THE NATIONAL FORESTS OF IDAHO 27 



goes down the Salmon Kiver from Salmon City about 200 miles 

 in a specially constructed boat. This part of the river is replete 

 with rapids, and the voyage, according to the few who have taken 

 it, is one of the most exciting trips on the continent. 



The name Nez Perce (from the French " Nez Perce" or " pierced 

 nose") was applied by the early French voyageurs to the tribe 

 of Indians inhabiting^ the locality. The region now included in 

 the forest was used by the Indians as hunting and fishing grounds, 

 and big game is still fairly abundant there. 



The forest is rich in historical material concerning the pioneers 

 who searched for gold in the early days. Prospecting and mining 

 have continued until the present time, and many millions of dollars 

 worth of placer gold have been removed, although many of the 

 once-flourishing camps are now deserted. 



Heavy stands of western yellow pine of good quality are found 

 over extensive areas, and it is estimated that there are approxi- 

 mately 5 billion board feet of timber of all species on the forest. 

 Up to the present time very little lumbering has been done, owing 

 to the inaccessibility of the timber. Eventually this storehouse 

 will be opened up and will help meet the demand for timber. 



Stock grazing constitutes the chief use of the forest at the present 

 time. The steep, open sidehills furnish range for about 34,000 sheep 

 and 6,000 cattle each year. A few ranches located on near-by 

 river bars or benches are used for wintering the stock, but the 

 owners are entirely dependent upon the forest for summer range. 

 Most of the stock, however, is brought to the national-forest range 

 from considerable distances north and west. 



IDAHO NATIONAL FOREST 



South of the Salmon River lies the Idaho National Forest, very 

 similar in many ways to the Nezperce Forest, on the north. The 

 Idaho Forest lies on the great granite uplift of central Idaho, 

 which is cut by numerous deep canyons that drain northward into 

 the main Salmon River. Entrance into the region from the south 

 is very difficult because high ridges must be crossed that are free 

 from snow only during a brief summer season. A road from 

 McCall, the headquarters of this forest, crosses from the head- 

 water of the Payette River into the Salmon River drainage and 

 forms the only means of communication with the back country. 

 This road, after encircling the lower end of Payette Lake, extends 

 north as far as the little mining town of Warren and terminates 

 about 30 miles southeast of Warren, at Edwardsburg. 



Gold-bearing ore exists in many parts of this region, and several 

 small mines are in operation. The country is undeveloped, except 

 for these small scattered mines and the ranches along the Salmon 

 River and its main tributaries. There are tremendous timber re- 

 sources on this forest, but they can not be generally exploited until 

 the whole Salmon River Valley is developed. The chief exception 

 is the extreme southwestern portion of the forest, which lies on 

 the drainage of the Payette River and is readily accessible. It 

 contains good stands of timber, which are being utilized at the 

 present time. 



