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FIRST- ANNTJAIrlNDUSTRIAL-EDITION OF TIIE L'A'XjIiAXDE ITONIN(F OBSERVER."
Tagc Thirteen
IllOI COUNTY IS II
LAFJD OF OPPORTUniTIES
By W. H. DILWORTH.
There 1b dome law that levels hu
man life up or down.
The banker Is pleased only when
he finds a community where good
banking Is possible; where there 1b
a promise of deposits; where In vest
ments are gilt-edged.
The mercantile man. the wheat rais
er, the fruit man, the stock man, liic
man of whatever bent of mind, these
all move through a sort of maelstrom
of events until they reach their proiifr
opportunity. Then each feels the pull
of his mission and :h? tcn3ciou3nes3
ofbeing a distinct entity In the shap
ing of human events in a locality.
This satisfaction can come nrly
through opportunity, and opportunity
is found only where development lies
la the futi-re.
Wallowa County -,v.
Wallowa cdunty is new in . point xt
development. It is the birthplace of
opportunity where opportunity
, not , only .Jcnotkaoa your chamber
dnor, but slips a mencto under the
door before you can arN;. It 13 the
place for every one, any one, with a
healthy de3ire to work, and a strong
inclination to be "square. ? In fact this
ty residents' preceded ;Hoosevelts fa
mous saying by generations. It Is the
very place for the man of idas new
Ideas. In Wallowa countyU too, new
Ideas seem to be born of the sublime
surroundings, the excellent climate,
the rich, ; fertile Jvalleys and f bench
lands, the magnificent mountain
scenery, the thousands upon thous
ands of acres of splendid forests, the
clear streams of water, the unnum
bered springs, and the general physi
cal supremacy of the whole country.
Here a brand new , idea never went
begging. And here no man can linger
without generating soma new Ideas.
It Is remembered by Captain Smith
climates, within the same county;
melons and squashes, cucumbers and
pumpkins, down in the bench lands
of the Imnaha. In fact, the settler can
tind almost any climate , he desires
right in Wallowa county from a hot
CaLornla climate to the cool mountain
climate of Enterprise.
The early Indians took advantage
of this great change In climatic con
ditions in the couny. They retired to
the warm or lower district la winter,
where -forage for their ponies grew
during the winter, and in summer
they returned to the higher altitudes
ana fished and pursued the chase
where the cool mountain breezes pre
vented oppressive weather in the hot
season.
Aside from the Imnaha district
'rrny-distr.tts in the north part of
the county are very favorable to fruit
itid melon cul;ure. The Grouse coun
'n. thg country . about Flora, Para
dise, Promise and about Troy,' on or
near the Grand Rounde river, all will
be. round, excellent ..fruit sections.. The ,
country is broken, and the higher
lands are devoted to wheat raising
and range lands, while the richer
.cuth UaJs, ns.ng u from the water
f curses, are devoted ti fruit and vege
table CUlture.i t S;i .. t . . . 1
tin; this district,' too.t eome of the
finest hogs ever, produced In the na
t on are raised, fattened and shipped.
As an Instance of the truth of this
statements one farmer from this dis
trict, hauled two loads of hogs to the
Enterprise market The hogs were
Ujven months old and averaged 290
pound3 each. They were fed both up-,
on barley and com.
Land Is Sub-Irrigated.
Practically this entire north sec
tion of the county, In the south of the
Grande Round river, Is sublrrigated.
Between Enterprise and this section
of the county there extend thousands
upon thousands of acres of the ftn-
of Enterprise, one of the first plon- i est p'ne and fir timber in Oregon. The
eers to enter the valley, that the river,
valley, lake and : the county took their
name from an old Indian legend. Mr.
Smith is an authority upon the his
tory of the county. He states that the
name "Wallowa" ... literally -taken
means fish-trap, and that it was first
applied to the river, lake and valley
by Chief Joseph -and his Nez Perce
braves. According to Mr. Smith the
Indians came from the Imnaha and
from Lapwal, Idaho, in the early
summer, each year, to hunt and take
fish in the Wallowa valley In ; and
about Enterprise. And that upon one
occasion the Indians placed a fish trap
in the river, but not a fish was taken.
