Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1919-08-21
Mr.. McNutt' s Letter

Office of the Elk City Good Roads
Association.
Elk City, Idaho, Aug 10, 1919.
TO the Lewiston Tribune: We note
with regret in the last isue of the
Grangeville Free Press a purported in
terview with George L. Esh of Elk City
in regard to the South Fork road pro
ject, in which he is made to report
that the people of Elk City were very
much in favor of the proposed route
from Grangeville to Elk City, thus i'm
plying that they were not in favor of
the water grade route to Sites.
| have personally interviewed a great
number of the citizens of this district
i'll regard to the purported interview
and find that it meets with severe cri-
ticism. If this opinion expressed in
that interview was that of Mr.. Esh,
which l cannot believe is the case, then
he is very much alone and evidently
has not consulted the residents of this
district.
The situation is as follows: The
people of Elk City, one year ago last
Fourth of July met en- masse and pass
ed a resolution which was forwarded
to the government officials at Washing
ton, d. c., setting forth the situation
and conditions prevailing in the district
and that we had been unable to obtain
any material recognition at the hands !
of the Idaho legislature, and asking for |
government construction of an auto |
truck highway from Elk City along |
the South Fork of the Clearwater con-
Meeting with the railroad at Sites and |
Grangeville.
As l was secretary of that meeting,
| know that we all had in mind a wat
er grade road down the river which
would connect with the Lewis and
Clark highway at Kooskia and with
the Grangeville- Clearwater post road
at Harpster. This would give the dis
trict an outlet to the railroad on a wat
er grade that could be travelled all the
year round and also give us a good
route to the county seat at Grangeville
as could be hoped for.
The Elk City Good Roads associa-
ton may flatter themselves but we
believe that representations made by
Them through Senator Borah and our &
other representatives had some bear
ng in the passage of the clause in
The Bankhead amendment permit :
| Z
dependent of cooperation. state or To- .
al, to build roads on the national for
st that he deemed of national import
nee. :
The Elk City Good Roads associa
ion was in receipt of letter from the .
bureau of public roads at Washington, :
}. c., dated March "a, 1919, stating !
hat it YVES expected to begin the sur
II
cry soon and to follow up with con- !,
truction as soon as practical there ::
fter. The good news was immediate :
Y forwarded to Grangeville as we sup !:
osed that they were heartily in favor !
f our prospect of thus getting relief :
hat had been denied by our legislature. !
Then trouble begging The evident !:
attention of the bureau of public roads !
t Washington, D. c., was overruled (
nd the matter was taken entirely in :
and by the forestry department which /.
ad no interest in the mining develop !
tent, and that department in collu- I.
on with the people of Grangeville has ].
cen trying against the protest of the (
eOple of the Elk City country, and it !.
light be said the whole northwest to
lsten a $3.50 cooperative project from
to Elk City to the exclu-
on of the water grade route asked
II by the people of the territory for
hich the road was to be built. 1t is
ell known that there was not the
lxable property in this territory to
arrant cooperation even if it were not
ltirely within the confines of the ma
onal forest, therefore we wondered
here the other so per cent of the mon
, was to come from, AMI getting no
finite information on that point we
I'VE been making strenuous efforts to
It the government to see that it was
their interest to construct the road i
a water grade where it would give J