176 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
ways to permit the passage of salmon seems wholly iinpractioablo. Both Shoshone and Twin Falls 
are formed bj' layers of more compact and lighter colored lava, which the stream wears away witli 
great difficulty. Shoshone Falls can be reached by a stage ride of 28 miles from the town of Shoshone, 
on the line of the Union Pacific, 'i'he canon at this point is high and composed of black columnar 
basalt, which rises from the river’s edge as vertical cliffs, estimated to be about 800 feet high. The 
falls are said to be 210 feet high. The middle of the falls is higher upstream than either end, giving 
it a somewhat horseshoe-shaped appearance, and the front of the falls is about 1,200 feet wide. 
Twin Falls are I miles above Shoshone Falls and would be fully as serious an obstacle as the 
latter, even if fish were able to roach their foot. An island divides the stream here into two portions, 
both of which, however, fall nearly vertically a distance said to be 180 feet. On the north side of the 
stream the vertical portion of the falls is somewhat lower, the upper portion having worn back to 
form very strong rapids, through which no fish would be able to i>ass. We were not able to learn that 
salmon reached the foot of Shoshone Falls, although it is very probable that they do so. The stream 
immediately below the falls is deep and Hows at the bottom of a very steep canon, and even if the 
salmon were there and spawned in the bed of the stream, it might be difficult to detect them. 
Four miles below Shoshone Falls is the first of the large springs already referred to. These rise 
near the northern shore of the river in what are known as Blue Lakes (see j). 177), and one of these 
springs forms a largo river. The Snake Eiver at this point has widened out and flows over a succes- 
sion of shallows, and has a considerable expanse of bottom lauds, which can be cultivated whenever 
water can be put upon them. 
Aiujer Falls . — A gentleman living at Blue Lakes is of the opinion that salmon do not come above 
Anger Falls, which is found 4 miles below Blue Lakes. This was found to consist of a stretch of 
very strong rapids. At Auger Falls the river runs for a distance of at least 250 yards, hemmed in 
between basaltic walls, which vnxry in distance from 50 to 250 feet. As nearly as could be estimated, 
the stream falls in this distance about 50 feet, the last 20 feet of which is nearly vertical. In this 
entire stretch of 250 yards there is no resting-place for a fish, and the water dashes through it in 
whirls and eddies in such a way as to make it doubtful whether a salmon could sustain the long- 
continued effort necessary to pass the raiiids. It is, however, certain that no single stretch of these 
so-called falls is insurmountable. Both salmon and sturgeon are frequently taken below Auger Falls, 
but apparently not above them. At Auger Falls it was estimated that the current averaged 15 feet 
a second. Marks on the rocks show that at high water the stream was at least 15 feet above the level 
seen at this time. 
Upper and Lower Salmon Falls.— -From Auger Falls down to Salmon Falls the valley of the Snake 
widens and the cliffs become broken down and more and more rounded, as though glaciated. On 
each side of the stream are found in places extensive deposits of water- worn gravel, which are washed 
for gold. At the Upper Falls the stream flows over another lava ledge, the southern end of the fall 
being farthest down stream, and is there broken down into rapids, which xireseiit no serious obstacle 
to the ascent of the fish. This is also the case at various points along the front of the falls. The 
maximum vertical descent is about 20 to 25 feet. Salmon are known to go ovmr these falls in large 
numbers. Indians encamiJ yearly on the island immediately below the falls, and siiear the fish as 
they pass over the ripples. Well-known spawning-beds are said to be in the river about 2 miles above 
the falls, and salmon are known to ascend Salmon Creek, a tributary entering 2 or 3 miles higher up. 
A white man has -been in the habit of catching salmon with a seine each year, and could obtain more 
than he could find market for. It*seems evident, then, that a hatchery located near this point and 
drawing water from one of the many large spring-fed streams which enter here would have no diffi- 
culty in securing fish. 
The Lower Salmon Falls are about 6 miles below the Upper. We are informed that a man can 
descend this stretch of the stream in a small boat, although there are numerous shallow places and 
short rapids. The Lower Falls are very similar to the Upper. The river at this point falls over a 
lavm shelf, for the most part vertically, and with a total descent of about 20 feet. The front of the 
falls is very wide, probably over a quarter of a mile, and runs obliquely, the northern end being farthest 
uiistream. By far the greater part of the water falls over the southern half of the falls, so little 
coming over the northern part as to prevent the ascent of fish, except, perhaps, at one point. At the 
extreme southern end the falls are much lower. Here, and also near the center, the fish would 
apparently have no difficulty in ascending. To sum u]i what was learned about the salmon in this 
part of Snake Eiver, it is certain that they visit Glen’s Ferry and the stretch of the stream between 
