488 



IDAHO. 



ploration proceeds in the mineral district in 

 Washington County, daily proof of the richness 

 of the mines in that locality becomes more and 

 more manifest. The rich placer-mines are now 

 more extensive than ever before in Idaho." 



The Coeur d'Alene well deserves the most fa- 

 vorable mention, not only for its rich mineral 

 locations, but for the enterprise of the people 

 who have overcome every obstacle of climate 

 and season. u A system of roads has been 

 opened, towns built, communities formed, new 

 mineral discoveries made, and rich and inex- 

 haustible mines and placers opened. The rich 

 and extensive copper-mines, known as the Pea- 

 cock group, were discovered in 1862 ; but little 

 work was done until 1874, when they were 

 relocated and thoroughly prospected. They 

 are a few miles from Snake river, 4,000 feet 

 above the river. The ore runs high in copper 

 and carries also a high per cent, in silver. 

 Twenty miles south of these great mines lies 

 the well-known Heath district, which stands 

 now at the head of the dividend-paying camps 

 of that section. On the Middle Weiser, and 

 within a short distance of the copper-mines, 

 lie the famous mica-mines. They were discov- 

 ered some years ago, but, owing to the great 

 distance from the railroad, and the cost of 

 transportation to an Eastern market, the owners 

 did little more than work enough to comply 

 with the law in protecting their titles, but since 

 the construction of the Oregon Short Line 

 Eailroad they are brought within easy access. 

 The Lost river copper-mines are said to be 

 marvelously rich. Ouster County is where the 

 great Custer mine and the Bay Horse district 

 are situated, in which district the Eamshorn 

 mine is also located." 



The Governor estimates the gold and silver 

 product for the year at $5,486,000. In his re- 

 port for 1884, the Director of the Mint places 

 the production of precious metals in Idaho at 

 $3,970,000. Of this amount $1,250,000 was 

 gold, and $2,720,000 silver. The total pro- 

 ductions by counties are as follows: Ada, 

 $5,000; Alturas, $1,555,000 ; Boise, $440,000 ; 

 Cassia, $5,000; Custer, $1,200,000; Idaho, 

 $110,000; Leinhi, $95,000; Nez-Perce, $500 ; 

 Oneida, $4,500 ; Owyhee, $300,000 ; Shoshone, 

 $250,000 ; Washington, $10,000. 



Financial. In 1872 the Territorial indebted- 

 ness was $132,217.71. The present indebted- 

 ness of the Territory is as follows : 



Bonds due Dec. 1, 1885. . . . . $22.558 55 

 Bondsdue Dec. 1, 1891 46,715 05 



Total $69^6S~GO 



The cash on hand at the end of the fiscal 

 year was $74,814.90, an excess over indebted- 

 ness at that date of $5,546.30. In addition to 

 the above, the last session of the Legislature 

 authorized the issuance of $80,000 in 7 per cent, 

 bonds for the erecting of a Capitol building at 

 Bois6 City ; and $20,000 for an insane asylum 

 at Blackfoot, in Bingham County. The Capitol 

 bonds are twenty-year bonds, the Territory, 



however, reserving the right to pay them any 

 time after ten years. Five thousand dollars 

 of the asylum bonds become due Dec. 1, 1892, 

 and $5,000 annually thereafter until all are 

 paid. These bonds were taken by New York 

 capitalists at par. The total receipts from all 

 sources for the fiscal year ending April 1, 1884 

 were $32,146.90; for 1885, $59,859.76, an in- 

 crease in one year of $27,712.86. 



Education. The following is a summary of 

 school statistics for the year ending Aug. 31, 

 1885: 



Number of boys of school ajre. 

 Number of girls of school age. 



8,018 

 7,386 



Total number of children of school age 15,399 



Total number of school age the previous year 13,140 



Number of districts in which schools have been 



taught three months or more 258 



Cash paid for teachers 1 salaries $76.301 78 



Average salary per month 61 58 



Expended for sites, buildings, repairs, and furni- 

 ture 29,874 46 



Expended for libraries, school apparatus, and in- 

 terest 3.934 56 



Expended for rent, fuel, and contingent expenses. 18,757 26 

 Disbursed tor all purposes 123,868 06 



The balance on hand at the beginning of the 

 year was $22,489.23. 



There are graded schools in Bois6 City, 

 Lewiston, and a few other places. The Lew- 

 is Collegiate Institute (Methodist Episcopal\ 

 at Lewiston, has primary, higher, commercial, 

 and normal courses. 



Reclamation of Desert Land. Of the importance 

 of this work the Governor says : 



The millions of acres of land suitable for agricult- 

 ural purposes can only be made productive by a sys- 

 tem of irrigation, and this can only be accomplished 

 by the most liberal policy of the Government in con- 

 tinuing the act known as the desert-land law. Hun- 

 dreds of thousands of acres that were but barren 

 wastes a few years ago, by joint and individual enter- 

 prise and the liberal expenditure of capital in irriga- 

 tion, have been brought into a high state of cultiva- 

 tion, where thousands of people have laid the perma- 

 nent foundation for happy and prosperous homes. 

 The late rulings of the Commissioner of the Land- 

 Office, requiring each settler on a desert-land claim 

 not only to bring water on the whole of such claim, 

 but actually to cultivate and raise a crop^ on every 

 fractional part of his claim, can hardly be interpreted 

 in the light of liberal encouragement to the poor and 

 honest settler, who with scant means seeks to build 

 a home for himself and family on desert land. 



In Bingham County, by means of a canal, 60,000 

 acres of waste and desert land are brought under con- 

 ditions for settlement and cultivation. On the south 

 side of Snake and Eaft rivers, Goose creek, and other 

 streams, irrigating canals have been constructed, 

 which reclaim hundreds of thousands of acres. In 

 Alturas County a large settlement of farmers is sup- 

 plied by means of irrigation. In the Bruneau valley 

 similar schemes are working successfully. 



The Idaho Mining and Irrigating Company of New 

 York is now engaged in the work of constructing a 

 canal which will supply an amount of water equal t< 

 4,000 cubic feet a second. It taps Boise river just 

 south of Boise" City, and commands the broad plain 

 north of the Snake river for more than 50 miles, ana 

 will reclaim between 400,000 and 600,000 acres. 

 There are already some two canals on Peyette river 

 which will reclaim between 60,000 and 80,000 acres. 



Connty Finances. The total bonded indebted- 

 ness of counties is $216,200 (Ada, $86,200; 

 Alturas, $40,000 ; Bingham, $90,000), at 6, 7, 



