Anatomy of a Canyon by MagicvalleyTN

Sunday •

May 3, 2015

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ILLUSTRATION BY DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS

The Snake River Canyon on the morning of March 26 in Twin Falls.

ANATOMY CANYON Dissecting the Snake River Canyon Panorama TETONA DUNLAP tdunlap@magicvalley.com

For thousands of years, man and nature transformed the landscape inside the Snake River Canyon, a singular feature of southern Idaho. No force was more powerful than immense Lake Bonneville, with a surface area of 19,800 square miles. When its natural dam broke 15,000 years ago, the lake discharged an immense volume of water into the Snake River drainage, shaping the canyon and rerouting the river. Stroll along the canyon rim to see how the floodwaters carved out the north side of the Snake River Canyon and widened it near the present-day Blue Lakes Country Club grade. People have occupied the Twin Falls region for 11,000 years, and they always flocked to the waters of the Snake River. Today, anglers can fish for white sturgeon and smallmouth bass in the stretch around Centennial Waterfront Park. But at one time, salmon swimming upstream from the Pacific provided the main food source of the Shoshone people. This area was the eastern edge of permanent Shoshone villages because salmon could not leap high enough to migrate upstream of Shoshone Falls. West of the falls, the Shoshone wintered along both sides of the Snake. In 1869, a prospector discovered gold in the river near Shoshone Falls. The news brought a flood of people — including more than 4,000 Chinese, unemployed after the 1869 completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Though the canyon had visitors such as early pioneer Wilson Price Hunt and traveling painter George Catlin, none was more influential than I.B. Perrine. In 1883, Perrine claimed the Snake River Canyon as his home. He farmed hundreds of acres on both sides of the river, planted fruit trees and diverted water for his Blue Lakes farm. The father of the Magic Valley, Perrine orchestrated construction of the Milner, Oakley and Salmon Falls dams. He founded Twin Falls in 1904. Still, the waters of the Snake River call to people. They fish, they boat, they kayak. Homes and businesses sprouted along the canyon rim and on the river’s banks. Remnants of the past remain — in the rocks of the canyon walls and in empty fields where crumbling foundations are the only traces of people who came before. Sources include Jim Gentry’s book “In the Middle and on the Edge: The Twin Falls Region of Idaho.”

This photo shows some of the equipment used at the IWTU. The facility has been unable to get past the testing phase and is behind schedule while radioactive waste sits waiting in tanks nearby. (COURTESY PHOTO)

Flex item: CSI Chamber Choir’s Spring Sing concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the CSI Fine Arts Auditorium, Twin Falls. Free admission; donations accepted for music scholarship fund.

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Auger Falls

Gold Mining

Since the city of Twin Falls purchased 680 acres at Auger Falls in 2002, staff and volunteers have worked to make the area more accessible to the public. Motorized vehicles are not allowed here, but there are opportunities to hike, bike, bird-watch and access the Snake River. The Southern Idaho Mountain Biking Association created 20 miles of bike trails, and Twin Falls’ Parks and Recreation Department plans to install interpretive signs and kiosks this summer. Visitors can see the Paleo Channel, the original Snake River bed before the Lake Bonneville flood 15,000 years ago rerouted the river. The late-Pleistocene lake suddenly discharged an immense volume of water to the north when its natural red rock dam broke. Huge boulders deposited throughout the Auger Falls area are still visible. The flood is why the Snake River Canyon has scalloped edges near the Perrine Bridge and is narrow near the Hansen Bridge. Future wetlands with water piped from the city’s wastewater treatment plant will attract waterfowl and encourage plant growth — and help purify the water before it enters the Snake. The city started the project last year, and four basins have been filled.

Bluegill Lake

In 1869, a prospector named Jamison discovered gold 300 yards upstream from Shoshone Falls. From 1871 to 1880, Chinese miners worked claims in the Snake River Canyon, including the stretch in our photo. They may have lived and worked in small groups at Auger Falls. The Gold Bug Placer in the northeast section of the city’s Auger Falls property dates to the 1890s and was once owned by the Perrine family. Placer mining uses water to excavate heavy minerals. An example of deposits mined by this method: gold-bearing sands and gravel that settle out from rapidly moving streams where the current slows. During the Great Depression, many people came to the Snake River Canyon to seek gold. They weren’t looking for big nuggets but for flour gold. There are still big piles of rocks at Auger Falls, remnants of placer mining. “They had big hoses with steam engines that sent water through a hose and washed away the hills,” said Shauna Robinson of the Twin Falls County Historic Preservation Commission.

