USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume I > Part 51
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"The state owns a forested area of 723,000 acres. Of this amount, there are about 580,000 acres in Northern Idaho and about 140,000 acres in Southern Idaho.
"In logging and manufacturing this standing timber into lumber at least
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$8 per thousand feet, board measure, will be paid out in wages to actual bona fide residents of Idaho. This amounts to the enormous sum of $1,040,000,000. Or, stated another way, this sum would employ 5,000 men, at an average wage of $5 per day, 300 days a year, continuously for 138 years.
"In addition to the foregoing, the lumbermen of Idaho will pay out $2 per thousand feet, or $260,000,000, for supplies, purchased of residents of Idaho.
"It should be clearly understood that the $260,000,000 last referred to is what the lumbermen-the loggers and manufacturers-will pay out for supplies purchased locally, consisting largely of agricultural products, such as hay, oats, butter, eggs, milk, beef, pork, mutton, chickens, flour, potatoes, beans, sugar, apples, prunes, etc,
"Of course, a large part of the billion dollars in wages will also be spent locally.
"Probably 90 per cent of these vast sums will come from the sales of lumber in the middle western and eastern markets.
"At $8 per thousand feet for wages and $2 per thousand for supplies used in logging and manufacturing this timber into lumber, the state will have $101,300,000 spent within its borders. It is for this reason that the interest of the farmers and business men in this timber is many times greater than any possible value the stumpage can ever have.
"If the state's 10,000,000,000 feet of lumber is sent out of the state by rail- road, the freight will amount to over $81,000,000. The freight on the total of 130,000,000,000 feet means that the railroads will fight for this tonnage, all of which spells railroad development, more people, more revenue from taxation.
"If all the standing saw timber in Idaho, belonging to the state, could be made up into lumber at one plant and placed in the lumber yard in piles of customary size, it would occupy a yard of 5,814 acres, or over nine square miles.
"In none of the foregoing figures is any account taken of growth incre- ment nor of posts, poles, piling, shingles and cordwood.
"A large part of the state's timber was acquired under congressional grants for our educational, charitable and penal institutions. Practically the only endowments these institutions have are in the form of standing timber. If this timber is destroyed by forest fires, or otherwise, the endowments are almost total losses, since very little of the land under this timber can be sold for the minimum of $10 per acre, below which figure it cannot be appraised under the terms of the grants.
"Every time a thousand feet of merchantable timber is destroyed by forest fires, or otherwise, the workingmen of Idaho lose $8 in wages and the farmers lose $2 that otherwise would have been spent for camp supplies, etc. And the farmers and business men lose $8 worth of business which the wage earner would otherwise have been able to do with them.
"There is today 25,000,000,000 feet of standing white pine saw timber in Idaho, of which the state owns 10 per cent. Only second to white pine in quality is our western yellow pine, of which there is now standing in Idaho 22,000,000,000 feet, and of this total the state owns about 9 per cent.
"Our state penitentiary needs extensions and betterments; our capitol build- ing needs two wings to complete it; the state university must have additional
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buildings, and our common schools should be given the financial support neces- sary to insure our children the best educations possible to obtain in any state.
"Congress has granted the State of Idaho hundreds of thousands of acres of land for these institutions-considerable portions of these grants being located in the largest white pine forests now extant. These timber grants, if properly protected and administered, will more than take care of the require- ments of our penal, charitable and educational institutions.
"Isn't it time for the State of Idaho to take an inventory of its timber assets ; adopt a settled forest policy ; abandon its niggardly, devil-may-care, haphazard policy touching the protection of its own timber resources, and create at least a small department to look after its 10,000,000,000 feet of timber?"
CONSERVATION
During the years of prosperity that followed immediately after the Civil war, when lumber was in great demand for many purposes, thoughful persons saw that the forests of the nation were rapidly being depleted and began to advocate the adoption of some policy that would preserve part of the timber for future generations. What that policy was to be was not very well defined, but in 1871 a bill relative to the preservation of the forests on the public domain was intro- duced in Congress. Although it failed to pass, the conservationists continued their agitation and in 1876 Congress appropriated $2,000 "to employ a com- petent man to investigate timber conditions in the United States and report."
