THE CONQUEST OF ARID AMERICA 



The most marvellous of these water-powers is furnished 

 by the Great Shoslionc Falls, in the south-central por- 

 tion of the State. Here is a waterfall scarcely inferior 

 in power and grandeur to Niagara, and, like the latter, 

 destined to bo an important economic factor in the re- 

 gion within its reach. The abundant water supply is 

 by no means limited to the splendid valleys in the 

 southern part of the State. It is found in hundreds 

 of mountain streams throughout the central portion, and, 

 in the narrow district which tapers northward to the Brit- 

 ish Columbia line, is so marked a feature of the land- 

 scape as to impress the most casual observer. Here 

 Clarke's Fork of the Columbia, draining the Bitter Root 

 mountains in western Montana, is a stream of noble 

 proportions. Lakes Pend Oreille and Coour d' Alone 

 are among the most notable of inland waters, both in 

 beauty and extent. But these northern etreams will not 

 be used extensively for irrigation, as there is consider- 

 able rainfall and comparatively little agricultural land. 

 They are valuable, however, in connection with mining, 

 lumbering, and water-power. 



The forest area of Idaho includes seven million acres, 

 and the principal native trees are fir, spruce of the 

 white, red, and black varieties, scrub oak, yellow and 

 white pine, mountain mahogany, juniper, tamarack, 

 birch, cottonwood, alder, and willow. Some of the 

 large forest regions, notably that of the Pend d'Oreillc 

 in the north, are almost unexplored, and constitute the 

 wildest parts of the continent. Naturally, a country so 

 well wooded and watered is the home of fish and game 

 of the rarest kinds. The mineral resources are well dis- 

 tributed and diversified to the last degree. The annual 



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