An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 197

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524

USA > Idaho > Kootenai County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 197
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 197
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 197
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 197

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The railroad mileage in Kootenai county is greater than in any other county in the state and the numerous school districts through which the roads run are con- sequently greatly benefitted by amounts paid as taxes and through the lessening of the burden of taxation borne by settlers on partially developed ranches or homesteads. The railroads are directly benefiting the

818

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

schools also by developing the varied industries of the county, making it possible for settlers to occupy the outlying sections and by making all parts of the county accessible to the homeseeker and investor who comes with his family and with his worldly possessions to become a citizen of the county and a patron of its schools.

A state law makes it obligatory on the part of teachers to attend the institutes which are held an- nually in various parts of the county. Much of the success which has always attended the schools is no doubt in a large measure due to the training instruct- ors receive at these gatherings. The Kootenai county institute for the year 1902 was held at Coeur d'Alene, beginning August 18th and continuing throughout the week. Seventy teachers were in attendance and the session was successful from a teacher's standpoint. Interest in educational matters in Kootenai county is

not waning, on the contrary greater efforts are being continually put forth to raise the standard of perfection in teacher and student ; while primary work is not being neglected. the higher education of the youth is receiving more attention than heretofore, it being con- sidered desirable to afford them home advantages rather than to allow it to continue necessary for them to go away from home for the higher work. The public schools are turning out young men and women who are taking positions of trust and responsibility at home and in other localities, and these positions are being filled with credit and in a manner to credit greatly the institutions in which their holders have received their intellectual and moral training. Having been well founded and having the intelligent support of all good citizens, the schools of Kootenai county are destined to accomplish much for the intellectual and moral advancement of its citizens.

CHAPTER VI.

DESCRIPTIVE.

In area Kootenai county is fourth in the state, with 5.600 square miles. From its most southern point to the International Boundary, it is approximately 140 miles long with an average width of 40 miles. Its southern boundary follows the summit of the divide between Palouse river in Latah county and Hangman's Creek in Kootenai county. On the east, the line be- gins on the north slope of Beal's Butte at the eastern terminus of the Thatuna Hills, a low mountain range extending east and west through Latah county. From this point it dips into and crosses the valley of the St. Maries river, rising again on the north to the summit of the divide between the St. Maries and St. Joe rivers. From this divide to the crest of the Coeur d'Alenes, it alternately rises and falls in crossing the valleys of the St. Joe and the Coeur d'Alene rivers and the dividing ranges. From a point on the 48th parallel of latitude, it moves southeast for about fifteen miles, along the summit of the Coeur d'Alene moun- tains, to the Montana state line, when it again turns north, crossing the valley of Clark's Fork, the crest of the Cabinet mountains, the valley of Kootenai river, and intersecting the International Boundary a short distance west of the 116th meridian of longitude. In traversing this region the eastern boundary line crosses one of the most mountainous and broken sections of the northwest, reaching its lowest elevation at Leonia. on the Kootenai river, and its highest on the crests of the Cabinet and the Coeur d'Alene mountains. At Leonia is located one of the boundary stones between Idaho and Montana, a stone pillar six feet high, and ten inches square at the top. On the east side is

chiseled the word Montana, and on the west side, Idaho. The elevation of this stone is 1833 feet, and its distance from the International Boundary is 26.64 miles. Fifty-four miles south of the boundary is an- other Idaho-Montana monument, on the summit of the Cabinets, with an elevation of 6,780 feet. July y. 1898, a state-line monument was erected on the summit of the Coeur d'Alene mountains, 70.72 miles south of the 49th parallel. It has the same dimensions as the others but is in ten sections, the sections having been taken up the trails on pack animals, and after- ward cemented and bolted together. The elevation here is 4,850 feet. There are ninety-two monuments and posts between the International Boundary and the summit of the Coeur d'Alene mountains, a distance of little more than seventy miles, four stone monu- ments and eighty-eight iron posts. Directly on the boundary line is a stone monument and the elevation given at this point is 4,505 feet. The survey of this portion of the Idaho-Montana line and the erecting of the posts and monuments was accomplished by Rich- ard U. Goode of the United States Geological Survey, in the summer of 1898.