The superstitious red men therefore
concluded that the Great Sprlrit was
angered at the subtlety of the Indian
for trying to ensnare the fish In a
trap instead of spearing them. They
therefore never removed the trap
from the river, but left it to be de
cayed or washed away by the floods. It
lingered long enough, and the occa
sion was deeply enough Impressed
upon the minds of the Indians, that
forever afterwards the river was des
ignated as "fish-trap" river, the In
dian word for which is "Wallowa."
From this origin the river, ; valley,
lake and the town of Wallowa as well
as the county took the Indian name.
The Different Altitudes.
It will be difficult to convince the
traveler will drive for nearly twenty
miles through thi3 one forest. It Is
filled with ame of all kinds bear,
cougar,- quail, grouse, pheasant, bob
cat, pine squirrel, plenty of deer and
an occasional elk -though the latter
are very scarce. The black bear; are
extremely plentiful.'
The big unmolested forest catches
and holds the snow precipitation dur
lng the winter season. And during the
crop growing season these snows melt,
sinking Into the ground, and sub
Irrigating the rich slopes which run
downward to the Grand Rounde river.
' It is almost impossible to even hint
of the wonders of Wallowa county in
a brief newspaper article. The faith
ful writer should have an entire spec
ial edition" to himself, If he would do
justice to the theme.
' Imnaha Is Named.
Just as with Wallowa, so the name
Imnaha , sprang from Indian origin
Imna was the name of a Nez Perce
brave. Members of another tribe or
so the legend runs at one time stole
Imna's nonies and departed with them
for Idaho, going by way of what Is
now, called the Imnaha river. Imna
followed, overtook and slew the mar
auders, and came back laughing the
laugh of the victor, Imna'B "ha-ha" or
laugh, gave the river the name of
Imnaha...? , ... ,.;
Neither Imna nor Chief Joseph nor
eastern settlers of the fact of varying , yet any of the early Nez Perce would
climates in Wallowa county. There are ! recognize their former fishing and
as manv distinct climates in this coun- hunting grounds now. .They ., would
tv as there a altitudes: and there recognize the. famousImnaha coun
nro nitititdsB mnHnir from" two to 1 try,, where today -some of the best
three hundred feet above sea level to
what Is popularly believed to be 12,
000 feet, on top of Eagle Cap moun
tain. .
Consequently the occupation of the
people here and their production var
ies in harmony with this altitude.
There are slopes of sugar beets, vast
fields of timothy, clover, alfalfa, large
apple, peacb, prune, pear and other
fruit orchards, big herds' of sheep,
cattle and horses dotting the hill ran
ges, and thousands upon thousands of
acres of wheat, rye, oats, barley, wav
ing In the ripening breezes and under
the ripening sun. There are fields
of corn In the corn altitudes and corn
fruit In the world W raised. The Imna
ha peach, apple, cherry,-plum, melon
apricot or fruit -Df whatever kind, is
the most perfect that ever went ; to
market. The writer has seen 86 Royal
Anne cherries, each as big as an east
ern wild goose plum, on a sprig of
cherry limb eighteen Inches long and
about half an Inch In diameter.
The present absence of f railway
transportation Is the solitary draw
hack to Imnaha. but this was at one
l'me the drawback in Illinois, Indiana
.7V o, and all eastern as well as middle
fates. -.
Nn settler who hopeB to win In Wat
-nwa countv should expect nature i to
have already laid a railroad at ' his
doorstep. Nature never does those
things in Wallowa county, any more
than she did those things back in New
York state. But the settler who will
come to Wallowa county and work
just about half as hard as his grand
parents did when they migrated to
Ohio, he will get rich with Just half
the energy expended.
. 'o Fool's Erraud.
Too many persons are knocked
breathless by the appearance of a new
and undeveloped country. But It Is no
fool's errand to go into undeveloped
resources and get those resources ex
posed for the benefit of the world. No
man can do It, who expects to wear
silk shirts and have his plowing and
seeding and harvesting done by mir
acle while he sits around enjoying the
good fishing in Wallowa county. While
the struggle for bread and for com
petence in Wallowa county is not
nearly so hard as it Is in the thickly
populated sections east, yet it 13 es
sentially a struggle for bread and for
competence, just the same. And lazi
ness never won that struggle either In
Wallowa county or In any other sec
tion. But the man who is built of the
stuff that spells industry and patience,
can make a pocketful of money in
Wallowa county to a scant existence
in the eastern sections of the country.
