Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 7.djvu/694

 IDAHO

628

IDAHO

country north of the Snake River flow out upon and are absorbed in the lava and sage-brush plains, and thence find their way beneath the lava overflow by subterranean passages into the river, or burst through the lava canyon walls in mighty springs. For 250 miles of its course not a stream flows into the Snake River from the north; the valley of the river, and most of its tributaries, is a lava plain overlaid with a soil of volcanic ash, which when irrigated pro- duces with wonderful fertility; a large area is ir- reclaimable, but has an inestimable value as grazing ground in the winter for sheep, cattle, and horses, the snowfall being light and the temperature rarely reach- ing zero. The principal tributary valleys of the Snake River are the Boise, Payette, Salmon, and Weiser, drained by rivers of identical names; the northerly course of the river is through deep canyons, between majestic mountain ranges, and far below the great wheat land prairies, the plateaux and rolling hills of Northern Idaho ; the river is navigable below Lewiston, l)Ut in its course through Idaho the rapid fall of the stream and its extensive use for irrigation prevent navigation. In Idaho's mountains are many fresh- water lakes of great depth and picturesque surround- ings; the principal lakes are the Coeur d'Alene, Pend d'Orcille, Payette, and Bear, the latter extending into Utah. Many wonderful waterfalls are found in the state; the four principal ones are formed by the Snake River, and are called the American, Twin, Salmon, and Shoshone Falls — the last-mentioned being 210 feet high and 1200 feet wide and having a world-wide fame.

The climate varies according to location and eleva- tion, the northern part of the state being in the humid, and the southern part in the arid, region. In the latter .section the climate is very dry, bracing, and invigorating. In the valleys and agricultural dis- tricts zero temperature is almost unknown, and the winters are short with long growing seasons in spring and summer.

PoPLL.vTioN. — According to the census returns, the population was 13,999 in 1870; 32,610 in ISSO; S4,3S5 in 1890; 101,772 in 1900. In 1908 the population of the state was estimated at 360,000, and that of its capital, Boise, at 2.5,000. The cities with an esti- mated population of from five to ten thousand are Poca- tello, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Sand- point, Lewiston, Moscow, and Nampa.

Resources. — No state possesses resources more varied than those of Idaho. Agriculture, mining, lumbering, sheep and cattle raising, and horticulture are successfully carried on, while the lead mines of Northern Idaho produce the purest lead in the coun- try, and supply about one-third of the total output of the United States. The Idaho mines in 1907 produced minerals valued at .?22,165,191.37: lead yiehled .?12,470,341.74; silver yielded $5,.546,.553.82; copper yielded §2,241,177.17; gold yielded $1,373,- 031.40; zinc yielded S534,0S7.24. Valuable deposits of coal and phosphates exist; magnificent building stone, granite and marble, is also found in great quan- tities. The placer mines of the Boise basin have produced since 1863 over S2.')0,000,000 in gold, and are still extensively mined by hydraulic plants and dredges. Railway facilities are inadequate and vast mountainous areas of mineral land are yet practically unexplored, so that the mineral resources of Central and Southern Idaho cannot be correctly estimated.

Agricultube. — The six northern cmmties of the state are in the humid region, with an annual rainfall of over 20 inches, and great crops of grain and grass are raised without irrigation. In the southern part of the state practically no crops are raised without the artificial application of water, and in this section there are over 300 days of simshine in the year. Idaho has profited greatly by the provisions of the Carey Act, and has been granted 2,000,000 acres of land

under that act by the United States Government, being one of the few states so favoured. Enormous irrigation works have been constructed during the past five years, and still greater ones are in course of construction. In 1908 there were 4,554 miles of main canals and 5,654 miles of lateral canals con- structed at a cost of §28,389,271.00, with 4,040,131 acres under canal, and 1,825,550 acres actually irrigated. Ben Davis and Jonathan apples attain perfection in the horticultural lands of the Boise, Payette, and Weiser vallej's, and large quantities of prunes and pears are shipped yearly; several canning factories are in operation in the Boise and Payette valleys. The southern section of the state is noted for its melons, and the eastern section for potatoes. Alfalfa is the principal forage crop, although other grasses are grown; wheat and oats are very success- fully raised. Near Lewiston, grapes, cherries, and peaches are produced in large quantities. The enor- mous development going on in the State of Idaho at the present day, particularly under the irrigation reclamation projects, renders present figures an inse- cure basis in estimating the state's agricultural re- sources, yet the statistics for 1907 show the value of farm products as over $68,000,000: wheat, the prin- cipal crop, being valued at $12,500,000; oats at over $14,000,000; alfalfa at over §7,000,000; fruits at $7,000,000.

Other Industries. — The principal manufacturing industry is that of lumber; there are in the state over 60,000,000,000 cubic feet of timlier, mostly white and yellow pine, with some red fir, cedar, hemlock, tamarack, and white fir; in 1907 there were 224 saw and planing mills, with an output valued at $7,000,- 000. Although electric power plants have only be- gun to utilize the wonderful natural water-fall of the various streams of the .state, in 1907 thirty-nine of such power plants were already in existence, repre- senting an outlay of §4.500,000. In Southern Idaho, in 1908, four great sugar factories produced from sugar beets grown on irrigated lands 52,423.500 pounds of sugar; the total output of manufacturing plants in 190/' was §22,000,000, and 7,887 workmen were employed.

Co.MMUNicATioN. — There are four telegraph com- panies in the state, the Western Union, Postal Tele- graph, Postal Cable, and Pacific and Idaho Northern, with wires stretching over 6,888 miles. The principal telephone company is the Rocky Mountain Bell, but there are a number of independent companies; the number of miles covered is 16,616. Water trans- portation in the state is limited, but passenger and freight steamers ply Lakes Coeur d'.\lene and Pend d'Oreille. The railroads of the state include the Harriman system, the Northern Pacific, Great North- ern, the Idaho Northern, the Pacific & Idaho North- ern, and the Spokane & International; there are also electric lines, Creur d'Alene & Spokane Electric Rail- way, the Boise & Interurban, and Boi.se Valley. Great development is taking place, and much construction is being contemplated in the state. The railroad mileage in 1907 was 1,978.58 miles.

EDrc.\TioN. — The con.stitution provides that the public school funds of the state shall forever remain intact, and only the interest thereon shall be used; this fund for the most part consists of the revenue derived from the .sale of thousands of acres of land, sections IG and 32 of each township in the state, and granted to the public schools of Idaho by the United States Government. These lands are sold at auction to the highest bidder, the minimum price being ten dollars per acre; no religious test or qualification is required for admission as either teacher or student to any public school; neither teachers nor pupils are required to participate in any religious services, and no sectarian or religious doctrines may ever be taught, or any distinction or classification made as to