BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 421 



79 — OBSTRUCTIONS TO SALMON IN FEN» D'ORGILLE RIVER, MON- 

 TANA, REQUIRING A FISHWAV OR REMOVAL. OF FALLS. 



By E. B. WATERBURY, et al. 



[From letters to Hon. Martin Maginnis, M. C] 



A scheme of which you are no doubt aware is ou foot to opeu a fish- 

 way around Peu d'Orielle [Pend d'Oreille 1 ?] Falls, to admit of the ascent 

 of salmon to all our streams tributary to Clark's Fork. The falls are 

 22 miles above the mouth of Peu d'Orielle, at the lower end of a caiion, 

 which caiion is said to be 10 miles long - . There are other rapids and 

 falls, but none which salmon cannot easily overcome between here and 

 the Pacific. 



1 need not attempt the discovery of advantages to you who know 

 the broad country they would be distributed over, but will say this 

 much from observation: I have seen smaller streams than Flint Creek 

 so crowded with ascending salmon as to crowd the ones uppermost out 

 of water and make the stream overflow its banks. Forty-pound fish 

 are large fish for so small a stream, yet they fight hard for headwaters. 

 The falls are in Stevens County, Washington Territory, 50 miles above 

 Fort Colville, which is on the Columbia. 1 think Gov. J. J. Stevens 

 gives some account of them in his reports at an early day. 



While in the Idaho legislature I prepared a bill for this purpose, but 

 as Idaho could reap but little benefit, and Montana was then about to 

 have a separate Territorial government, the members thought it not 

 necessary at that time, and 1 did not introduce it. I cannot conceive 

 of a more popular and lasting move than your obtaining from Congress 

 an appropriation of, say, $10,000 to construct a salmon-way around 

 those falls. The benefit cannot be properly estimated. After a couple 

 of years, or say five, it would be worth $200,000 a jear to the people 

 of the Territory, to say nothing of furnishing all the Indians with their 

 winter and most of their summer food. Our legislature, you will 

 recollect, appropriated $1,000 at its last session, but that would only 

 answer to get a survey when used, and Roth is of opinion a permit 

 should be obtained from the legislature of that Territory. But I am 

 convinced the Territory will do nothing, the obstruction being situated 

 so far out of its limits and in a secluded place. I am convinced a 

 smaller amount of money would construct a temporary fishway, but 

 believe $10,000 could be spent in rendering it permanent for years. 



It is unnecessary for me to add that could you get such an appro- 

 priation the benefits to be derived from it could not be over-estimated 

 nor over-represented. It will cause a pleasurable sensation over the 

 whole west side of the mountains to read of such a move on your part 

 in their interest, and you will have no opposition from any quarter. 