In passing from east to west, the International Boundary, which forms also the north line of Kootenai county, crosses the valley of the Kootenai river and lies for the remainder of the distance along the north slope of the Cabinet range, known locally as the Priest River mountains. The point of intersection with the Washington state line is about two miles west of the 117th meridian of longitude; the north half of the county is, therefore, one degree of longitude in width.

819

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

South from the International Boundary, the west coun- ty line follows the Pend Oreille range of mountains, whose greatest elevation is between 6,000 and 7,000 feet, to the valley of the Pend Oreille river. South of this river the divide between Pend Oreille and Spokane river is crossed, after which a semi-moun- tainous tract is traversed until the hills of the Palouse country are reached, where the line returns to the point of beginning, a few miles north of Farmington, Washington. The distance around the county is fully 375 miles, "as the crow flies ;" following the line in its numberless and sharp depressions and elevations, it is mnuch farther. Except at intervals along the south and east boundaries, the course is through a densely tim- bered area, much of it uninhabited, some of it almost inaccessible, where there are no roads and but few trails. a series of wild, canyon-cleft ranges, relieved only by narrow river valleys, and an occasional plateau, differing from the higher elevations in primeval en- vironments only in the absence of the gorge and the eternal snow.

Everywhere apparent is the geological fact that Kootenai county has had a most wonderful physical history, beginning thousands of years ago. at a period when the titanic forces of nature were holding high carnival in the region now occupied by the states of the Pacific Northwest. Geologists agree that at one time the foothills of the Rocky Mountain range formed the shore line of the Pacific Ocean. In time the Cascade Mountains were thrown up, at first in the form of a long, low dyke, but, by successive upheavals and erup- tions, to the present elevation. There was thus formed, between the Cascade and the Rocky Mountains, a vast inland sea, extending from the ice fields of the far north to the open sea in the far south. Dr. Thomas Condon, Professor of Geology, University of Oregon, in a recent work entitled "The Two Islands," asserts that the Coeur d'Alene and Bitter Root mountains formed the east shore of this inland sea. The pres- ence of water-worn pebbles and shells on the slopes of the Cabinet and Coeur d'Alene mountains verify the Doctor's statement.

During this period, then, Kootenai county must have been just "off shore," a portion of it, in fact, forming the pebbly beach or the rocky shore of the sea. The presence of the worn pebbles and shells high up the mountain sides may not be understood to indicate that the waters approached the present eleva- tion of the mountains. During a long period of in- activity, the fierce internal fires were but gathering energy for mightier work. In time the placid sur- face of the adjacent sea became a surging, boiling tempest, the mighty waves receding farther and far- ther from the former shore line, as the earth's crust was thrown up in giant folds, higher and higher, until the Rocky Mountain system, embracing its western spurs and ranges, attained its present elevation. During this eruptive period occurred the greatest lava flow of all the ages. Not only were the snowy peaks of the Cascades built up, but the flow extended inland, to the south and to the north, over the vast plains of the Columbia, covering an area of 200,000 square miles

to an average depth of 2,000 feet. The life of the inland sea was at an end, and in its stead was a vast desert-waste of lava. By the lifting of the Cascade range the warm Japan current, which had previously washed the Rocky Mountain slopes in its passage to the north, was turned from its course and the inland areas experienced a radical change in temperature. A glacial era followed and in many places are discernable the paths of these mighty ice-floes, as in their slow but irresistible movement from north to south. they furrowed and planed down the broken face of the earth's crust, scarring the mountain sides, filling in the intervening depths, and forming the level and beau- teous valleys of the present. Far extending moraines and wide glaciated surfaces tell plainly the story of this era. The path of the glacier is well marked in Koot- enai county. From north to south, through the central portion of the county are found the deposits and ac- cumulations peculiar to this period. From the moun- tain tops at the head of Lake Pend Oreille, the path of the ice mass is plainly visible, and some idea may be had of its gigantic proportions when it is known that beneath the surface of Rathdrum prairie the moraine has a depth of between two and three hundred feet.