Men have started here without a pen
ny, ten years ago, and today they are
big sheep and wool growers, pr big
wheat ranchers, or cattle men, or
fruit men, with wide credit and with
an everlasting independence around
tbein. A man who is simply a man
not an instable follower of every
whim, but simply a man, can get any
help within reason from the very un
developed condition of the county's
miroirrH H iiin rtrnw frrrm h unit
from the timber, from - the mineral,
from this and from that, a compe
tence. And he can spend his declining
years watching his children enjoying
and conserving his competence, -while
he goes out each day to catch trout
from the streams or goes on after
deer, grouse or some other wild game.
Still Open to Settlers. f
There are hundreds of thousands
of acres In Wallowa county, still wait-
lug for the settler. In times these
acres will be dotted by the homes of
happy, prosperous settlers.
In the hill lands such Bettiers may
get from the soil from forty to sixty
bushels of wheat ' to the acre. Forty
bushels of eighty cent wheat from a
farm of 100 acres means a gross In
come to the farmer of $4899.' This is
vastly In Increase over the ' acreage
yields to the farmer of the middle
states, where an' average of about $12
an acre Is counted on. i r
That there are thousands of acres of
this wheat land still open to settle
ment now, does not mean that this
will be the situation for any length of
time. Settlers are coming Into Wal
lowa county on almost every train;
and homestead houses spring up. with
in twenty-four hours.' 1
The prospective settler needs to get
on tne ground here at once, ne
hopes to have a tremendous acreage
to select from. 1 ' '
Wallowa county now is easy of ac
cess. It Is penetrated from La Grande
by a branch of the O. R. & N. railroad.
This branch at present terminates at
Joseph. In addition there is what Is
believed to be the work of final loca
tion at present being made by two
corps of engineers op and down the
Grande Rounde river, and it Is con
fidently expected that this railroad
will be laid in a short time compara
tively. This road, If laid, will connect
with the OR. & N. branch at Elgin,
extending down the Grand Rounde
river to Lewiston, Idaho. This will tap
the whole north section of Wallowa
county. : ''-. ,-.,':' ,:::,-..
The Sheep Industry.
At present there are approximately
200,000 head 'of i sheep. In i Wallowa
county. Two train loads of 24,000 head
were r shipped, out pf the county
Montana during the present season, J
The wool clip of the county alt
though light during the past spring,
was oyer 1,000,000 pounds. Nearly-all
of the clip was stored In the Wool-'
growers' Warehouse at Enterprise,
from which place It was sold.
. The income from this sale aggre
gated about $180,000 cash a neat sum
to be poured Into the channels of trade
In and about Enterprise, and to find
Its way to every town of the county.
Space forbids the mention of every
sheep man in the county, but some of
the prominent ones are as follows:
Falconer Brothers, whose clip the past
spring sold at the highest figure of
any in eastern Oregon, bringing 17 3-8
, '. i 1
and: ice creaii
ceots for the cca'rsa and 16 3-8 cents SELDER'S CANDIES
tor tne fine. K. u. Makin who, in ad
dition to his Bheep industry conducts j
a large shearing plant near Enter-,
prise. Litch and Funk, a firm alau ccn- J
ducting a shearing plant near Enter- (
prise. Holmes and Craig. F. and Omar ,
&tubblefield. Graves Brothers, J. Dob
bins. P. Bodoin. D. Tuc ker and a '
store of others. ' ' : j
These sheep men create a large re- j
tall market for camp supplies and this
self. 1( was by awiJnt that he drfit
ed Into the furi.hure tnniness. He be
gan by opening a email second hand
furniture store. As the years went by
his business' profited, and he added
Are the Best on Earth. Stock Carried new furniture to his second hand
Is f a. Superior huracter and I'lrm
i Esjoy a .splendid lietaH and V) hole.
: ; sale Trsde. $ J ? . m . : i
iThe Selder'8 Confectionary store Is
an institution which has won Its way
Into the hearts of the people of the
inrrpnRoa thA rtaii hnslnpaa volume citv. and eurroundine territory oe-
rf iho ontir rmmtv ! f ause of the superior character of
The cattle industry aha Is a big
county Item. In the h.ll landa north
and east, on Horse Creek. Joseph
Creek, the Imnaha and tributaries, and
along Snake river, cattlemen Ltlll run
their cattle, and have a better grade
stock handled by the firm, and be
ctuse of the considerate and courteous
treatment extended to all of the pa
trons of the establishment.
