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 IDAHO 167 utary of the Columbia. Lake Kanisku, about 30 m. long and 6 m. wide, which occupies the N. W. corner of the territory, empties into Clarke's fork. Bear river enters the S. E. cor- ner from Utah, flows N., and bending sharply S. reenters Utah, and empties into Great Salt lake. The S. W. corner is watered by Jordan creek and other affluents of the Owyhee, an Oregon tributary of the Snake. Three falls in the Snake deserve mention. The American falls are in about Ion. 112 45', and have a per- pendicular descent of 60 or 70 ft. The Sho- shone falls further down the stream, and just below the Malade, are surpassed only by those of Niagara and the Yosemite. The river, here 200 or 300 yards wide, is divided about 400 yards above the main fall into six nearly equal parts by five islands, and in the passage be- tween them is precipitated 25 or 30 ft. Uni- ting below the islands, the water passes in an unbroken sheet over the great fall, a descent of about 200 ft. The Salmon falls, about 45 m. below the Shoshone, are 20 ft. high. Idaho is rich in the precious metals. The principal quartz mines are in the S. W. part, in Owyhee, Idaho, Bois6, and Alturas counties. In the Owyhee mines, which are the richest, situated S. of the Snake and chiefly on Jordan creek, silver predominates. The other mines, the most productive of which are in Boise basin, an elliptical depression in Bois6 co., 25 m. long from N. to S. and 18 m. from E. to W., produce gold. Placer diggings occur in va- rious parts of the territory ; the most im- portant are those of Boise basin and along the head waters of the Salmon and Clearwater rivers. Gold was first discovered in paying quantities in Idaho on Oro Fino creek, a N. tributary of the Clearwater, in 1800. The Boise basin mines were discovered in 1862, and the Owyhee mines in 1863. The product of the territory prior to 1868 is stated in J. Ross Browne's " Resources of the Pacific Slope " at $45,000,000. The subsequent yield, according to R. W. Raymond, United States commis- sioner of mining statistics, has been as fol- lows: 1868, $7,000,000; 1869, $7,000,000; 1870, $6,000,000; 1871, $5,000,000; 1872, $2,695,870; 1873, $2,500,000; making the to- tal product more than $75,000,000. Of the yield in 1872, $2,272,261 was gold and $423,- 609 silver; in 1873, $1,571,733 gold and $928,- 267 silver. The gold from Idaho deposited at the United States mint, branches, and assay offices to June 30, 1873, amounted to $18,389,- 785 84; silver, $300,401 74. The census of 1870 returns 254 mines, having 5 steam engines of 82 horse power and 2 water wheels of 52 horse power; hands employed, 1,692; capital invested, $1,088,640; wages paid, $503,266; value of materials, $231,763 ; of products, $1,989,341. Of these mines 244 were for the production of gold, of which 7 were hydraulic, 232 placer, and 5 quartz ; 10 were quartz mines, producing gold and silver. The returns, how- ever, are admitted to be imperfect. A United States assay office was established at Bois6 City in 1872. There are extensive deposits of salt, coal, and iron ore. In spring, summer, and autumn the climate is delightful ; the days are never sultry and the nights are cool. The winters on the high mountains are accompa- nied with extreme cold and heavy snow ; on the plains and lower mountains they are gen- erally less severe than in N. Iowa, Wisconsin, or central Minnesota. The valleys are mild, visited with little snow, and cattle winter in them without shelter. The average tempera- ture in the W. part of the territory is about the same as in central Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and S. Pennsylvania, while in the east it is more nearly that of N. Massachusetts and S. Vermont and New Hampshire. About the sources of the rivers in the Bitter Root and Rocky mountains the fall of rain and snow is considerable, but in the lower valleys in the west it is much less, and agriculture is not gen- erally successful without irrigation. In the extreme north the climate, though less dry, is colder and not well adapted to agriculture ; but the temperature does not vary in propor- tion to the difference of latitude. The lower slopes of the mountains are furrowed with numerous streams, and alternately covered with forests (mostly pine, fir, and cedar) and nutritious grasses. The plains generally pro- duce good pasturage, and the valleys contain broad stretches of meadow land, extending on both sides of the streams by which they .are watered to the first rise of table land or moun- tain, and with irrigation producing good crops of wheat, oats, barley, and the common fruits and vegetables. The climate is not well adapt- ed to Indian corn. The valleys of the Clear- water, Salmon, Payette, and Bois6 rivers are large, and generally have good facilities for irrigation ; and there are well sheltered and fertile bottom lands on the Weiser, St. Jo- seph, and Cceur d'Alene, and fertile tracts on the shores of Lakes Coeur d'Alene and Pend d'Oreille. Other important valleys are those of the Bruneau in the southwest, of Wood river in the south, and of Bear river, which contains thriving Mormon settlements. The extreme north is well timbered and has much fertile land. The basin of the Snake is of volcanic origin, and through it the river has cut a vast canon, varying in depth from 100 to 1,000 ft. The streams that empty into the Snake for some distance below the Shoshone foils sink, and, passing under the strata of lava, fall from the sides of the cafion into the main stream. The greater portion of the basin, though much of it might be rendered produc- tive by irrigation, is a barren waste, producing only sage brush, but along the streams are val- leys containing arable land, and the surround- ing foot hills are generally covered with bunch grass, affording excellent pasturage. Of the total area of 55,228,160 acres, 16,925,000, ac- cording to the estimate of the commissioner of the United States general land office, are