There is not space here for a technical description of the structure and elemental constitution of the mountains of Kootenai county. They are of volcanic origin and many of the loftier peaks are extinct vol- canoes. The period of volcanic and seismal distur- bances in this region is comparatively recent, as evi- denced by the presence of volcanic ash on the mountain sttmmits, and, in places, the distibution over wide areas of boulders and fragmentary rock that have been hurled from the mountain sides. There have been no special geological surveys of these mountains, but in a general way government geologists have reported on their structure as a part of the Rocky Mountain system and to these works the student reader is referred for tech- nical information.

The mountainous regions of Kootenai county have been a help and at the present time a hindrance to its development. Not many years ago the greater portion of the county might well have been described as a region of wild and beautiful scenery, untouched by the industrial hand of man. The mountains were for a long time, and, in- locations, are still a hindrance to development, as they have delayed road and railroad building. For this reason many localities are difficult of access, are cut off from good markets, and progress along all lines is consequently slow. The mountains have, however, been a help in other directions, because of their mineral deposits, which have attracted many -ettlers ; because of the game in their forests, the 6sh in their streams, and the deep snows on their rugged crests. The game and the fish of the mountain regions have induced many to locate in the nearby valleys, and the snows have been made to serve practical purposes by the construction of canals through which the waters of the resultant streams are carried to the agricultural lands for purposes of irrigation. Two decades ago when the Northern Pacific was pushing through to the coast, agriculture was in its infancy in Kootenai coun-

820

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

ty. Some stock ranged over the valleys and in the mountains. Here and there along the streams might be found a small farm with a very few acres in grain and potatoes. But even these small farms were widely separated by unoccupied tracts, and it was not thought possible to cultivate any but the lands directly adjacent to the waterways. A revolution has been wrought in these twenty years. During the first decade progress was slow, but in the last ten years great strides have been made : it has been demonstrated that the low lands and the foothill slopes of Kootenai county are rich in productive qualities, and that climatic conditions make easy of production all kinds of grains and grasses, fruits, berries and vegetables. In proportion to the aggregate timber, lake, and mountain areas, the per cent of agricultural lands the county over is com- paratively small, a liberal estimate by the best informed being about one-fifth of the total area of the county. Agriculture is not and probably never will be the chief industry, but good markets in the mining and timber regions and in the numerous populous towns make farming a profitable industry and there are farm lands enough to support a large population. The soil in the smaller valleys is of volcanic and alluvial origin, very deep near the mountains, in many places of a black loam color and sufficiently rich in the potashes, phos- phates and silicates to assure success in the cultivation of grains, vegetables and fruits. In the larger valleys, such as that of the Spokane river, a soil composed of vegetable mould, silt and wash from the adjacent mountains, rests upon a moraine accumulation of great depth. Above the glacial deposits the soil varies in depth, over many wide areas the gravel and stones ap- proaching within two or three feet of the surface. În favorable seasons excellent crops are produced on the moraine prairies, but thus far efforts to irrigate them have not met with decided success.

Climatic conditions in Kootenai county are as fa- vorable to health and to the production of crops as anywhere in the northwest. The winters are not severe even in the most northern portions of the county ex- cept in the high mountain altitudes, which are unin- habited. Ice goes out of the lower Kootenai river early in February; except in the shallower portions Lake Pend Oreille never freezes, and it is only dur- ing a short period each winter that steamers do not ply from Coeur d'Alene up the lake and the St. Joe, St. Maries and Coeur d'Alene rivers. The valleys are protected by high mountain walls on either side and the warm winds coming at intervals from "over Chi- nook Camp" crowd many a spring-like day into the wintry months. Pansies are frequently seen blooming on the lawns at Christmastide and it is only upon the smaller lakes, with considerable elevations above the valleys, that ice merchants can depend for the summer's supply of the natural product. There is always an abundance of snow in the mountains, the greatest pre- cipitation occurring on the Cabinet mountains, on the lofty crests at the head of Lake Pend Oreille, and on the mountain divides between the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe and St. Maries rivers. The presence of the snow banks tempers the heat of the summer months, which

is never oppressive. The valley and lake elevations are comparatively low and this fact accounts in a measure for the pleasant winters. They are sufficiently nigh, however, to insure the absence of sultry heat in the summer, making of almost every town in the county a delightful summer resort. Lake Coeur d'Alene has an elevation of about 2,000 feet. Lake Pend Oreille 1,456 feet, the town of Bonner's Ferry 1,600 feet, Sandpoint 2,119 feet, Rathdrum 2,216 feet, the town of Priest River 2,170 feet.

