Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1918-03-07
wRrTER IN BOISE STATESMAN
mrrJ.s OF TRAFFIC ON CEN
TRIAL IDAHO STREAM
NO U. S. DEVELOPMENT
government Fails to Give Aid to Water
way, but Nevertheless Com
merce Has Resulted

b The amazing extent to which Idaho
"a . enpplied with waterways of COM
uarce is only just beginning to be
q reaIzed. says E. X. Abbott in the Boise
#c.otasman. There are thousand miles
or rivers in this state which ought to
he carving freight traffic, but which
have never been made to do such
q serviee The rich interior of Idaho,
n . veritable empire in both area and
# resourcefulness, is besected by navi-
gable stream traversing wilderness
81 for hundreds of miles.
Twenty years ago the Salmon river
was. bv act of congress, declared a
Nnavigable stream, with the then pur-
Npose of providing means for clearing
lis channel; but in those days the
falls Oh the Rappahannock and the
sluggish state of certain southern
bavous so engrossed the attention of
the federal legislators that no appro-
Irritation was offered for work in
idaho.
~ Traffic on Salmon River.
# Notwithstanding the neglect to
&open this artery of travel, commerce
mas been developed to high degree.
zFor the last quarter of century its
channel has supported considerable
traffic in navigation and every year
from twenty-five to fifty boats loaded
land floated down stream, bearing both
freight and passengers.
Last summer party of travellers
embarking at Salmon, within sixteen
miles of the Rocky mountains, or CONT
mental divide, effected the entire voy
age by water to San Francisco. Nj
Anerous hunting parties have made
4he water journey from Salmon City
30 Lewiston, camping en- route IN the
habitat of elk, deer and mountain
sheep-tbe grandest big game coun-
TRY in the world.
Landscape Is Picturesque.
IA AS for landscape picturesquenessI
the canyons of the Salmon river are
lnexcelled anywhere Though hith-
frto witnessed by comparatively few
spersons the magnifcence of vista on
This voyage is declared to surpass the
ALPS of Switzerland and to make the
Famous Royal Gorge resemble a pastry
Limitation. Hundreds of photographs
have been exhibited of its myraid
Wonderful prospects, but none of
these has done simple justice to the
hatural masterpiece. The kaleidosco
lpic transitions brought to view as one
%glides down the current are tran
&scendently splendid for hundreds of
kmies, each meander of the river
bringing into view new and embracing
senic delights.
Time was when the Northern Pa
cific Railway company planned to
z build its main line down the Salmon |
4 river. In 1874 or rs a party of |
Northern Pacific engineers, led by |
4 Captain DeLacy, embarked in a barge |
at Salmon City and by the way of
reconnaissance made the voyage |
across Idaho to Lewiston. This trip |
was repeated in 1876 or IT by engi |
neers engaged in the same quest |
Then the Nez Perez and Sheepeater |
Indians became hostile, and on this
account the project was abandoned.
In '97 j. B. Pope, another engineer,
acting for the Union Pacific system,
took the same water journey.
Voyages of Captain Guleke
Capt. Harry Guleke, a daring
riverman, arrived at Salmon City |
some Twenty-Five years ago and soon
began beating for the trade 1t was
about 1895, when the Monolith mine
at Sroup was active, that he achieved
his first notable campaign, being en-
trusted with delivering all the ma
ehinery and supplies for that mine,
which machinery included engine and
boilers and a ten-stamp mill, besides
provisions for large force of miners.
These were loaded at Salmon City and
transported for a distance of forty
miles beyond wagon road The boats
could not be returned but the lumber in
them was utilized at the camp and
new boats were built for each sue
ceeding journey. This method is still
practiced for all down-river travel
Captain Guleke is at Salmon City,
and Is still in the business. He is
sturdy experience, cool-headed and
intensely practical in all the arts of
nver navigation. He sails his boats
TO order, and is thus busted during
ABOUT eight months of the year, while
the river is free rom ice. In his
modest way, he says he has piloted
about 400 boats down this stream,
many OF which went as far as Lewis
Ton and some as far as Cello, and I
nc mas never lost boat or pound
oil freight. The barges are from "a 4,
TO 40 feet in length and to IA -eet
IN breadth, their dimensions depend {
ing upon the visible bulk of the cargo.
lney are MANAGED by bow and stern
sweeps and carry from four to eight
tons. lie accepts stuff of any descrip /
uon, destined for any place on the
route, and thus accommodates scores ]
OF landings Several times he has
loaded full for 9houp, discharged his s
largo and continuing down the river j
mas picked up hides, WOOL farm i'm :
PIGMENTS, vegetables, fruits, etc, and {
80 continued as common carrier to I
lewiston where he would arrive with {
thousands of pounds of products from ,
!, inaccessible ranches along the way. ]
ne receives numerous mail inquiries {
rom landings as to when he will &c