The proprietor of the store Is E. D.
Selder. While Mr. Selder is not a na-
stock. Finally he went into the fur
niture and stove busine33 exclusively.
Ilia business Is operated almost en
tirely upon the installment plan, and
ho is the possessor of a good trade,
which is steadily growing. His prices
are right, and his goods the best
available upon the market. During
recent years he has found his business
Increasing with a rapid rate, and he
has not only found it necessary to ma
terially increase his stock but also
to make a lare number of improvements.
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Z&sy '' ' ':x:;:::':"' ' ' ' ' ' ':';::''vix:;:xv;-x;
k : v.v.vv w.v .v.v.v.;-
,y- . , f , . " . - '
t'Zl -...,,.....
j' ' Setter's Confectionery Store., : - '.
Setter's Confectionery Store,
of stock than in the early history , of
the county. ,. , ,. ' t .... ,
All the stock industries of the coun
ty find a ready cash market in Enter
prise, where Hotchklss and Combes
buy for shipment. . These ; shipments
vary in frequency with the readiness
of the stockmen to sell. ;1 vrij.r;
i s n County Officials. ; i !
The following are the present
county officials In Wallowa county,
whose fidelity to office is simply char
acteristic of the men and womeri who
reside In . Wallowa; characteristic,
that it Is of the "square deal" policy
which has-always been the ground
work for every deal that has been
made, political or otherwise. Indeed,
it may be said that there is no "po
litics" such as one would find
elsewhere. In this county it is a
question of fitness and fidelity, not of
political partisanism. And county, of
ficials are selected upon their princi
ples as men and their ability as public
officers, and not upon the Btrength of
any political "machine." ; '
' It was thus that the following coun
ty officials were selected: ; i
County Judge J. B. Olmsted. '.
Sheriff Edgar Marvin. j ' p
DeDUty Sheriff C. E. Crow.
Commissioners Sam Litch, W.i G.
Locke. - "' ; ' 1 1
, Treasurer W. T. Bell. . .
I - IT ."Assessor B. F. Miller. . )
" Supt Schools J. C. Conley. .
' Surveyor H. E. Merryman. !.
Clerk W. C. Boatman. .
- Deputy- Clerks C. G, Blly eur Miss
Edith Odel. :
Court House Janitor Chas. Glovan-onnl.
P
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t
4Z,
-1 '
Early Pay Freight Team In Wallowa County.
DOES GOOD BUSINESS
tive of the Grande Ronde VaW he;. COIJIJISSIONiFIRM
hub tsiJeuv iue greater iiuniuu ui um i -j jmh V. t.-J
life in It, and he has always a good s
word for it. and the city of La Grande, J L
its commercial metropolis. This does ,
not mean that he is unaware of the
advantages of other sections of the
great Northwest; nor that he seeks to
depreciate them, but means that he
has a full appreciation of La Grande
and its tributary country, and that he
believes . in administering praise
wherever it belongs.
It was about five years ago that Mr.
Selder . decided that La Grande was
good enough for him, and made up his
mind to enter business, and to make
the city, his home
The Grande Rounde Cash company
is one of La Grande's well known bus
iness firms and needs no introduction
to the public in the city and eastern
Oregon! i '
The firm was established in the year
1900, and deals in all kinds of grain,
hay, farm produce, and In lime and ce
ment. A speciality is made of eastern
Oregon hay, and in this line the com
nanv noasesMB an excellent whnlenala
He Selected the . trart which U mntlmiallv lnrronHlnir.
confectionery business and by induB- The firm transacts a general commls
try, and thrift, and the manufacture Bjon business, and it is ever in the
and retail of the best of goods he has market for all manner of farm "pro
succeeded in building up one of the ducts as its wholesale trade is
best businesses in eastern Oregon, j heavy, and extends over a large ter-
He manufactures all of his own can- ritory.' - -dies
and ice cream. In the former he The company makes Its headquar
not only possesses a fine retail, but 'ters at 1517 Jefferson avenue in a com
a wholesale trade as well,, and it is'modious stone structure of its own.
increasing every aay. his ice cream. Pre88 Lewis Is the president of the
trade Is almost exclusively of a re- commuiy.' and its secretary is J. E.