The development of the agricultural resources of Kootenai county began about Heyden lake in the early 'eighties. Locations were made previous to this time. but the presence of heavy forests and the absence of good markets forbade the tillage of large areas. A little later the coming of the railroad, the establishment of the mining camps, and the influx of tourists, sports- men and lumber companies, stimulated the farmer to activity ; forests were cleared, the sod of the prairies was turned, each year seeds were sown over an in- creased acreage and the harvests began to return richer rewards to homesteaders. John Hager, now of Coeur d'Alene, took up a soldier's homestead on Heyden lake in 1878; C. B. King, of the same place, located in the same region at an early date, and his place, known as the Avondale farm, is now one of the best im- proved and most desirable homes in the county. The old Heyden place, at the lower end of Heyden lake. was perhaps the scene of the first attempts at systematic farming in the county. This farm was taken up by Matt Heyden, for whom the lake was named, in 1879. A year or two later the Gleason brothers, John, James and Mathew, located in the same neighborhood. Among others who located early in the central portion of the county we may name John Fernan, on Fernan lake, just east of Coeur d'Alene, 1880; Edwin Crockett, near Coeur d'Alene, 1880; Oliver Edwards, stock farm, eighteen miles north of Rathdrum, 1882: S. L. Smith and John Crenshaw, north of Rathdrum, 1888; Frank Buckle, east of Rathdrum, and M. B. Ross. near Post Falls. In the northern part of the county, Richard and Martin Fry engaged in agricultural pur- suits in the early days near Bonner's Ferry, and twenty miles down the Kootenai valley from Bonner's Ferry, Z. Montgomery and a few others had hay and stock ranches and cultivated small patches to supply local demands for vegetables. In the earlier days the only markets were the military posts at Fort Colville. Fort Walla Walla and Fort Coeur d'Alene. In 1880 the following prices were paid for supplies at Colville and Coeur d'Alene : Oats. 21/2 cents per pound ; hay, $16 per ton; straw, $12 per ton; barley, one dollar per hundred pounds; dry wood, $3.35 per cord; green wood, $2.95 per cord. In 1885, according to the as- sessor's summary, the value of homesteaded and pat- ented lands in Kootenai county, together with the improvements thereon, was placed at $205,693.50, and the total tax collection for the year was $10,222.94. In 1887 the assessment roll had increased to $966,000. This increase, however, was not due so much to ad- vancement of farming industries as to the increase of railroad mileage and the establishment of saw mills.

821

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

The advance in agriculture and stock raising may be better appreciated by the review of some statistics taken from assessor's returns for later years. In 1898 there were in Kootenai county 4,567 cattle, 2,430 horses and 1906 sheep. In 1899 there were 40,924 acres in farms and stock ranches, patented, and valued for purposes of taxation at $608,037. The value of sheep, cattle and horses in the county was $169.482. In 1901 the taxable value of stock, which was far below the actual market value, was $184,058. This increased in 1902 to $213,310. In this year there were 820,77I acres of patented lands, valued with improvements at over one million dollars. There were 6,812 cattle and 2,474 horses. No record has been kept of the aggre- gate yield of grains, vegetables and fruits for any year, hence we are unable to give accurate information con- cerning the yearly output. From the report for 1900 by C. J. Bassett, Commissioner of Immigration for the State of Idaho, we learn that the county produced 50,000 bushels of grain. This was an estimate only, but is probably approximately correct. Agriculture and horticulture have kept pace with the stock industry and there has been a constant increase in acreage de- voted to the production of grains and fruits with a proportionate increase in returns.