Urie Farmhouse

I n 2 0 14, t h e Idaho Department of Fish and Game stocked Bluegill Lake at Auger Falls with bluegill. In 2013, the agency stocked it with bass. “We don’t know if they took or if the pelicans got them,” said Doug Megargle, regional fishery manager. This summer Fish and Game may pull nets to check whether the fish flourished in Bluegill Lake.

Future signs at Auger Falls will show park visitors where to find historical locations such as the Urie farmhouse. The Urie family started a small d a i r y fa r m a t Auger Falls in 1915. In the 1930s, the family began raising turkeys. The home was destroyed by a fire in 2010, but part of the lava rock structure remains.

Gravel Pit

Just out of sight around a bend in the canyon is an old gravel pit once used to build Interstate 84. The city parks department aims to recontour this area and bring back native dryland vegetation. Barely visible in the distance of this photo is the bridge that trucks used to drive across to take the gravel out of the canyon — called “The Interstate Bridge” or “The Broken Bridge” because one side is a dead end. Pedestrians, however, can cross the river on it to enter Auger Falls park from the north. Continued on Page A5

High Tech Price Tag: $800 Million and Rising Construction on the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit began eight years ago and it still hasn’t treated any radioactive waste; some wonder if it ever will LUKE RAMSETH lramseth@postregister.com

ARCO • In 2008, the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit was hailed as the “centerpiece of the entire High

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cleanup project” by a contractor spokesman. “The rest of the department will be watching what happens here very closely,” a top U.S. Department of Energy official told the Post Bridge E6 Crossword E7

Register at the time. Seven years later — and eight years after construction of the $571 million facility began — the first-of-itskind radioactive waste treatment unit still can’t get past the testing phase. A revised timeline, recently agreed to by the DOE and Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality, indicates it could

Dear Abby E9 Obituaries C8

Opinion Sudoku

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be more than a year before radioactive waste treatment is underway. But some worry the facility’s complex design might have been flawed from the get-go, and it never will successfully treat the nearly 900,000 gallons of liquid radioactive waste. Other available treatment Please see CONSTRUCTION, A8

Service Directory E8

Sunday, May 3, 2015 • A5

ANATOMY OF A CANYON

Continued from A1

Wastewater Plant

Before the Twin Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant was built in the 1960s, wastewater was dumped directly into Rock Creek. Expansion of the plant started April 22, 2014. The first phase is installing the dewatering building and the IFAS system — Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge. The final phase — installation of an additional clarifier — is expected to be completed in December. The plant will go from processing 9.6 million gallons a day to 16 million gallons a day. Today, people may be surprised to learn that few chemicals are used to treat the water, and rarely. The city stopped using chlorine about 10 years ago. When wastewater comes into the plant it first goes into the headworks, which screens out large, recognizable waste. Because some water remains in the sludge, the dewatering pushes out the water so the solids remain. The water goes back to the beginning of the process and starts over, and the solids go to the sludge fields. The water goes into the primary clarifier, a round, spinning pool with screens on the bottom and top. The next step is the IFAS, where bacteria eat the waste. IFAS is broken into eight boxes; the first four are filled with bacteria that don’t like air, and those in the last four do like air. The water goes through the additional clarifier and is treated with UV light before being released into the Snake River.

Fruit Orchard

Early Twin Falls settler I.B. Perrine often sent apples from his orchards to the teachers at the Albion State Normal School. Many of Perrine’s orchards still stand. Every spring, students in the College of Southern Idaho’s Horticulture Club work on pruning, revitalizing and preserving the historic fruit trees.

Lombardy Poplars

Canyon Springs Golf Course

This land on the south side of the Snake River was a fruit orchard when Joe McCollum started acquiring it in the 1960s. By 1970, McCollum owned the entire area that is now Canyon Springs Golf Course. He hired Max Mueller to design his first golf course there in 1973. The original idea was to merge the golf courses at Canyon Springs with the country club across the river, but it never happened. Canyon Springs is open to the public and on average has 250 to 300 season pass holders. The first nine holes were built in 1975, and Canyon Springs became an 18-hole course in 1983. In 1987 it added a second nine, designed by Bob Baldock. Canyon Springs plans to revamp the golf course, change some holes and build a new clubhouse. The clubhouse — once a house on an old homesite — has been expanded over the years and includes a pro shop and Canyon Grill. McCollum died in 2012, and the McCollum family owns the Canyon Springs land. “It was always Joe McCollum’s vision to share this beautiful property with the community,” the golf course’s website says.

Lombardy poplar trees dot the landscape at the bottom of the canyon. That’s because they were a favorite of settler I.B. Perrine; he planted several groves near his ranch. Others followed his example in later years. Why did Perrine like poplars so much? “They are a fast-growing tree,” Robinson said.

