Year: 1865

The project LOOKING TO the placing Of q
steamboat on the Pen d0reille Lake has
been abandoned The scheme originated
With parties having abundant means, and
had it been practicable would doubtless have
been put through. With the abandonment
of the Pen doreille route public attention
will naturally be attracted to the ,MuIlan
Road as possessing advantages over all other
routes leading to the BlackfoOt country. The
conviction every where obtains that By pro-
per exertions the trade of Montana can be
made to follow the Columbia River The
uncertainties and delays attending the navi.
CATION of the Missouri, and the vast distance
to be traversed, gives per centage in our
favor that must with any thing like activity
on our part secure US the trade. The Pen
dOreille route out of the question, now is
the. time for the people Of Walla Walla to
take measures looking to the opening of the
Mullan Road. A responsible party proposes
to place the road in passable condition at
cost not to exceed $4,000 Admit that
it will cost double this sum, the citizens of
Walla Walla Valley alone could tety readily
afford to subscribe the whole amount There
is, however, no occasion to tax their liber
ality to this extent The capitalists of Port
land, the Dalles, and indeed Of the entire
Columbia River country are interested in
this enterprise and may fairly be called upon
to lend helping hand. A movement Of
the kind originated here would be literally
seconded below, and thus with scarce an ef-
fort the means obtained necessary to open
this great avenue of trade and travel. viii
not some of our leading citizens, men who
are interested in the growth and prosperity
Of the country, take hold of the idea? On
every side it is admitted that the road should
be opened. All that is necessary is that one
or two gentlemen of prominence take the
lead and the means will be forthcoming. AS
illustrating what can be accomplished by
earnest effort, we have the little town of
Dalles, where $4,000 was raised for the
purpose Of opening road to Canyon City
a comparatively small mining district. Shall
Walla Wala, with double the inhabitants
and fifty times the resources, hesitate when
the prize at stake is the trade of country
that promises to rival California in her pal
miest days ? 1t is in the mining districts
beyond US that Walla Wulla Valley is to
find market for the products of her teeming
soil, and to do this we should ever promptly
respond to all calls having for their object
the opening of avenues of communication.
The small sum required to open the road,
and the great results to be obtained, should
induce action before the close Of the season.
Much of the work, as we understand it, is
the cutting out of timber chat obstructs the
road on the line of the Borgia River. If our
memory serves US right Capt. Mullan aud
his party, whilst engaged in the work Of con
struction, wintered Oh this stream, and such
was the mildness of the climate that their
work was not interrupted for a single day.
In view of this fact, there is no point what
ever in the assertion that it is now too late in
the season to accomplish any thing. On the
contrary, there is every reason to believe
that the work can be entered upon now and
the road placed in good condition before the
opening Of the Spring trade. Let Walla
Walla take the lead in measure that SO
nearly concerns her interests, and without
doubt the towns below-all of them looking
to the Montana trade-will come to our aid
1t was a saying of the Greeks that " God
helps those who help themselves" and it is
on this principle that we ask the people of
Walla Walla to put their shoulders to the
wheel aud open road that will bring to
their doors the rich trade of the Black foot





-S~FRoM CoLvILLE.-Our friend, DR.. Bates,
just down from COlville, informs US that
Capt. Len. White is progressing finely with
his steamboat All the machinery was In
and the vessel nearly ready for launching.
A number Of miners were down from the
Upper Columbia, and bring fatteriug reports
from the new mines One man who had
worked but few weeks brought down S2500
as the result of his labots. In all, our infor-
maDt estimates that returning miners had
brought in $4,000. Capt Whites boat,
when finished, will be able to run up to with.
in 60 miles of the mines. There is then a
bad canyon to pass, after which boats can
mi