Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1921-09-08

1.-THE MYSTERIOUS SLIDE
And then nature repenting of th'
trick she had played, decided to wip,
out all traces of the affair. Far vi
on the head of Mule creek, the rivulet
that merged with the Monumental just
below the site of Roosevelt, was q
phenomenon called ''The Mysterious
Slide" A vast section of Thunder
mountain had in years past separated
from the parent mass along the line
of geological fault and at the rate of
few feet year was slowly seeking
the lower level. In the base of this
slide an enterprising prospector had
driven a tunnel for some hundreds of
feet, regardless of the difficulty of
keeping the pore open in the travel
ing mass, and was still extracting from
the debris of his drift some small
siftings of gold dust. Here worked
the majority of the human flotsam of
the great rush that still held on.
The winter of 1906 was heavy one,
even for that section, and the spring
came suddenly and warm. The re-
leased water from the melting SHOWS
saturated the ground, filed the creek
beds TO OVERLOOKING and sought every
crack and crevice of the soil. The
chasm caused by the separation of
"'The Mysterious Slide, - from its bed
offered an outlet for the flood which
saturating the subsoil. accelerated the
movement of the mass, until finally a
great section broke loose from the
original volume and with increasing
speed slipped down the canyon of
Mule creek. Acres of soil joined the
rush; the shearing of rock lodges un-
der the dynamic impulse of the move
ing weight removed all barriers, and
it was soon apparent that nothing
could avert the gigantic landslip until
it came to rest upon the level, and
that level was the open floor of Monu-
mental valley.
TOWN BURIED BY FLOOD
Day by day the irresistible progress
continued, until there was no longer
chance that some buttress of the
mountain might holds the slipping
mass, and the dweller of the town,
foreseeing the outcome, moved their
belongings to the hiillsides. Debouch-
ing from the mouth of Mule creek
ravine, the slide at length moved ma
jestically across Monumental creek,
until it came to rest across the canyon,
dam more than 100 feet in height
and formed by natures hand to re-
sist all weakening forces.
Day by day the waters of the Monu-
mental, spent in the narrow valley.
rose. until, when the flood finally
broke over the crest of the barrier to
regain its former channel below the
obstruction, ITO feet of water covered
the site of the once busy town and on
the surface of the lake foated the
dwellings, with logs,
trash and all the litter that man leaves
around his haunts. Some few build
ings, better constructed than the 9th
ers, were raised intact, to float to this
day on the face of the waters, drifting
at the within of the winds from place
to place, while beneath them, in the |
now crystal-clear depths, swim great
trout. transformed by ample room and |
plenteous food from their former es-
tate as fngerlings of the mountain |
stream to stature BETTING their sta
lion as keepers of the former domain
Of man.
Above the lake the profile of the
great American looks forever on the |
banded slopes of Rainbow peak, whose
sruptions of raw, yellow detritus from
he hundred drifts of departed pros
,ectors have disintegrated and merged
,nce more into the ancient pigments
aid by time and the elements.
From his lookout on a commanding |
point an antlered buck whistles his
alarm, as far below a forest ranger
passes on his infrequent patrol of this
neglected corner of the nations do
main. A great rainbow trout breaks
he calm surface of the lake in an
lrched plunge into the air and back
nto his own element, indifferent to
he fact that 100 feet below him
TODD once saloon, rough logs as
% exterior, but Boosting mahogany
fittings and plate mirrors within, where
men gathered to voice their dreams of
wealth and power. Perhaps in the
lime of the bottom still lie the bottles
implied on the night that its owners,
o quarrel, cut deck of
ards to determine which of the two
hould walk out possessionless the
wnership of property that had cost
10000, hanging on the turn of
pasteboard, while the
winner, his dark face unmoved by his
ortune, set out champagne for the
witnesses, so long as man could
tagger to the bar to drink. Possibly
omewhere in the mud remain the once
ailv painted discs that served as
markers in the historic poker game in
Which $4,000 changed hands in the
curse of nights play. But to all
his the rainbow is Indifferent. Less
han nothing to him is the fact that far
Glow, where now he seeks the cool
epths for rest, 5000 of the human
ace once dreamed and toiled and rev.
led. The millions that were thrown
way are to him less than the hover