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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1888)
THE WEST SHORE. 13 also, is the famous hot earth, or solfahra, a spot an acre or so in extent, situated on a hillside, at least one hundred and fifty feet above the big hot spring. By boring down seven feet into this hot earth, the temperature was ascertained to be two hundred and ten degrees. It is claimed that this hot earth, when applied to the parts affected in lumbago, acts like magic. To relieve pain in cases of rheumatism, neu ralgia, sciatica and paralysis, this treatment is said to be equally efficient. We mention these facts in con nection with the attractive features of our country, for the reason that this article may fall into the hands of some one who may be greatly benefited by this in formation. The agricultural districts are the valleys of Lost river, Tule lake, Sprague river, Langell, Swan lake, and Poe, the fine lands bordering on Link river and Lower Klamath lake, and Wood river valley. These i constitute what is known as the Klamath basin, a ro- gion once regarded as too frosty for successful field J culture, but now proving, not only its productiveness, but reasonable freedom from summer frosts. Among ! other noticeable features of our country worthy of mention, are the large bodies of swamp and over flowed lands bordering the lakes already mentioned. Many of these would be the best land in the county if drained; otherwise nearly worthless, while other ! bodies, depending on overflows, or shallow lakes, formed by rains or melting snows, are, in their nat ural state, of great value for meadow purposes. To the pioneers this land of swamps and sago plains presented a scene at once picturesque and un- promising, except for the sole industry of raising stock. The natural meadows afforded sustenance for 1 winter, and the bunch grass plains and hills were the almost limitless pastures where their cattle flourished and fattened. Experience h&i proven, however, that much of the sage country, so dry and desert-like in appearance, is really very fertile, and even moist enough in its natural state, when stripped of its un sightly and exhaustive shrubbery, to produce the fin est crops of grain; and it is a cause for rejoicing that to Klamath county was awarded the honor, at the in ternational exhibition, at New Orleans, of raising the finest wheat Already considerable has been achiev ed in thus opening up our county for successful field culture, both by irrigation and otherwise; but its pos sibilities, almost infinite, are yet to be developed. Much of our grain is of the finest quality, rye be ing a universally successful crop; barley succeeding well; oats, of heavy weight and fine quality, running from thirty and forty bushels to double those num bers per acre, and wheat from twenty and twenty-five and thirty to even as high as sixty bushels per acre. What country can boast perfection? Anon Jack Frost may steal abroad "like a thief in the night," and do some damage, but happily, his coming is now "like angel visits few and far between and Klam ath is becoming a splendid agricultural region, do spite his long lingering in our beautiful land. But what will become of tho cattlo man, with his herds on a thousand hills, and his picturesquo cow boys riding like Comanches everywhere? These men bore tho brunt of early conflict, fought tho determin ed fight with material things; suffered want, priva tion and fatigue, and contended with wild beasts and wilder men to reclaim tho land and hew out tho way for future population and development Shall ho yield up his place at last, and retiro from tho field? No, tho progressive cattlo man can rcduco his bands and live moro safely than beforo within his means, and for a thousand years moro help to feed mankind with his juicy beef. Among tho industries of Klamath county, lumber ing is destined to bo a very important ono in tho fu ture. The Cascades afford tho finest yellow and su gar pine, and there aro detached forests between tho valleys east where excellent yellow pino abounds. Already mills at Linkvillo, Keno, Bonanza, and cast of Alkali, aro kept busy a considerable portion of tho year. Tho vast development of tho future must ere ate an immenso demand for lumber, and, doubtless, other and moro cxtensivo mills will bo required ero long to supply tho need. Of building stone there is an abundance, and of excellent quality, as somo of tho buildings in our county seat will attest. Limo is also plentiful and good, and no scarcity of clay for brick is found in tho county. In fact, Klamath conn ty abounds in so many advantages, that ono fails in a brief article to enumerate them; and wo p'ojjoho from timo to time, to give our readers moro particular in. formation relative to tho several sections mentioned in this article, and tho advantage of Oich locality. As to the climate, a condensation from tho signal ser vico observations at Linkvillo will bo presented at some timo in tho near future Wo have endeavored, in tho foregoing, to present a truthful array of facts, believing, as wo do, that no section of tho coast now presents a fiucr field for both tho homo seeker and capitalist Lost river was ouco tho homo of Captain Jack and his band of Modocs, who created such a disturkuco in 1872; but that val iant savago and his chief supporters wcro hanged at Tort Klamath, and tho others wero deported to Indi an Territory, relieving this region of all danger from Indian disturbances. Now tho settler can livo in peace and safety, uudisturbed by war's rudo alarm, and relieved of tho anxiety ho ouco felt for tho safe ty of dear ones, becauso of tho proximity of tho In-dians.