There the subject was allowed to rest for more than ten years. If the expert employed under the Act of 1876 ever made a report, Congress failed to take action thereon. Soon after the creation of the department of agriculture under Presi- dent Cleveland's first administration, a division of forestry was added to the department. Norman J. Colman, of Missouri, was then secretary of agricul- ture and did not seem to be particularly interested in the subject of forestry, so the "division of forestry," while the name sounded well, accomplished nothing.
When President Harrison was inaugurated on March 4, 1889, he appointed Jeremiah M. Rusk, of Wisconsin, to the agricultural portfolio in the cabinet. Mr. Rusk came from a state having large timber resources and lumbering inter- ests and was well acquainted, by actual contact, with forestry problemis. In addition to the fact that the timber resources of the country were being exhausted at a rapid rate, it was argued that the preservation of the forest on the water- sheds was necessary in order to protect the water supply upon which depended the reclamation of the great tracts of arid though fertile lands all over the West. Mr. Rusk also pointed out that the forest resources, unlike many other sources of wealth, could be utilized and at the same time perpetuated; that it was waste rather than the manufacture of lumber that was depleting the forests, and large- ly through his influence Congress passed an act, which was approved on March 3, 1891, providing: "That the President of the United States may from time to time set apart and reserve, in any state or territory having public lands bearing forests, in any part of the public lands wholly or in part covered with timber or undergrowth, whether of commercial value or not, as public reservations, and the President shall, by public proclamation, declare the establishment of such reservations and the limits thereof."
Under the provisions of this act, President Harrison set apart the "Yellow-
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stone Park Timberland Reserve" in 1891, a few weeks after the passage of the act. This was the first national forest, though others followed and they became generally known as "forest reserves." Government officials soon learned, how- ever, that the mere act of proclaiming a certain tract of land a reservation was not sufficient to insure the preservation of the forest, and that in establishing these reserves an injustice was often done to local interests. The matter was taken up by the secretary of the interior, who asked the National Academy of Sciences to recommend a plan for the preservation of the national forests that would protect the timber and at the same time be equitable in its application. The suggestions of the academy were embodied in an act approved by President Mc- Kinley on June 4, 1897, which provided :
"That no public forest reservation shall be established except to improve and protect the forest within the reservation, or for the purpose of securing favor- able conditions of water flows, and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of the citizens of the United States; but it is not the purpose or intent of these provisions, or of the act providing for such reserva- tions, to authorize the inclusion therein of lands more valuable for the mineral therein, or for agricultural purposes, than for forest purposes."
It was also provided that the forest reserves should be surveyed, mapped and classified by the United States Geological Survey and be under the control of the general land office. The theory of this law seemed to be that the man- agement of the land was of more importance than that of the forest and under it the use of the reserves quickly brought up a number of complex problems re- quiring for solution a scientific knowledge of forestry for which the law made no provision. To supply this defect, the act of July 1, 1901, created the Bureau of Forestry, which could offer advice, but was not given the authority to enforce its recommendations or regulations.
On February 1, 1905, President Roosevelt approved an act consolidating the various branches of government forest work and placing the management of the national forests in the hands of the department of agriculture, the forest reserves to be hereafter known as "national forests," and the division of the department of agriculture intrusted with the execution of the law is called the "forest serv- ice." The law of 1905 is based on the theory that when a tree reaches its mature growth it is ready to be manufactured into lumber, and to allow it to remain standing invites its decay. If not used at the proper time disintegration begins and a financial loss is consequently incurred. It is therefore the intention of the forest service "to afford the greatest use of the timber consistent with the per- petuity of the forests." Reforestation is provided for-that is, new trees are planted to take the places of those removed-but if at any time the service de- termines that the forest growth is not keeping pace with the timber cut, the out- put is reduced ; and on the other hand, if the growth exceeds the timber cut the annual sales are increased. By this system, except where great destruction of timber occurs through forest fires, the supply of timber in the national forests is expected to remain practically the same through the years to come. In the dis- posal of timber the forest service gives first consideration to local interests and to the people who are building up the country rather than to large lumber com- panies whose interest is purely commercial. Only the "stumpage" is sold, the title to the land remaining in the Government of the United States.
