i8
THE WEST SHORE.
January, 1882
THE TOPOGRAPHY OF A GREAT
REGION.
A kick moM Tim California line to the
Coii VdM trfvrn, TlIF !WW1m1TY
OK EASTERN OREGON.
In October last, imbued with a desire
to see the country, I purchased an In
dian pony und started from Litkcview,
loiiud for the Dalles of the Columbia
river, distant 320 miles, over a country
of which very little reliable informa
tion ha yet been published.
An a prelude to my narrative, I will
proceed to locate my Parting point for
the Iwnefit of renders who arc not fa
miliar with the modern detail of Ore
gon geography, Lakcview, the county
sent of Lake county, Oregon, is located in
the northern end of Goose lake valley,
fourteen miles north of the California
line; about 35 miles north-west, from
north-west corner of Nevada, and 125
miles cast of the Cascade mountains by
the present route of travel. Goose lake
valley liei almut one-third in Oregon,
and two-thirds in California. It is
about 60 miles long, 10 to 30 miles wide
and has a population of 1,500, about 700
of which arc in this Stntc. The lake is
45 miles long, has a width of from 5 to
18 miles, is well stocked with the very
finest of lake trout, and is the largest
body of fresh water west of the Rocky
mountains. A stcambout was launched
on the lake during the past summer,
which was hailed as an important eveut
by the people of the valley. The lake
is one of great beauty; the shores arc
quite regular, am! arc free from swamps
or tulc, except a small spot at the north
and south ends. A fine pebbly beach
almost encircles it unbroken, upon
which the angry waves beat in fury,
when stirred by the winds that prevail
In the spring and f.ill. When the coun
try is fully developed, this lake will
possess great commercial value to thaj
section, for the purposes of navigation
The altitude above the sea is over 4,000
Feet, and malarial diseases are unknown
The climate i dry and the winters cold
but not extremely so, except during the
hard winters w hich, as far as ohscrva
lion goes, visit it once in six or seven
years. Snow sometimes falls to a depth
of two or three feet, and remains on the
ground during the "winter months,
though such rigors arc not usual. In
fact stock men who are !et acquainted
with the country, expect to winter their
Hero 1 on me range without other feed
rd the preparation of few for stock, is
more a matter of precaution against
surprise, than anything else. Hay fre
quently remains in the stack unused,
until spoiled by change of seasons.
Until the last three years, farming
has been greatly neglected; the princi
pal occupation being stock raising, for
which the country is particularly adapt
ed. Recently, however, agriculture
has received much attention, and it is
found that all the cereals, and nearly all
the vegetables grow astonishingly well.
'otatot-s, cabbage, turnips, onions,
squashes, pumpkins, melons, tomatoes,
and ot.icr garden stuff are raised in
great abundance, the tender plants
above named being, however, some
times damaged by early or late frosts.
Orchard farming has not yet been tested
to any great extent, but suflicicntly to
prove that apples, pears, and various
kinds of berries, can be produced with
out difficulty, and of very line flavor and
quality. Peaches it is believed can not
e made p , success here. Timothy
yields immensely und of excellent qual
ity. The dry climate adds much to the
flavor of vegetable and quality of the
grain. A natural sub-irrigation pre
vails in many places which renders sur
face or artificial irrigation unnecessary.
In fact irrigation of grain is an excep
tion rather than a rule. The yield of
all farm produce for i88t,is far in ex
cess of the demand, though that of 18S0
fell short, in consequence of the length
and severity of the preceding winter
and early drouth of the following sum
mcr.
The lake, except about twenty miles
on the south-west, is bordered by a fine
margin of excellent (arming lands, from
one to eight miles in width, and is be
ing rapidly settled and improved. The
improvements arc of an attractive and
very substantial kind. The farms are
principally carved out of sage and rab
bit brush lands, the soil of which has
been demonstrated to be very produc
tive and easily reduced to cultivation
There are a great number of streams
and springs clear and sparkling, pure
and health-giving, that water the valley
plentifully. The atmosphere is rare,
pure, and invigorating. The mount
ains to the north and west, rise gradu
ally, almost to the region of pcrpctua
snow, and arc clothed with immense
forests of pine, fir, cedar and tamarack
To the east, the mountains arc more
abrupt, rugged and sparsely aupplicd
with timber; pine, fir, and cedar grow-
ng only in the canyons and deep gor
ges, the rocky points bearing juniper
and mountain mahagony. the whole
mountain covered with excellent bunch
grass. This valley is perhaps the larg
est one so thoroughly adapted to agri
culture, to be found east of the Cascade
range and south of the Columbia river.
Iere flouring and saw mills are kept
busy supplying the wants of a rapidly
increasing population, and much enthu
siasm is indulged, in the prospect of a
future great and prosperous community
to be built up here, and only awaiting
the approach and certainty of railroad
communication, to connect this with the
outside world, and develop its many
resources. Routes have been surveyed
by railroad companies, which are to
connect this section with the Central
Pacific, and with the Columbia river,
and work is being pushed in this direc
tion. What has here been said in re
gard to soil, climate, productions and
future prospects of Goose lake valley,
applies equally to Crooked creek, Chc
waucan, Summer lake and Silver lake
vallieys, lying to the north and through
which our route will take us on our
contemplated journey.
Crossing a range of low hills covered
with sage, bunch grass and clumps of
juniper, a distance of 15 miles, brings
us to Crooked creek valley, about 15
miles long and of irregular width, vary
ing from a narrow canyon to expanses
of valley, from one-half to three or four
miles. This valley is a picturesque,
well watered and fertile strip, bounded
on the east by a bold, bluff, rocky and
precipitous range of mountains heavily
clothed with bunch grass, but meagcrly
supplied with timber, juniper prevailing.
The west is bordered by mountains of
less hight, more gradual of ascent and
bountifully supplied with forests of pine,
fir and cedar. Streams trickle down
the mountain sides from east, west and
south, and a great number of families
are already building homes, tilling the
soil and tending their herds. To the
north of the valley on the edge of "the
desert," and sunk in a deep rocky ba
sin 15 or 20 miles in length, by 5 or 6
in width, sparkles the unusually placid
surface of lake Abert; clear, cold, but
unfriendly to the taste, its waters hold
ing various salts in solution. It has no
out let though it receives the waters of
the Chewaucan nvcr and Crooked
creek,