The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-10-12
Snake River Val e''
ley Twice Deluged
With Lava Streams
(By J d. GILLIAN

(By ] d. GILLIAN
The teachers and others who will
be visiting Blackfoot for the annual
institute Of this district are heartily |
welcomed back to our little sage
brush city on the mighty Snake.
They who come looking for things
OF interest need not 60 away unin- !
formed or dissatisfied. We do not
Judge our Idaho instructors to be 40
some Alphine tourists who some
times straggle along among the en-
chanting beauties Of that scenic
land, moving perfunctorily from one
hospice to another in closed car
riages, doing nothing and expecting
nothing but the gaining Of the repu-
tation Of having done" Switzerland
and the Alps. Most Of our teachers
are open-eyeds and open-minded folk
who are better fitting themselves for
the working privileges they have.
Geographically Blackfoot, has NO,
monopoly on ,uriq tienesS for situa-
ton, a. Pocatello and American
Falls share with her the same physi-
cal distinctions, both being near Fl.
Hall and the reservation.
But geologically we are a bit
unique. Here the mighty Snake
trickles along bed very tiny when
compared with the body of one-time
lava river, and waters with the life
blood the areas once devastated by
the death-aood. I said "trickles";
SO 1t does and that is why l said 1t,
for far faster were the streams OF
red volcanic fluid that traversed this
valley making it's way eastward.
How many successive flows came
from the Yellowstone fiery fountains
and from the hitherto yelled Valley
of the Moon the wisest of the read
ers Of the geologic past cannot tell;
but that there were many is plainly
known. Miles and miles of viscid
death spread writhjng, killing, cook
ing, destroying whatever of life un-
able to escape the embracing tenta-
cles Of that demoniac serpent.
Ages have now past. This Is
proven by the accumulation OF
arabic and fertile soils of different
sorts superimposed on the various
basaltic substrata at greater or
lesser depths.
Yet man had been here before the
last destructive deluge of fire at
least, for his trail has been dis
covered by proofs indisputable.
AS yet no Neanderthalic or other
pre- -cataclysmic signs Of that sort
have been unearthed. Such have
possibly persisted, but human imple-
ments have been brought to light
from under the lava strata and
found Embedded in the how. 1t is
not too conjectural to believe that
rich rewards will yet repay wondr-
ously them who carefully and intel
ligently beg these regions to deliver
their possessions which as yet are
prehistoric, and possibly shall ever
remain without date.
We are in the midst of a wonder
world whose origin is Attributable to
some Hephaestus from whose boil
| ing heart was erupted the red
stream of death.
In support Of this statement I will
say that some years since while on
the middle John Day river in central
Oregon I saw stone commonly, and
possibly correctly, called a pestle,
being used as a doorstep in the
home where l was visiting. In turn
| ing it over as l looked at it I saw it
| bore the appearance of having been
| in close contact with high degree
of heat, for there were marks OF
| vitrification on one side of it. Ask
| ing where it came from l was told
| it had been taken by the owner from
a flow of lava, where it was partially
imbedded. This awakened some
mental quiries especially when it
bore the marks of the carver's tool.
I had seen many, very many such
implements, but newer Heretofore
had discovered any attempts at
decorating.
Now, then at once knew that /
knew something strange to. my pre-
| vious intelligence in such archaeo-
logic matters; first, that human be-
ings had lived in that or nearby
region before that lava burned it's
| frying way into that vicinity; the
other, that whoever that people
| mlSuC yet U0 pIONCA W NC, IAOy A~U
some feeling and capability concern
ing the aesthetic, that Of beautify-
| ing are so as to initiate nature.
The story, now written history OF
the Nampa Image, too we'll known
very likely to repeat here, accords
with this pestle tale. This image,
that of female, was unearthed at a
denth az about 200 feet after dig
ging thru layers OF lava. 1t was in
the gravel and sand underlying the
immense tongue which extends
under that whole region where
Nampa stands. The image is but
one and a half inches long with one
leg missing, but so perfectly proper
toned that there seems little room
for classifying it as a freak OF
nature.
Who dares intelligently to guess
no other flows are to destroy these
| modern cities of the plain!