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NATIONAL FORESTS
In 1915 there were in the United States 160 national forests, with a total of nearly one hundred and ninety million acres. Most of these forests are located in the western states and for convenience of administration are divided into six districts, the headquarters of which are at Missoula, Mont .; Ogden, Utah; San Francisco, Cal .; Portland, Ore .; Denver, Colo., and Albuquerque, N. M .. Be- sides this arrangement, each forest has its supervisor. Twenty-two of the for- ests lie wholly or in part within the State of Idaho. The following table gives a list of these forests, with the location of the supervisor's office and the num- ber of acres in each within the state limits :
Forest and Office Acres
Beaverhead, Dillon, Mont.
92,000
Boise, Boise, Idaho
1,107,000
Cache, Logan, Utah 269,922
Caribou, Montpelier
695,000
Challis, Challis 1,194,000
Clearwater, Orofino
822,700
Coeur d'Alene, Coeur d'Alene
760,800
Idaho, McCall
1,209,280
Kaniksu, Newport, Wash.
465,260
Lemhi, Mackay
1,136,500
Minidoka, Oakley
539,050
Nez Perce, Grangeville
1,745,060
Palisade, St. Anthony
301,300
Payette, Emmett
863,750
Pend d'Oreille, Sandpoint
858,000
Pocatello, Pocatello
281,745
St. Joe, St. Maries
1,033,500
Salmon, Salmon 1,635,500
Sawtooth, Hailey
1,320,000
Selway, Kooskia 1,802,000
Targhee, St. Anthony
738,000
Weiser, Weiser
680,460
Total acreage
19,550,827
Idaho has a larger part of her area taken up by national forests than any other state. The total area of the state is 54,272,000, of which almost 35 per cent is included in the national forests. These forests withdraw from settlement large tracts of land that are not properly home land and reserve them for forest prop- agation and preservation, for watersheds to conserve moisture that plays such an important part in the irrigation of arid lands, and for grazing purposes. It is estimated that about 45 per cent of the standing timber in the state is privately owned, but nearly 90 per cent of the timbered area is included in the national forests.
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HISTORY OF IDAHO
AGRICULTURAL LANDS
In all the national forests there is some land well adapted to agriculture or homesteads. By application to the district forester at Ogden, Utah, or Dillon, Mont., or to the local supervisor of the forest in which such land is situated, one can have an examination made of any tract supposed to be agricultural land, and if found to be suitable for farming purposes such land can be entered under the homestead laws. In general, the lands in the national forests in Eastern Idaho are at too high an altitude, with too little moisture, to render them suit- able to the requirements of the average farmer, but in the western portion of the state, especially in the Boise, Weiser, Clearwater, Payette and Idaho national forests, there are many tracts of home-building land that can be had upon appli- cation and by complying with the regulations of the forest service.
MINING LANDS
Prospectors are permitted to go into the national forests for the purpose of locating mineral deposits just as though no reservations had been made. If minerals are found, they can make their filings under the state laws without any interference of the forest service. However, all persons operating mines within the limits of a national forest are required to observe certain rules regarding the starting of fires, etc. Miners can buy timber for the development of their claims, but are not permitted to waste timber indiscriminately as was frequently the case before the conservation policy was introduced. Some complaints have come from miners, who, under the old system, were accustomed to take timber from the public domain without paying anything for it, but in general the regulations adopted by the forest service are fair and impartial and mineral lands within the national forests are being developed more systematically than before it came into being.
