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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1883)
January, 1883. THE WEST SHORE. '7 "TIME'S NOBLEST EMPIRE IS THE LAST." It Is a fruitful and a boundless theme. It was a master hand that marked the course of this mighty river, but that master hand was most lavish in its endowment of the re gion Itself. In exhaustlcssness and variety of resources no other country on the globe equals this oi ours in the New Northwest There is an atmosphere to coax to the fullest perfection all the various productions of the north temperate zone, to charm by its beauty and heal by its purity ; here are valleys more extensive and fertile than the famed Danube or Nile; more bountiful deposits of grid and silver, iron and coal, copper and lead, than are found within equal limits in the world beside ; its monarchs of the forest, Its stupen dous vegetable productions challenge the universe. In grand natural curiosities and wonders all other countries combined fall far below It. A few est unbroken body of agricultural lands west of our prairie stales. Camas Pialrle, In cen tral Idaho, Is twenty by eighty miles in ex tent. Horse Plains. In western Montana. Is nearly us huge. Teton liasln, In western Wyoming, boo squnre miles In extent, and other similar plateaux, possess wide areas of crops. The fact It, setllcrs have chosen the most eligible locations, and with I lie wine worm 10 choose from have passed over as good land as need be desired. The whole region possesses more value for production, If It can be supplied with water and eventually It w ill not lie so dlllicuu as people Imagine to locale wells. The land pahlc of producing the enormous amount of I (owt Snake river is high hills In part, and yet ,000,000,000 bmhels of wheat annually, (or egn n,a l0 produce wheal. Coming up from an equivalent) placing the yield at a low av-1 Tei ferry ou climb a great ridge and ride lor productive farm lands at an elevation aliove the sea of from 3,000 to fi.ooo feet. OK ITS EXTENT AGAIN. In this vast drainage of 400,000 square miles are 50,000,000 acres of wheat lands, ca PROMINENT CHARACTERISTICS of the region aside from the water-courses al ready outlined, are the mountain ranges, the valleys and the plains. It is traversed north and south by the four or five greatest ranges of our country. First on the east the Rock ies and Bitter Root, next the Blue, then the Cascade, and lastly the Coast range. In ad dition to these are more Isolated mountain ranges whose trend Is not generally to rcgU' laror well defined, such as the Salmon River, Sawtooth, Cccur d'Alcne, Owyhee, Umpqua, etc. These mountains vary in altitude from 5,000 to 14,000 feet, It Is on these and their numerous spurs that the forests are mainly found, and among them are grouped the many belts of precious and bate metals These mountains also give forth the myriad glittering springs and treasure up the vast reserves of snow and Ice, which in summer send an unfailing and regular supply of water through thousands of rivulets, creeks and rivers to refresh and fertilize the lowlands. Then are the valleys the country's prec lous gems one hundred or more of them ranging In length from 25 to 200 miles, and In breadth from two to filly miles and thou sands of others, smaller, but just as fertile and generally more attractive. Enchanting little H-ales, coy parks hidden among the hills these are Indeed Innumerable. Thejr alt! tude varies from a little above sea level to 5,000 feet They are generally considerably depressed below the surrounding formation and are often well sheltered by over-looking mountain ranees. The plains, more elevated than the valley stretch over a vast extent of the country east of the Cascade mountains. The Snake river plains, In the southern section of the region In Question, are some 300 miles In length by 250 In breadth, possessing an elevation of from 2,500 to 4,500 feet alwve the sea, ana in the main being only fit for grazing. The Great Plains of the Columbia, In the north ern portion of the region, nearly equal the Snake river plains In extent, possesa a much rjwer average elevation and afford, tJie Jar g- one-hslf the arable lands of Walla Walla county are unclaimed. Of late more attention is paid to this part of the country, and settlers are making locations. Absence of living water and difficulty tn locating wells are the principal objections. No one need doubt the ability of the soil to produce