SALMON INVESTIGATIONS IN IDAHO. 
259 
top of the water for a longer time. Just under where we stood was a nook where the 
water was less turbulent, and there we could occasionally see salmon apparently resting 
before making another attempt. 
We visited these falls at other times, on October 1, 2, and 7, and saw a few salmon 
jumping each time, but never saw one succeed. In years past this is said to have been a 
favorite place for the Indians to spear or gait the salmon. A few salmon are still taken 
in that way by people living in the vicinity. The second chute can not be reached 
without considerable danger, nor can it be seen very well from any accessible point; 
it appears, however, to offer less difficulty than the first, and a good many salmon prob- 
ably pass up the stream at that point. The large majority of salmon that make these 
falls, however, probably go up at some of the places nearer the left shore. Yet even 
these offer such serious obstruction that it is quite certain that many salmon which 
would otherwise reach the spawning-beds above are prevented from doing so by Lower 
Salmon Falls. There do not appear to be any suitable spawning-places below these 
falls in a distance of several miles. The river in this part of its course is usually quite 
deep and the bottom is said to be very rocky or else muddy. A little blasting at these 
falls would make it very much easier for the salmon to ascend. The expense would 
not exceed $100 to $300 and I believe it would result in a considerable increase in the 
salmon supply of Snake River. 
Snalce River below Lower Salmon Falls . — Immediately below Lower Salmon Falls, 
Snake River is quite deep and filled with large detached masses of lava. Even where 
the water is shallow these irregular, jagged lava rocks are so abundant as to render 
the use of the seine impossible. 
Farther down, near the mouth of the Malade or Big Wood River and on to below 
Bliss, there are some gravel bars, but we could not learn that they have ever been 
used as spawning-beds. In the vicinity of King Hill, some 18 or 20 miles below Bliss, 
or 25 miles below the Lower Falls, are said to be some spawning-beds. King Hill was 
formerly resorted to by the Indians during the salmon run, and a few are said to visit 
there each year yet. 
Five or six miles below King Hill is Glenn Ferry, in the vicinity of which some 
fishing is carried on. The railroad leaves the Snake River just below Glenn Ferry 
and does not return to it until below the mouth of the Boise River, more than 125 
miles below Glenn Ferry. Very little is known concerning this portion of the river, 
and we do not know of any salmon fishing below Glenn Ferry until we reach the 
mouth of the Boise and Owyhee rivers. Beginning at that place there are fisheries 
scattered all along for about 60 to 75 miles, or from the mouth of the Boise to Hunt- 
ington, and perhaps farther. 
The time at our disposal did not permit us to visit all the fishermen in this part 
of the river, but we were able to get some figures regarding the number of salmon 
and steelliead which they caught during the past fishing season. These figures 
will be found farther on in this report. Several men whom we interviewed gave 
valuable information regarding the salmon and other fishes of Snake River. 
In the following pages are brought together under each species all the important 
facts learned regarding it (1) at the headwaters of Salmon River, (2) at the head- 
waters of Payette River, and (3) in the Snake River. 