13th Hole

“We are in the canyon, which is super unique,” said Michael Ericson, assistant golf professional at Canyon Springs Golf Course. “There are a few springs and waterfalls that run off the canyon. We got great views of the Perrine Bridge.” The course’s signature hole is 13. The approach shot looks directly into the Perrine Coulee waterfall. “It’s a good background view,” Ericson said. “It’s one of the most picturesque shots on the golf course.”

Centennial Waterfront Park

Non-motorized Dock

At Centennial Waterfront Park’s non-motorized dock, people can launch their kayaks or canoes into the Snake River. Don’t have your own equipment? Two park concessionaires cater to those wanting to glide across the water. Pryor Paddle Rentals rents kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, and Idaho Guide Service offers guided river tours.

Motorized Dock

The Snake River near Centennial Waterfront Park is a popular place for boaters, too, and this dock is for only motorized boats. Water skiing and jet skiing are not allowed between Auger Falls and Pillar Falls, but motorboats can still use the waters — at a slower speed. The limit on this stretch of the Snake is 25 mph.

Donated to Twin Falls County by the Twin Falls Rotary Club, Centennial Waterfront Park was dedicated Sept. 30, 1992. The park has opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, walking, fishing, picnicking, boating, canoeing and kayaking. It features two sets of unisex bathrooms, 13 covered picnic shelters, two uncovered picnic shelters, one playground, a sand volleyball court and two pavilions — the Roy and Verna Marie Raymond Centennial Memorial Pavilion and the Art Bailey Pavilion. What will Centennial Waterfront Park look like in the future? Rick Novacek, director of Twin Falls County Parks and Waterways, hired a Boise consultant to work on concepts of what should be added or changed. The consultant has visited the park numerous times to see how people use it. “We wanted fresh eyes, someone who is trained in park development,” Novacek said. The consultant should present his suggestions by midsummer. The county plans to apply for grants in the fall.

Dock for Everyone

Raymond Pavilion

In addition to separate docks for motorized and non-motorized boats, a third dock serves all users, including anglers. The area near the courtesy dock provides a quiet place to fish or eat a picnic lunch. Some rocks on the shoreline make nice seats.

The Roy and Verna Marie Raymond Centennial Memorial Pavilion pays tribute to a prominent Twin Falls couple who died in a 1997 airplane crash. Roy, owner of Roy Raymond Ford-Mitsubishi, and Verna Marie were on their way to a Ford show and dealership meeting in Detroit. The commuter plane they were on was trying to land in a snowstorm when it nose-dived into a field 18 miles short of the Detroit airport, killing all 29 people aboard. Verna Marie was a member of the College of Southern Idaho Foundation board and was active in Twin Falls-area Republican politics. Roy helped organize four Magic Valley counties to form the Southern Idaho Regional Communications Center. In 1996, the Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce awarded him the Curtis T. Eaton award, its highest honor.

Centennial Rockshelter

For more than 5,000 years, the Shoshone-Bannock and Paiute people used rock overhangings and the vicinity of the present-day riverfront park as a fishing and hunting camp. Native Americans depended on the river’s annual salmon runs for food and trade. The Centennial Rockshelter campsite, just out of view behind a rock overlook in this photo, was typical of numerous prehistoric encampments that once thrived along the Snake River. Now, a picnic table and an interpretive sign mark the spot.

Old I.B. Perrine Bridge

The Old I.B. Perrine Bridge is no longer accessible to the public. In the 1880s, Perrine settled in the Snake River Canyon and built Blue Lakes Ranch. In order to get out of the canyon, he built this bridge to cross the river in 1911. It cost about $10,000 to $12,000 to build.

Fish and Wildlife

Traditionally, the Snake River saw salmon runs that ended at Pillar Falls. Native American tribes fished salmon in the Snake River Canyon and camped along the heavily wooded shorelines. Today in this stretch of the Snake, anglers can fish for white sturgeon and smallmouth bass. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game stocks some Snake River white sturgeon, while smallmouth bass is reproducing on its own. Animals you can spot in the canyon include deer, rock chucks, rabbits, pelicans and river otters. The pelicans frequent nearby fish hatcheries looking for a meal. Clam shells that litter the rocks near Auger Falls are meal remnants left behind by river otters. “They’ll find them at the bottom of the river and crack them open and eat them,” Megargle said.

Bryan Point

Overlooking the Snake River Canyon at Bryan Point are three rock monuments built by three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan. Bryan built two of the monuments in honor of I.B. Perrine and his wife, Hortense. The third was for Bryan himself. Bryan first came to Idaho in 1897, the year after he lost his initial presidential run. Perrine and Bryan became close friends, and the Bryan family made numerous visits to Twin Falls over the next 28 years. The Perrine monuments were built in 1907.

