IDAHO. 



399 



rial tax for this year, the sum of $35,980.54. 

 The heaviest burden of expense to which the 

 Territory is subjected is the care of the Terri- 

 torial prisoners. The amounts expended on 

 such during the past two years are as follow : 



United States Marshal's bills $30,390 00 



Sheriffs 1 bills for transportation 5,S92 40 



Kewards paid for capture of escaped prisoners . . . 810 00 



Total $37,092 40 



The following table shows the number of 

 property tax-payers and the total valuation of 

 the assessment-rolls for the past seven years : 



The figures given for 1884 have reference 

 only to what are known as the "original as- 

 sessment-rolls." The " subsequent assessment- 

 rolls" to be reported in January, 1885, will 

 doubtless increase this amount. As the as- 

 sessed valuation does not represent one half 

 the actual valuation, and does not include un- 

 patented mines, we may safely place the actual 

 valuation of the Territory, apart from its un- 

 patented mines, at over $31,000,000. 



Educational. The number of children be- 

 tween the ages of five and twenty-one, in 1883, 

 was 10,936; in 1884, 13,140; school districts 

 in 1883, 198; in 1884, 238. Graded schools 

 have been established in Bois6 City and Lewis- 

 ton. The number of pupils attending the pub- 

 lic schools during the past year was about 

 8,500. Idaho supports 20 patients in the Ore- 

 gon Insane Asylum. There were 64 convicts 

 in the Territorial Penitentiary. It is claimed 

 that the Territory has a population of 80,000, 

 increasing at the rate of 20 per cent, a year. 



Mining. The Governor, in his report to the 

 Secretary of the Interior, says : 



Mining is our chief source of wealth, and employs 

 in this Territory a greater number of men and agreater 

 amount of capital than any other industry. The de- 

 velopment in gold and silver during the past year 

 has been at a ratio of 50 per cent. ; the output of min- 

 eral wealth of the Territory being, as nearly as can 

 be ascertained, about $7,000,000. Idaho has greater 

 mineral belts than any other Territory or State in the 

 Union. The most extensive belt lies on the western 

 slope and the spurs of the Rocky mountains, that en- 

 ter the Territory in Oneida county, and run the entire 

 length of it_to Lake Pcnd d'Orei'lle, 410 miles. The 

 mines and discoveries on this immense belt now beini^ 

 worked begin in the Wood river country and extend 

 to Cceur d' Alene. All that country on' this belt ly- 

 ing between Sawtooth, in Alturas county, and Pierce 

 City, in Shoshone county, is unexplored. The dis- 

 tricts that have attracted 'marked attention during the 

 past year are the Wood river. Lost river, and Coeur 

 d' Alene. The Wood river district is now generally 

 conceded to be the richest silver-lead producing coun- 

 try in the world. The general average of the ores 

 assays 143 ounces of silver and 63 per cent, lead to 

 the ton. In all cases the ores have steadily increased 

 in value as depth has been attained. The Bullion is 

 the greatest belt in this locality, being from three to 



eleven miles in width, and has been explored from 

 Bellevue to Smoky, thirtv-sevcn miles. The next 

 belt in importance is the FJkhorn. It extends from 

 the East Fork of Wood river to Lake Creek, nine 

 miles. There is also the Muldoon belt, running from 

 Muldoon to East Fork. The output for the year end- 

 ed June 30th was about $3,500,000. The Lost river is 

 a new district, in Custer county, directly over the bor- 

 der of Alturas county. This camp has attracted con- 

 siderable attention during the past year, and large 

 quantities of carbonates and galena-ores have been 

 discovered. They are very similar to the product of 

 the mines of Leadville, Col. In addition to the silver- 

 bearing ores, some fine copper-ore has been discov- 

 ered, which promises largely. The Coeur d' Alene 

 country has surely been more misunderstood and suf- 

 fered more from misinformation and mismanagement 

 than any district ever opened. Several thousand men, 

 without any definite idea of what was needed, and with 

 no knowledge of the country, stampeded there in mid- 

 winter, to find themselves confronted with from three 

 to six feet of snow, instead of naturally developed gold- 

 mines of fabulous richness and marvelous extent. For 

 months after their arrival nothing could be done in 

 the way of mining. The sufferings of the majority 

 were intense. Until May there were none of the ne'- 

 ce.ssary appliances for successful mining. Since the 

 weather has permitted it, some mining has been done, 

 and the yield has been fine. The Atlanta district has 

 been retarded by reason of its inaccessibility. This 

 will shortly be remedied, as surveyors are now laying 

 out a wagon-road from Boise" City to Atlanta. A year 

 hence the road will be completed. The ores of this 

 district are very rich and apparently plenteous. 



Railroads. During the past year 236 miles 

 of railroad have been completed in the Terri- 

 tory. The Oregon Short Line has been com- 

 pleted, making a continuous line from Granger, 

 on the Union Pacific, to Portland, Oregon. The 

 following table gives the mileage of railroads 

 in operation in the Territory : 



Miles. 



Utah and Northern 208 



Oregon Short Line (main line) 452 



Oregon Short Lire (Wood river branch) "0 



Northern Pacific .90 



Total 



.. 620 



Agriculture and Stock-Raising. Agriculture has 

 been steadily on the increase. The consider- 

 able mining towns and camps afford a market 

 for the farmer. Wheat, barley, potatoes, and 

 garden vegetables, yield abundantly. The val- 

 leys are admirably adapted to the growth of 

 fruit. In stock-raising, at least 1,500 men are 

 employed, and certainly $10,000,000 invested. 

 The increase in the herds during the past five 

 years will reach 40 per cent. The number of 

 cattle in the Territory is estimated at 360,000. 



Reclamation of Desert Land. The progress of 

 this most important work may be seen from a 

 passage in the Governor's message : 



During the past year there has been a marked 

 movement in this direction, and within another year 

 thousands of acres of splendid arable land will be 

 added to the already great area of the Territory. In 

 a few years an acreage greater than the whole State 

 of Ehocle Island willbe reclaimed in the Snake river 

 valley alone, and changed from an arid, parched, and 

 unsightly desert, into rich and blooming agricultural 

 lands, safe from drought or floods of rain. This hap- 



S condition is entirely attributable to the Desert- 

 nd act. Should the act be repealed, these rich val- 

 leys would pass into the greedy clutch of the auto- 

 cratic power of the Mormon Church. Near Blackfoot, 



