Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 18.djvu/188



160 Leslie M. Scott

August 8, 1864.'" Three years later, in 1867, the general progress, due to mining, caused the Government to extend the mail service to Portland directly from Salt Lake and Walla Walla, instead of by way of Sacramento, thereby shortening the service some six days. In the same year the Government began mail service between Wallula and Helena, using pack horses between the Columbia River (frequently at White Bluffs) and Lake Pend Oreille, and steamboats on Lake Pend^ Oreille and Carle's Fork. This route began to be used by Portland merchants in 1865, to reach the Montana mines ahead of the uncertain steamboat transportation up Missouri River to Fort Benton from Saint Louis. The trip from Port- land to Helena then consumed seven days.*^

California competed keenly for the trade of Owyhee and Boise. A tri-weekly mail service was established between Chico, California and Ruby City, in Owyhee, in 1866. John Mullan and others established a stage line in 1865 between Red Bluff, California and Silver City, Idaho. These several connections with Boise and Owyhee were supplanted in 1868- 69 by the Central Pacific Railroad. Sharp rivalry existed between the California and the Columbia River stage lines in 1865-66. The Columbia River route used steamboats to Umatilla Landing, stages and freight wagons thence across Blue Mountains to Olds Ferry (near Huntington) on Snake River; thence a steamboat of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, which was finished in May, 1866, the Shoshone, up Snake River. This steamboat lost money heavily; wood for fuel was scarce and it could not steam past Bruneau River. Besides, the stage route between Olds* Ferry and Boise was easier and quicker than the round-about steam- boat travel.''^

These large activities necessarily had effects on the political life of the great region. Each mining community resorted to

71 Sec Thg Oregonian, June 24. 1864.

J2 For details of the route see The Oregonian, November 17, 1865, p. j; May 7, 1867, p. -3; June 8, 1867, p. a; May 11. 1867, p. 3.

73 "It cost more to unload and reload and haul over this thirty-three miles (Snake River to Boise) than it did to haul straight through the ninety miles from Olds Ferry to Boise" (Hailey's History of Idaho, p. 124).