File:Farmers' Tramway Company, circa 1908 - Nezperce, Idaho (41293827614).jpg

Farmers' Tramway Nez Perce.

Date: 1908 Source Type: Postcard Publisher, Printer, Photographer: Unknown Postmark: None Collection: Steven R. Shook Remark: The Clearwater River located in North Central Idaho cuts deep canyons in the terrain and is bordered by agricultural benchlands where wheat, barley, oats, flax, peas, and lentils are grown. In the late 1890s, the Northern Pacific Railway's Clearwater Division began laying a branch line up the Clearwater River, and by 1899 the tracks had reached Orofino, Clearwater County, Idaho, and a depot was constructed in that community.

The Northern Pacific's tracks were largely situated adjacent to the river at the bottom on the river canyon. Thus, it was difficult to get grain to the railway to be shipped elsewhere for sale and processing. Numerous farmers aligned with one another and established several companies to erect tramways along the river to move sacked grain from the top of the canyon to the rail line at the bottom of the canyon. The Farmers' Tramway Company, headquartered in Nezperce, Lewis County, Idaho, was one such establishment.

The tramway seen here was constructed in 1902 by J. H. Dauby and H. C. Quigley, farmers from Nezperce. It had a vertical drop of nearly 2,000 feet. By June 1903, two warehouses were built to protect the sacked product while in shipment. A warehouse at the top of the canyon was 70 feet by 116 feet in size, while the warehouse next to the rail line at the bottom of the canyon was 50 feet by 170 feet in size. More than one million bushels were shipped using this particular tramway in 1903.

The warehouses were constructed by E. Erickson of of Kippen, Lewis County, Idaho. Nails and shingles for the warehouses were provided by the Kamiah Trading Company - consisting of 100,000 cedar shingles and 25 kegs of nails.

By 1904, C. E. Wood of Genesee, Latah County, Idaho, was serving as the manager of this tramway. Rail service to the community of Nezperce greatly affected the profitability of the Farmers' Tramway Company, and by 1909 less than one-tenth of the volume of agricultural products were being shipped using this tramway relative to peak shipping years. By 1910, shipment of grain using this tramway nearly ceased - a victim of technological progress.