The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-05-02

which time there Will be further pre-
! liminaries on the institute.
The committee appointed to re-
port on landing fields for airplanes
reported as follows: 9ai1..s.itS.
Blackfoot Commercial Club. 4
Gentlemen:
Your committee appointed to ex-
anime and report upon the sites for
landing airplanes near Blackfoot re-
port as follows: e7a#' ~
I. Peter G. Johnston's meadows at
the southern edge Of town afford a
possible landing site, but bikes and
bitches would need to be leveled, and
it would be necessary to sacrifice q
simple agricultural crop, It being now
seeded to alfalfa. Il is already laid
out in city lots and affords a con-
venient place to enlarge the town by
additional residences and we do not
recommend it as a landing field, tho
it is large enough,
| 2. The field lying southwestward
from the residence of Eugene Diggie
one mile and quarter south Of the
Blackfo0t post Office, has sufficient
dimensions and lies at the right d.
rection with the prevailing wind. It
is seeded to alfalfa and otter simple
crops and has some bitches and bikes
that would have to be levelsd.
8. The field lying westward or
southwestward from the residence Of
Ralph Dixie, mile and a quarter
from the Blackfoot post, office is
about the same as number and is
just across the Yellowstone highway
westward from it.
4. The Kirkpatrick meadows one
mile southwestward from the Black
| foot post Office, affords stretch
more than half a mile long parallel
ing the Blackfoot river and is also
devoted to simple crops and would
need to be leveled as to bitches and
dikes.
5. Land in the field of E. A. Doud
lying on the easterly side of the
state highway leading to Snake river
bridge west, affords better Site than
any of the others mentioned. 1t lies
| eastward from the cable lines and
high tension wires, and is on low
lands bordering Snake river and pro-
tected somewhat from the winds by
the bench land on the south. 1t is
bounded on three sides by roads and
is picturesque place visible from
the roads lying along the higher
ground. It is about three-quarters
of mile from the post office and has
bitulithic pavement connecting it
with town. The field can be reached
by the short cut thru the road along
the eastern side.
This land is used for simple agri-
culture, no high-priced improvements
nor high priced crops, or trees being
grown on it yet. There are some
bitches and bikes to be leveled but
not many, and it lies in the right re-
lation to the prevailing winds.
A Historic Spot
The Doud land is historic spot
and has occupied central position
with traffic for more than 100 years.
+. In 1911 the Hunt division Of the
John Jacob Astor party floated by it
in their boats, and according to the
writings of Washington Irving, the
songs of the boatment echoed from
shore to shore and mingled with the
moan of river and the Astorians
journeyed on, expecting soon to come
to the western ocean.
In 1919, an expedition under Don
old Mckenzie, passed this way and
while he may not have crossed the
DOud farm nor camped upon it, he
and his men named the local Indians
the "Blackfoot" and thus left name
that now marks the town, of which
the Doud farm is destined to become
part.
In 1923 the Rocky Mountain Fur
company had an expedition in this
valley, among whom were James
Ashley, Jim Bridger and others, and
they sent party this way to trap
along the Lewis or Snake river.
From the year 1929 the expidi-
lions came thick and fast till 1912
when the Oregon trail was made
little to the southwark, and the Doud
farm was just on Of the line of
travel until 1854 when the Mormon
colony going to establish Fl. Lemhi
must have crossed it. They passed
the same way returning in 1857
when they gave up the colony.
During the gold rush to Helena in
1853, freight road and stage line
was formed across the Doud land,
passing acorss the middle of our pro-
posed landing field. In the days OF
the Slade and Ben Holiday, stage
station was made at the Doud house
and the log part of the present house
is supposed to have been the stage
station. 1t was part of the line be-
tween Corrinne and Helena and when
the gold rush started into central
Idaho, to the Lost Packer country,
Stanley and Bonanza and other
places northward, ferry was estab-
lished at the Doud place and it be-
came a cross roads and famous
camping place. A store was finally
established in front of the log hut,
and 1t became the resdezvous of the
Blackfoot country and came to be
known as the T. T. Danilson ferry
ranch.
When the Utah Northern railroad
built switch opposite the Danilson
ranch and called it Blackfoot, the
store at the cross roads by the river
was abandoned and another firm,
Danilson and Stevens opened store
where they could dump goods out of