GRAZING LANDS
For many years before the establishment of the national forest service great herds of cattle and sheep trailed over the "free ranges" of the West, and appar- ently the owners of these animals never gave a thought to the preservation of the natural pastures. The main object seemed to be to pasture as many animals as possible during the grazing season, leaving the future out of consideration, and in trailing from one feeding ground to another, as much good forage was frequently destroyed as was consumed. Rivalry between stockmen and their herders under this unregulated system of grazing often led to the great cattle and sheep wars which gave to the West an unenviable reputation in other parts of the country. Cattle and sheep men fought for possession of the ranges and water holes, property interests and grazing privileges were placed above human life, with the result that bloody pages were added to Western history.
Then, too, overpasturing and reckless destruction of forage threatened the grazing interests to such an extent that it was only a question of time until the size of the flocks and herds would have to be reduced. This was the situation when the Federal forest policy was inaugurated. When the forest service was fully organized a grazing system was adopted that provided for the preservation of the ranges. The service saw that in order to get the highest degree of utility
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HISTORY OF IDAHO
from the ranges consistent with their preservation, one of three. things must be done, viz: To increase the amount of forage, open new grazing lands, or reduce the size of the herds. As a matter of fact all three of these remedies were ap- plied. Wherever possible, pasture lands which had previously been inaccessible were opened by the construction of roads and bridges; ranges where the forage was about exhausted were temporarily withdrawn from use, giving the grass an opportunity to regain something of its former strength, and in a few instances stock men have been required to reduce the number of animals, but the decrease was usually brought about so gradually that no serious hardship was imposed upon the owner of the stock.
It is susceptible of proof that stock range conditions have been improved by the enforcement of national forest rules and regulations. The range is no longer overfed, so that the animals suffer for want of forage; the strong man can no longer overpower the weak; the water supply is steadily increasing as the ranges are being restored to their original conditions of tree and forage growth. Through the cooperation of stockmen and the forest service the following results have been attained: Trailing from one feeding ground to another has been reduced to a minimum; many miles of fences have been built, which greatly reduces the loss of stock through straying; herdsmen and forest rangers work together for the destruction of predatory animals that have in the past been such a serious menace to stock raising; each kind of stock is placed on the range best adapted to its needs ; worthless weeds are being eradicated and the quality of the forage is being steadily improved, and the pasturing of stock in the forests has a tendency to reduce the loss through forest fires. For the purpose of opening new"ranges, as well as part of the fire prevention system, almost fifteen thousand miles of trail and five hundred bridges have been installed by the forest service. The following resolutions adopted by the American National Live Stock Asso- ciation, show the sentiment of stockmen toward the Federal forest policy :
"We believe that the administration of the national forests throughout the West is conducted along the most efficient and just lines. Many matters of de- tail, which at first occasioned some discontent among stockmen, have been satis- factorily adjusted, or are being remedied with consistent rapidity, and there is a very evident intention on the part of the officers of the service to manage the forests so as to obtain from them the greatest amount of reasonable use con- sistent with their preservation. The American National Live Stock Association, in convention assembled at Phoenix, Ariz., January 14 and 15, 1913, therefore heartily indorses the administration of this service as being of distinct advantage to the stockmen of the West.
"We further believe that the live stock industry is best served through owner- ship and control of the national forests by the Federal Government, and we are opposed to any proposition which contemplates their transfer to the states.
"We believe that the prosperity and development of the stock raising indus- try on the public grazing lands of the arid and semi-arid West is seriously threat- ened by the present indiscriminate methods of grazing, and that thereby the per- manent value of such lands is greatly impaired, and we strongly recommend the early passage by Congress of a bill providing for Federal control of these un- appropriated public grazing lands and a just and reasonable method of leasing the same." .99
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FOREST FIRES
One of the most important changes that have come with the establishment of the national forests is the protection against disastrous fires. Camping parties, prospectors, sparks from passing railway trains, and occasionally the deliberate act of an incendiary, have caused great forest fires in the past that have resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars' worth of property and timber, and many human lives. The great fire of 1910 which swept over Northern Idaho and Western Montana is still fresh in the memory of the people. Once a forest fire gets a good start it is beyond the power of human effort to check it, and, as one old pioneer in Montana expressed it, "about the only thing left is to pray for rain."