The builder of three other monuments, which gave Bryan the idea, is still unknown. The Times-News’ “Hidden History” feature in 2012 investigated a photograph that once belonged to Jessie Bisbee. Before Jessie agreed to marry early Twin Falls photographer Clarence E. Bisbee, he sent her scenic photographs from his new home. One of these photographs showed what today is called Bryan Point. The photo, taken at the Perrine Ranch, shows Alpheus Creek in the foreground and Bryan Point in the background. Standing on the canyon rim are two rock towers and a possible third, a full year before Bryan built the Perrine monuments. Continued on Page A6

A6 • Sunday, May 3, 2015

Blue Lakes Country Club

Blue Lakes Country Club celebrated its 70th anniversary Dec. 27. Its golf course originally had nine holes but expanded to 18 in the late ‘70s. This private country club’s prospective members fill out an application, which needs a member endorsement then goes to the country club’s board. Of almost 500 members, only 375 are equity members, owning stock in the country club. Celebrities who have golfed Blue Lakes Country Club include actors Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis, and professional golfers Davis Love III and David Duval, former No. 1 golfer in the world. Daredevil Evel Knievel played here in 1974 before his failed attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket. Recent improvements include replacing asphalt in front of clubhouse with concrete. Concrete requires less maintenance and is safer for golfers. The asphalt is slippery when golfers wear soft spikes.

Country Club Changes

Blue Lakes Country Club recently expanded its putting green from 2,500 square feet to 7,000, and its chipping green from 4,000 square feet to 7,000. A retaining wall made of keystone block at the first and 10th holes was replaced with rock from the Snake River Canyon walls to give the golf course a natural look. “We want to be careful to not become a resort golf course,” said Jim Rasmussen, golf course superintendent. “It’s a very smalltown private golf course, and that’s the way I want to keep it.”

Windy Holes

Blue Lakes Country Club golfers may fight the wind at the 13th and 14th holes. One runs north and the other south, and the wind switches here all the time. But don’t think the Snake River Canyon becomes a wind tunnel on a blustery day. It’s actually more protected down here than on the rim, golf pro Mike Hamblin said.

6th Hole

Blue Lakes Country Club’s course is visually intimidating and offers great shot selection, Hamblin said. The sixth hole can be tricky because it is a 200-yard par-three with a 200-foot elevation drop from the tee to the green. It’s easy to miss the green, especially if the wind blowing.

Hunting

Hunting is allowed in the Snake River Canyon on public land. But what is public is not clearly marked, so hunters must be extra careful and mindful of their surroundings. “There are some real gray areas down there,” said Jim Stirling, senior conservation officer with Idaho Department of Fish and Game. “It’s a big mosaic of who is down there.” Short-range weapons such as shotguns and pistols can be used west of the Perrine Bridge. East of the bridge, Stirling said, only archery is allowed. You can’t hunt from a boat, and you can’t shoot over private land.

Zip Line

Pictured is the start of the first of four zip lines that make up Zip the Snake, a business that opened in 2012. Its office, training line and parking are at Canyon Springs Golf Course. The zip lines are 460 feet, 830 feet, 380 feet and the grand finale of 1,900 feet. The latter features two side-by-side cables so riders can race. Riders travel as fast as 40-50 mph and between 30 and 110 feet off the ground. Guides share information about the Snake River Plain’s history, geology and wildlife as groups travel between the lines. The tour is one to two hours, depending on the number of participants.

Brook Lodge

I.B. Perrine built Brook Lodge as a bee house in 1908. The bees pollinated the thousands of fruit trees growing on Perrine’s ranch and produced honey sold at market. The 16-by-16 building, along the road beside Alpheus Creek, has a slanting shingle roof with four small cupolas on each side, a front door with windows on each side and a back door to a porch over the water. In 1910, the bees were moved to a new place on the south side of the Snake River. Hortense Perrine remodeled the house and gave it the name

of Brook Lodge. It was a guest summer house for many years. Randy Perrine, grandson of I.B. and Hortense, said the porch had a stove and water faucets — probably for cooking meals in the hot summer. Brook Lodge was included in the property sold in 1964 to the Blue Lakes Country Club. No improvements have been made, and the little white house has turned to gray with green moss on the roof. Today, country club members use Brook Lodge for private dinners and parties. COURTESY PHOTO, CLARENCE E. BISBEE, TWIN FALLS COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM‌

30th ANNUAL PAINT MAGIC PROGRAM IS NOW ACCEPTING

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