Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-10-01

mountain in a way epitomizes the progress of the
west.
Although Lieut.. Zebulon NJ Pike U. S. A. the
Intrepid explorer, first discovered Pixies Peak in
1906, he never scaled the mountain, saying the
task was impossible for human being. But Dr.
Edwin James, a member of the expedition of
Major Long, in 1920, accomplished the feat
Major Long, In honor of James accomplishment
named the peak James Peak" but as early as
1870 trappers and plairsmen named it pixies
Peak, and Fremont put 1t SO on the map.
In 1873 a bride path built; wagon
road to the summit built in 1880 and In 1891
the cog wheel railroad, nine miles long,
built. The weather bureau established station
on the summit. In 1916 the present automobile
road was built. at cost of S300,000 after two
years of construction work. This road is eighteen
miles long, rises 6,695 feet In that distance has
an average grade of seven per cent and a MAXI
mum grade of 101a per cent with - per cent
Of the line in curves. 1t is twenty feet wide with
curves wide as fifty feet.
In April. 1919. government war tank at
tempted TO climb the peak over the automobile
highway, but broke down in the deep snow drifts
and did not make second attempt. A month
later caterpillar. used for artillery hauling
made the summit without difficulty August g.
1919 airpane piloted by Alexander Lendrum
of Colorado Springs made successful trip over
the summit Of the peak.
This brings us to date. Now man Is reforest-
ing the lower slopes of the famous peak.
But first word about the first ascent. Dr.
James only % years old at the time Starting
from Council Bluffs, the explorers reached what
is now Colorado City July II. 1920. July 13 he
started with four for the top The late
Frederick S. Dellenbaugh, a member of several
government expeditions In the west wrote this
of the climb of DIR. James:
About noon they came to the Boiling Spring
the present weknown spring of Manitou which
gives to the stream of which Il forms a
source. This beautiful spring was Of great inter-
est to James and they had their lunch beside 1t.
Through its crystal waters could be seen on the
bottom the offerings of beads and trnkets by
the Indians
THE night of the 13th James and his com.
panions spent in most uncomfortable place and
on the next morning started early with the hope
of making the round journey before dark About
noon, the timber line, 11.720 feet was reached
and by o'clock they stood on The mighty sum-
init, 14108 feet above the sea and 5000 feet above
the plains, and could see on the east the prairie
ocean melting into the limitless distance while
on the other hand spread away broad chaos of
peaks, canyons, valleys fading into the depths of
the unknown wilderness. Vast clouds of grass
hoppers We're flying over the peak, sometimes so
dense as almost to obscure the light.
After half an hour ON the majestic summit now
reached by prosaic railway, the descent began.
Losing their course they failed % reach the camp
Of the previous night and we're forced to sleep
out with no food or shelter or comfort of any
kind not after all awful as It sounds. AS
soon as light came in the morning they continued
ana reached their camp, only t0 md II ablaze;
the fire had spread and consumed everything
except a few scraps of food on which they
greedily breakfasted"
The American Forestry Association of Wash
lngton estimates that out Of the 100 million odd
acres of national forests there Rre seven and n
half million acres in need of planting or seeding
TO re-estahlish tree growth. The yearly loss to
the nation ID forest products from lands suited
only for the production of timber and now idle is
said to be S65, 100000 No large sums have been
specifically appropriated by congress to reforest
the denuded lands within the national forests 80
that the acreage planted each year has been nOmi-
nal and the work of an experimental character In
picking the areas IN the natIolal forests where