Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1920-09-10
TO Elk CITY
IN low GEAR
HUSSMAN TELLS OF RE-
CENT TRIP TO THE MTS.
IN ELK CITY REGION

Anyone that has Travelled from
Grangeville to Elk City by auto
OF truck will concede the appro-
priateness of the above title to a
description Of a trip OF this kind
But in this too there is consola-
tion in the old maxim that 1T
wasen't so bad but that it might
have been worse" Then too
there is nothing in titles nowo-
days, sometimes a mere trail is
given some big sounding name as
North and South State Highway,
or a hole in the ground goes by
such highfaluten name as The
Frisco Gold Mining and Milling
Co.
Ever since | came to Idaho, II
years ago, ! have longed to visit
and see for myself that much
talked Of Eidorada, The Elk City
and Florence mining district.
where fortunes were made and
lost sometimes in a day, where
flour once sold for $4,000 per
sack and the smallest change
was two bits. So many roman
ces and legends of suddenly ac-
quired wealth, as also tradge-
dies of life are interviewer with
the history of this region that
one would have to be possessed
of a very prosaic mind indeed
not to have such longings. There
are of course great many pre-
liminaries to q trip of this kind.
Advice as to how to go, whether
to take a team and wagon OF car
is very much divided. Expect
ing to find very rough roads for
a car and time being no parti-
cular objects we decided to take
a team and wagon and had al
ready engaged the team and had
it shod all around and the wagon
rugged up prairie schooner fash
ion. when we learned that the
particular objects of our visit
were all accessible by car. |
then creased up the Buick and
on Sunday afternoon August %
loaded to the bumpers we start
ed. The party consisted of Mrs.
Hussman and the children and
Mr.. Ross and myself. AS we
carried our camp outfit with us
we were indifferent as to how
far we travelel, expecting to
camp at the first inviting spot
that would beckon us when the
time arrived.
Having started late and hav-
ing stopped for some time in
Grangeville, we pitched camp the
first night about A miles beyond
Harpster on the banks of a small
creek where wood and water was
plentiful. 1t was an ideal spot
for camping and worthy des-
cription in literary embellish-
ments such as Fennimore Coo
per or Jack London might have
given it had they camped there.
Despite its romantic setting and
our efforts to locate the softest
spot for our bed, we'll admit
that along towards four o'clock
in the morning we felt that there
must be crevices and indentures
in our back from which we would
be a long time recovering. Evld-
emily Harry Lauder did not have
a camp bed in mind when he con-
ceived that ditty Its nice to get
up of Sunday Morn, but its
nicer to lie in bed" But this
kind of bed has its virtues as il
not only inspires one to carry out
that old proverb of the early bird
catching the worm and getting
wealthy and wise, it also whet-
ems the appetite for flap jacks
and bacon far beyond the capa-
city of the frying pan. Break,
fast over with, at about sever
o'clock we hit the trail again an
irving in Clearwater about the
same time the Sites Elk City
stage got there. The drive from
Harpster to the Mountain House
or Summit is the longest contin
Gus up hill grade have eveI
travelled. The distance is some
thing like Is miles and except fol
a few ravines that are crossed i
is up grade all the time and mos
of it so steep that car heavil!
loaded will have to travel in low
nearly. all the way. This is t.
my mindNby long odds the wors
stretch of the entire distanc'
covered. Yet it is a fairly "oo'
mountain road. some rocks bu
not so many or so bad that on
need hesitate to take a car owe
them, but in places very steep