The forest service has made a careful study of the origin of these fires and the best methods of preventing them, or of extinguishing them once they are started. Lookout stations have been established on mountain tops and in other commanding positions and during the dry seasons, when fires are most likely to occur frequent observations are taken from these "lookouts." The ranger camps are connected with the headquarters and the lookouts by telephones. All per- sons connected with the service are drilled in fire fighting and where danger is anticipated a systematic patrol service is maintained. Rules concerning camp fires, etc., have been promulgated and tourists are warned against carelessness in leaving their fires burning when they break camp. As new trails are extended into the forests the ranger service is made more efficient, and every effort is being made to prevent conflagrations.
Human ingenuity has never been able to devise any system that is without a flaw. The national forest service is not perfect and this fact has had much to do with the agitation for state ownership of all the resources lying within the state limits. But, should such a policy prevail, there would be a lack of uniform- ity in the forest policies adopted by the various states that would result in the forests and ranges being conducted in such a way that the old conditions would be almost certain to return. A recent report of the Idaho commissioner of immi- gration, labor and statistics, says :
"It is frequently said that the national forests are locked up from use of the people of the state. Such is not the fact. In 1911 there were cut on the national forests under Government sales in Idaho 49,579,000 feet board measure, valued at $118,472.26. During the same year there were issued to settlers free of charge for direct use on their holdings 21,523,000 feet, board measure, valued at $31.797.32. This makes a total of 71,102,000 feet, board measure, valued $150,269.58, used by the state that year from the national forests within its limits-a large amount, since the Government forests lie in the rugged moun- tains and are more remote than private timber. With the development of rail- road facilities, the cut on the national forests will outstrip that of the private holdings. The important point is, that the Government does not lock up this resource, but encourages and promotes its use under settled and definite manage- ment which releases the timber as needed and at the same time provides for its perpetuation."
In addition to the sum received from the sale of timber, the national forests derive 'a considerable income every year from grazing leases and other priv-
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HISTORY OF IDAHO
ileges. Of the gross receipts realized the Government turns over to the coun- ties in which the forests lie 25 per cent for road building and school purposes. An additional ro per cent is expended by the department of agriculture in build- ing and improving the trails within the forests. In 1906 the State of Idaho re- ceived from the forest reserve fund $6,520.57 and in 1915 the receipts amounted to $537,644.12. According to the state superintendent of public instruction's report for 1918 the forest reserve school fund for the year amounted to $107,- 177.43, an increase of $14,707.12 over the receipts of the preceding year. In her report the superintendent says: "Thirty counties of the state participate in the allotment of the forest reserve fund, 75 per cent of which is apportioned by the county treasurer for the construction of roads and 25 per cent for the con- struction, support and maintenance of public schoolhouses and schools."
As the $107,177.43 apportioned to the public schools represents only 25 per cent of the total fund, the amount received by the counties for road construction was $321,532.29. The eleven counties of the state that do not participate in this fund are: Ada, Bingham, Canyon, Gooding. Jefferson, Lewis, Lincoln, Mini- doka, Nez Perce, Owyhee and Payette.
CHAPTER XXVII
INDIAN TROUBLES AND EARLY MILITARY HISTORY
FIRST UNITED STATES TROOPS IN THE NORTHWEST- EARLY INDIAN TROUBLES CAPT. JEFF STANDIFER AND HIS CAMPAIGN-OTHER TROUBLES WITH THE INDIANS-THE NEZ PERCE WAR-BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES-BATTLE OF THE WHITE BIRD-BATTLE OF THE CLEARWATER-JOSEPH'S RETREAT-SURRENDER OF JOSEPH-AN INCIDENT OF THE WAR-ATTITUDE OF OTHER TRIBES DURING THE WAR-WAR WITH THE BANNOCKS-BATTLE OF SILVER CREEK-FIGHT AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN-DEATH OF BUFFALO HORN-FIGHT IN THE BLUE MOUN- TAINS-WHITE BIRD'S BAND-END OF THE BANNOCK WAR-THE SHEEPEATER WAR-THE END OF INDIAN WARS IN THE WEST.
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