THE CRUDE STRENGTH OF IDAHO 



later work would not have dealt as successfully with the 

 harsher conditions of thirty years ago. It is true, how- 

 ever, that there are two well-defined classes in the citi- 

 zenship of Idaho, and that they represent different ways 

 of thinking. The steady growth of population must 

 soon give the supremacy to those who are trying to put 

 the farm in the place of the desert, to develop the best 

 methods of fruit -culture, to bring the irrigation sys- 

 tem under rigid public supervision, and to establish the 

 highest standards in political and social life. 



Boise City, the capital and commercial centre of Idaho, 

 is somewhat smaller than the chief city of any other 

 western State. It is a beautiful town, on the river of the 

 same name, and is the seat of considerable wealth and of 

 growing refinement. In the long summer season it is 

 almost hidden among its trees, for the pioneers planted 

 liberally in this comfortable home-spot which they had 

 prepared for their old age. 



The business and public buildings of Boise, as well as 

 many of its private residences, are examples of the best 

 modern architecture. The valley above the city has 

 been reclaimed by irrigation and is being gradually peo- 

 pled by small farmers. It is a fruit district of great 

 promise, and in time must become one of the most pop- 

 ulous and beautiful valleys in the arid region. 



The other important towns of the southern part of 

 the State are Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Mountain Home, 

 Caldwell, Xampa, Payette, and Weiser. Most of these 

 are small, but important in view of the certain develop- 

 ment of the rich country which surrounds them. Lewis- 

 ton, in the north, lies in the heart of a fine territory, and 

 is the trading point for the Nez Perce Indian reservation. 



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