PATTISON BROS.
OWN FINE STORE
One of the most up-to-date and
attractive grocery establishments' in
the city is that of PattlBon Brothers
Robert and H. R. Pattlson, composing
the firm, ' "" ,
The Pattlson Brothers purchased
their present establishment from J.
D. McKennon about two years ago.
Immediately after the purchase they
added to the stock purchased, and
have since continued to so in accord
ance with the demands of the busi
ness and own today one of the best
paying institutions 'of its kind 'in
the city of La Grande. They also at
the same time launched a line of im
provements, and tbelr store presents
to the eye a decidedly pleasing ap
pearance. The interior, besides being
equipped wlththe most modern groc
ery store fixtures, is also painted
white, and ornamented with white
decorations which add greatly to its
general attractiveness.
The stock of the store is extensive
in character and the firm is able to
supply every conceivable want in the
grocery business. The firm follows
out the policy of purchasing only the
best quality of goods and disposing or
them to its retail trade at a reason-
tall character as the wholesale line is
handled by the creameries In the
city, and be has contented . himself
with confining his wholesale trade to
his candy department. ; He manufac
tures none, but the best of candies
and ice cream a fact which the pub
lic is aware of, as is evidenced by his
immense trade In both the lines, and
In both of them, . especially in ice
cream he has built up a splendid par
ty trade. -
He also handles all kinds of soft
drinks, and in these as in the other
departments he strives to please. Dur
ing the cold seasons of the year he
dispenses all manner of hot drinks.
He will also during the cold season
of this year serve cold drinks of all
kinds, and also, serve Ice cream. As
usual there Is not a sufficient de
mand for these during those seasons
of the year to make it worth while to
serve them, but Mr. Selder has found
considerable demand for them during
past seasons, and has finally decided
to maintain the two departments dur
ing the winter months. ; ' . '
Reynolds, and both are well and fav
orably known in the city, and through
out the state of Oregon. ' ;
Mr. Reynolds Is identified, In addi
tion to the firm, with some of the
large business enterprises of eastern
Oregon. ahd is a breeder of blooded
horses. . His horses , are well known
throughout he west, and whenever he
has seen fit to place them on exhibition-
they have -generally -been
awarded the highest prizes. ,
HAISTEN CAN SUPPLY
FURNITURE WANTS
If you are looking for anything nice
in household furniture or something
In handsome ranges then go to F. D.
Halsten on the corner of Jefferson and
Fir street, and you will have no need
of searching further.
Mr. Halsten has been a resident of
the city of La Grande for the past 12
years. He has watched it grow from a
small village Into a good sized town,
and he realizes the great future which
It has before It, and he 1b here to re
main, and to assist in its development,
and just in the proportion that it
progresses he will branch out in his
business.
Prior to entering the furniture bus.
lnesa Mr. Halsten was identified with
able profit, and of having one price for railroad work, serving in a ticket of
each and every one of Its customers,
and to this policy may be attributed
much of his success. .
flee. His health became impaired, how
ever, because of the close confine
ment to the office, and as he says him-
CITY SUPT. IS
WELL QUALIFIED
"When J. A. Matot accepted the po
sition of street superintendent for the
city of La Grande he brought with
him twenty-five years of experience
In railroad construction work, and
ever since he went Into the service,
and especially during the last year In
the street Improvement work being
so conducted by the city, he has prov
en a most valuable man.
Mr. Matott .gained his experience,
as has been said, from being identi
fied with railroad construction work.
He saw service as road master for the
Pennsylvania Railroad company; the
Northern Pacific Railroad company,
and the Oregon Railroad & Navigation
company. He also saw Bervlce as con
ductor, and when his railroad experi
ence and work li summed up he was
In the service of the different roads In
the various capacities mentioned for
the period of 25 years. i
When he was made street superin
tendent for the city his vast experi
ence was taken into consideration, and
he was found to possess all the quali
fications necessary for the discharge
of the duties of the office. So satis
factory has been his work that he is
now serving his fourth term, and to
gether with City Engineer Curtis, he
ia now in charge of the vast amount
of street improvement work, and the
fact that he is superintending it Is a
guarantee that the work will be faith
fully and efficiently performed in
all respects.
!