Interest in fruit culture began almost contempora- neously with the breaking of the sod for grain and vegetable raising. In the valley lands and on the slopes of the foothills, fruit does exceptionally well, and its culture is fast becoming one of the leading industries. Within a radius of ten miles from Coeur d'Alene, up . wards of 30,000 trees are growing and bearing. On the C. H. Back place alone there are over 7,000 trees. There are one hundred orchards in the county con- taining more than 500 trees each. The peach orchard of B. M. Ross, near Post Falls, contains 1000 trees. Among other bearing orchards are those of S. L. Smith, 2,600 trees; D. W. Ross, sixty acres; John B. Leiburg, 3,000 trees; Thomas Fitzsimmons, 18 acres ; A. D. Robinson and M. Bacon, 20 acres. These are only a few of the many orchards in the central portion of the county, on the prairie and on the shores to Lake Pend Oreille, Heyden Lake, Fish Lake and Lake Coeur d'Alene. In the valley of the Pend Oreille river orchards are owned by Henry Keyser, Lyman Markham, Mrs. Cramer, John Fox, J. C. Fin- stead and others. In the Kootenai valley: Z. Mont- gomery, W. T. McNear, Fry Bros., Charles Edwards, Empey Bros., and a number of others are engaged in fruit culture. In the valleys of the St. Joe and St. Maries rivers there are several orchards, and each year witnesses additions to the acreage so cultivated. Soil and seasons are favorable in Kootenai county to di- versified farming and scarcely any of the farmers are confining themselves to specialties. As an example of the possibilities of the soil we may cite the exhibition made by Clem King at the market fair held at Coeur d'Alene, October 23, 24, 1895. It consisted of varieties of apples, plums, pears, peaches, strawberries (ripe and still clinging to the vines), currants, grapes, pre- serves, butter, eggs, cheese. vegetables, pumpkins. squashes, hay, straw, wheat and oats.

Dairying has always been a profitable industry in Kootenai county and is becoming more so as the towns build up, the other industries are developed and the markets and transportation facilities improve. There is a number of dairies along the west branch of Priest river, about Coeur d'Alene lake and on the St. Joe and St. Maries rivers. A cheese factory has been in suc- cessfui operation for a number of years at St. Maries and is now owned by William and Joseph Cole and Joseph Fisher.

Besides the government mill on the Coeur d'Alene Indian reservation, there is but one flouring mill in the county. It is located on the Spokane river at Post Falls. Full particulars concerning this enterprise will be found in the article on the history of that town.

The effects of irrigation have not thus far been fully demonstrated in Kootenai county. Many farmers have irrigated small tracts from private ditches, in some cases obtaining satisfactory results, and in others failing on account of the near approach to the surface soil of the gravel beds into which the water filters rapidly. Since 1899 systematic efforts have been made to irrigate portions of Rathdrum prairie. In July, 1899, three water rights were filed with the county recorder by W. L. Benham, of Spokane, and a party of civil engineers was placed in the field to make pre- liminary surveys. D. C. Corbin was behind the enter- prise which was promised good support by the settlers on the prairie. The rights embraced the water of Hey- den, Fish, and Sucker lakes. The ditch from Heyden lake was to be fifteen miles in length with a capacity of 500 cubic feet of water per second. The surveyed route for this ditch was west from the lake along the dividing line between townships 51 and 52 north, range 3 west of Boise meridian, and it was proposed to irrigate lands on either side of this line. The line surveyed for the Fish lake ditch was twenty miles long and it was proposed to irrigate with it the two lower tiers of sections in township 52 north, range 4, west of Boise meridian. The capacity of the ditch was to be the same as that from Heyden lake. From Sucker lake it was proposed to construct a canal with a ca- pacity of 200 cubic feet of water per second. It was to be ten miles long and to irrigate a region west of Rathdrum. Meetings of citizens of Rathdrum and farmers of that vicinity were held, committees were appointed to confer with the ditch company and with settlers along the routes surveyed ; great interest was taken in the enterprise which promised early and suc- cessful consummation. Various circumstances have interfered with the completion of these canals, but plans have not been materially changed and many be- lieve that complete success will crown the efforts to irrigate the prairie. Irrigation is not necessary here to the production of fair crops in favorable years and in some seasons precipitation is sufficient for the pro- duction of excellent yields of grains and vegetables. If, however, an unfailing supply of water can be brought to the prairie it will insure enormous yields and will double land valnes through the whole valley. The Fish lake ditch is now five miles long and work on it is being continued. The Heyden lake ditch is also

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 197

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1524

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524