep settlers out of the Mud
dy country for so many years, are also
powerful enough to delay the building
Of the Mcclure Pass road.-Marble
Booster.