crnge for that region of twenty bushels per acre. This Is about twenty times the produc tlon of the great state of Illinois In 1881. The eglon also possess some 6o,ouc,ouo acres of grazing lands, a larger terrltoty than New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire combined. The possibilities of uch a pasture field are almost beyond calcu Intlnn. The forests of this vast domain are miles over beautiful bunch grass prairies without teeing a habitation or mark of a plow. All along the Snake river lo beyond the liikannon, sucn teems lo be the case, Good land can be found in the lllue Mountains ihst wtll I eagerly sought for in a few vears (rom now. The northern part of Columbia county, and the southern part of (iat field county present many vacant places tor setilers lo select from. The Atsnlln county is not muter and more valuable than those lit all 0r one-half claimed, and from Atpowal canyon r.,, nnrtli nf the Ohio river and cast 1,, Ltwislcm. In Garfield county, ihera Is a great of the Mississippi. The mineral field under- deal of vacant land near Snake river. The smith ' ..I . . . .11 I I I I m. ....B t , tut lies lens of thousands of square miles of the tide of Snake river is consniereu t ... forest area. Gather together all there Is oN all taken up, but tne laci is in ... England, Scotland, lklglum.llolland, France, offers homes-ami good locations, loo-tor Hious. Dcnmurk and Switzerland, where over 85,- andsol families. 000,000 of people dwell, and It does not equal ... ir u-lt.i had not a slnglo settler last the water shed of the Columbia and Its trltiu- , , h 1 . . fnW w. tt sis miles tarlcs. And all those countries have their , rf lh ,velie width of fifteen miles. ..,..., iin oml ilinhcr and their barren and 1 f -.,....1 m LivIim sellleinenl. Ho wa.te lands and arc growing, Increasing and ... imvtrinrH no that section possesses esceU developing yet, und will continue for ages lo M tnJ f yf ,y vwlisg llian can bt desired come, notwithstanding heavy annual in pie- , 0,UM,. tlon from emigration To Impress the reader still more forcibly with the size and destiny of our land " where rolls the Oregon," let me quote a recent com- parlson made by Hon. M. C. George, our Congressman: "Put your finger on a map " .... 1 .. northwest of Chicago, iiass It theme easterly to Include Detroit and Toledo and Cleveland and BufTaloand Montreal and Boston) thence follow down the coast and Include INcw York and Brooklyn and Philadelphia and An nlatrnrUinff German who workt In the thopt at Alntwnrlh, hat laken land cm the Col. umbla, near Ihen and hat ma.i n pr.-..-derfully. It ha not Uen supposed thai that par. licular section was of any value as agncuii... Ural, but ll teems Ihst good Und lies along lh ColurobU alwve Ainsworlh, and lliere Is tlrip of good country between il ami Ihe knui norm and south. The eslent of g'id country tseee.U 01 ins .11 mmUui ant k nations. Inf rts .. ... it;nin...M uia very desirable strip of Baltimore, thence westerly and Include Cln- . lwenl- nllUM long ami sis miles ilnnatl and St. Louis; and then to Chicago . . . Sukf ,lvff( comm. rues again, and although you have outlined a f(om Ain,wof,h M the north slda uf scope of country which mciuues an mc Kr m 0n)y , fcw miW,,s ago no one sup. cities of America save New Orleans and San ((eft WM good Un)j ,,, tut U U claimed Fanclsco, and an area ww-rc . .j,--r n nii pauicuiar iraci eonminmg 7 of people reside, yet you nave ir . u wftot The lower part of the I'alousa country Is almost entirely varanl. Take finy tonrii 01 " there ami not one half lis goveinmeni uno mm, not onelourib Ihe railroad Und Is yet occupied. try only about seven eighths the size of the . M - - .11.. great Northwest 01 me iw int. VACANT LANDS. . I . n .1 ..ir.,,l ! land ar in reasonably A while aco we heard one of ihe best posted . k - . .1 . I clots uruiimiii iw Und lawyer, of Wall. v.M. maae . ,rtri,y , ,,,,,,, , astounding statement that one-hall he a.ahU r rf we of this county remains unvruieo a.M. - .. fif ( m ,t.iml A tflsnce at lite map showed llisl he wascorrect. People bae teliled upon ihe tavoiii f,-.hill. and the Utl Und of Ihe valleys Ihe mountain, and hav. neglected Ihe great are. of rolling hillt beto IT 'ek nd Snk river and th, CouW, ?o jt remain, Irna that Walla Walla. That will help to appreciate Ihe drsllny that awaits our Uauliful and enterprising city ia the Immediate future If we merit by en terprise result, that art wllhjij our gTMp.-W