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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1881)
ao8 THE WEST SHORE. August, 1881 THE TALOUSE COUNTRY. We arc in receipt of the prospectus Of the Ougull IlllpfUtVlllCltl Culllpaliy, which give a brief and truthful iketch of the great Palousc country, and from which we cull the following for the in formation of our reader. The entire I'alousc country, or "grain belt" ol Eastern Washington Terri tory, may Ik projrcrly dcscrilu.il an a high rolling praiiic, in general, free from timltcr, except upon watercourse. The marked eculiarity of thin section being that the higher land arc of equal, if not greater fertility than the valley, and at susceptible of easy cultivation. The tract i traversed in a general cast and went direction by the I'alousc river, Rebel and Union Flat creek, and their numcrou tributaries.- I'pon the higher land water U obtained at an easy depth, In ample quantitic for all domestic pur pose. Irrigation i wholly uncalled fur am! never resorted to, The toil i composed of a rich allu vial deposit, combined with basaltic ash ol great depth, overlying a clay ub-oil, which rest ummi a basaltic formation, which latter i at uch a depth a to In come vUihle only on the deep water course. The great productiveness of the toil of thi regin ha given it a woild-wide reputation and lend to the projection of the railroad line now Mirveycd and lcing rapidly constructed, looking to the transportation of the Immense cereal protluction of thi sec tion. The climate of Washington Terri tory U not surpassed in measure of healhfulncM by that of any other por tion of our country; the temperature being uch a to render the greatest amount of labor possible with the tmallett amount of exposure and dis comfort. The cereal, wheat, rye, oat. mid barley, with flax and wool, form the present ktaple pindiutioiu of thi broad agrirullutal area. The ikiut of anv failuie of crojn ince the eaily settle ment of the country, and the mnrkel return from the toil, In the large yield of the cereal ami grassr have not in the past called, for that diversity of pro duct found in the more uncertain local itien. The farmer ha uwn to the limit of hi eed time without thought of failure in hrvet. Wheat yield from J5 to 50 bushel per acre; oat ami barley about 60; ami in the nottheiutnl portion they have reached as high a no bushel to the acre. Rye yields from 40 to 50 bushel ; corn, 25 to 35. The yield of timothy and other grasses, per acre, i very large. Fruit of the finest quality free from worm or other blemish, i successfully raised in some localities. For a decade the Pulousc country, in consequence of its luxuriant growth of hunch grass everywhere found, and its equable climate, has been the Mecca of shck raisers. The great fertility of the soil and its unfailing yield has, however, given the lands a value which is rapidly displacing the large herds of cattle that once grazed on these lands. The major portion of the population of Whitman county, shown by the last census to be about 8,000, is located within the lands of the Oregon Im provement Company. An examination of the plats of government lands indi cates that a vast majority of the settlers of the country have chosen homes within the company's area. The tract ha been subdivided into about thirty school districts, and ha over 900 chil dren in attendance. The present popu lation i largely composed of people of Eastern origin, bringing with them their inherent love of schools, churches ami social development in contradistinc tion to a spirit of adventure and specu lation. For the purpose of the sale of these land they have been divided into three classes; their classification resting al most solely on their proximity to the railroad line and central growing point; there being no other essential feature on which to base a difference in price. The Oregon Improvement Company purchased these land with 1 special view to their early occupation by immigrant from the Eastern, Wett crn and Middle Mate. To accomplish thi purpose, the lands will be sold in small tidic to nctuul immigrants on easy terms, and special inducements as to prices transportation, etc., will be extended to colonic. The company I prepared, in offering these UmU upon the installment plan, to assist the deserving applicants, in their settlement and the conduction of their home. The only possible want ofthii coun. try in the past ha been that of timber for budding and other domestic pur. p.ca. 1 hi the company propo. t0 furnish at moderate price. - SOUTHEASTERN OREGON. The Klamath basin lies at the eastern bae of the Cascade range, is 50 or 60 miles from north to south, and from 10 to 20 miles wide. A range of high hills divides the basin into two parts at the lower end of Big Klamath lake. The upper or big lake is from 30 to 35 miles long and from 5 to 20 wide. It is a beautiful sheet of water and is liter ally alive with the most delicious lake trout and other fish. It pours its waters into Little Klamath or lower basin through Link river. This is a re. markable river, it begins at the lower end of the Big lake, a stream 300 feet wide, smooth, tranquil and silent in a few rods it begins to dash and foam and splash and roar and speed away in a wild mad race for the short space of one and a half miles, and then after its short and turbid fret pours its angry waters into the placid basin of Little Klamath lake and is again at rest. In its short and eventful course it descends in rapids and falls a perpendicular dis tance, variously estimated at from 60 to 75 feet, affording as excellent water powers as may be found any where in the world. Being the outlet of a large lake, the even tenor of its flow is never disturbed by flood. A bridge spans the river just alwve where it empties into the lower basin. Linkville, at one time the county seat of Lake county, is situated on the river just east of the bridge and extends for some distance along the lake shore. All the cereals do well here, especially wheat and rye. , The rivers and lakes here are alive with the most delicious trout weighing from two to eight pounds each, whilst nearly all kinds of water fowl may be found here in abundance. In the Ca cade mountains near by deer are in great numbers and are easily taken by those who wish. But the most wonderful feature of this locality is the hot springs, which in many places issue from the ground in great force, and at a temperature very little below the boiling point. It claimed by the inhabitants of Linkville that these hot springs possess . great healing properties. A large amount of government state and swamp land, U to be had in this locality for intending settlers A man overboreil the editor,