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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1883)
February, 1883. THE WEST SHORE. Maine, 1.23; Illinois, 1.33; New York, 1.58; Missouri, 1.63; Massachusetts, 1.77; Louis iana, 2.00. Children 'born here are strong and sturdy, and the diseases incident to child hood rarely assume a malignant form. En demic and epidemic diseases are almost un known. There are no low, swampy lands east of the Cascade mountains; malaria can not exist, and fever and ague have no foot hold. Consumption, that "dreaded disease which medicine never cured, riches never warded off, nor poverty could boast exemp tion from," which is the scourge and terror of New England and the east generally, Is either here cured or modified so as to pro long life for many years. Hurricanes, floods or other storms destruc tive to life and property are almost unknown In the history of this region. The growing season along the coast is apcompanied with bounteous showers, whose absence in the In tcrior Is not felt because of the beneficent distribution of lands and streams suitable for irrigation. During harvest time there is rarely any rainfall; in fact suchacalastrophy as loss of crops from drouth or flood would be considered phenomenal. What a contrast to the oft repeated exper ience of the Mississippi and other eastern valleys! While I write, a flood covers the finest cotton, sugar and rice lands of the south. The overflowed area is estimated at 35,000,000 acres nearly equal to the entire surface of, the great state of Iowa. The amount realized there from the cotton crop alone was $20,000,000. It will require $10, 000,000 to relieve the immediate necessities of the 500,000 inhabitants utterly destitute many times that amount to make good their losses, and ages to blot from the memory of the rescued the awful scenes attendant upon the loss of human life. If the 400,000 suffer ers, whom It Is said must seek other lands and employment, could at a bound transfer their industry to this grand northwest they could, without fear of the elements, carve out a magnificent destiny, such as generations v. . net realize in that portion of the south. and grass growing country, it will tank equal with your letter of yesterday, asking me to give you an any portion of the Pacific Slope. The soil on the account of my experience In Washington Tent hill lands is inexhaustible fo, wheat, and the val- ,0 in ICKTl .,0 ,the T"l lr eys, wheie free from rocks cannot be surpassed Dnv. I will uv tint 1 eime to Ainsworlh. W. T.. in the world for producing vegetable uf a11 kinds, uii 01 boul Ml day ol November, 1879, and Springs of the purest and sweetest water alxmnd ,,uint wo,k,ln th W of, 'he .N R K .11 ik. . 11. . . , 0o at that point, as blacksmith, the Company all over the country, giving fresh water to stock Mvin, m. PL , ,.. . ,,, wl ' ' through the Winter that never freeies, which is itcsdy work. I was about eleven dollars In debt an important item to stock growers. Kail, west, when I arrived there, and although I have a Urge north and south of Sprague is a large extent of f"Hy. conalsllng of a wile ami seven children, I . . . . . , succeeded in accumulating In the first year of my country yet unoccupied, some townships of fine ntMtnce n Alnsworth nearly one thousand dof-' leruie lanus nave out from one to live settlers to Isrs. My lint saving I Invested In ( lot purchased the township. What a field is here onen for the from the Company F01 fifty dollars. I then built emigrant seeking a home in the West I Those hou n') bul"n '' '' w ..,....., . , fenced the lot and set out some fruit and shade miu bciiicu ucrc witii.n me post nve yeais tIcrt, costing me in the aggregate about J70O. weu picasni ana are aoing well. 1 near no com- Remaining in the service 01 the company, 1 nan plaint of dissatisfaction. Itut one exclamation an opportunity to save more money and lietler my this is. good country and farming can here be 5 S a" com.t made a success. A general good feeling prevails myief ind GltiUlr:n. I look up loo acres of Gov. everywhere and " peace and prosperity reign sti preme. Yours truly, J. M. Willis, Sprauuk, Spokane Co., Feb. 1, 1883, SMALL PROMISES LARGE RESULTS. EASTERN WASHINGTON vs. MISSOURI, Editor West Shore : Your card requesting a statement of mv observations in Northeast Washington Territory during my residence here. is to hand. Comparing this country with Missouri, where I lived from Oct. 15, 1829 to July 17, 1882, thus giving me a residence of only seven months in Washington and 54 years in Missouri, I may say So far as I have experienced the climate, I like il better than Missouri. The changes from heat to cold are not . so sudden, the Winter comes gradually, and enables man and beast to become accustomed to the change, and not suffer from cold as in the sudden. changes of all the country e4St of the Rockv Mountains. IIur.es are now living and doini; well on the bunch grass, not withstanding there are ten inches of snow on the ground, and the thermometer has been 27 degrees below aero and now stands at tero. Forage abundant in the hands of farmers and ranchmen to get stock through the Winter in good shape, When Northeast Washington is properly devel pped, my honest opinion is, as a permanent wbeaj ernment land in Sec 26, T. 0 N, of K. 29 K W. M anil bought from the Coiniwny at Hie rale of $2.60 an acre, 90 odd acres 01 land In Sec. 25. At the time ol my taking up this land 11 was considered worthless, and most of the Inhsb- itants at Ainsworih and my fellow mechanics would UtiL'h and poke run at me lor irotntt on what Ihev called a wild boom chose, home of Since the early settlement of Washington Ter- them would go so far as to style me a " cruy .1 1 ..!!.. 1 .. ..i.i.i... -ft imiciiman. i nam no neco iu i.ic.r lufin nwi mory, e rcg.ua cx.cmung ..on. nc ..., ' , ,heir fUHcuC(-ul wcn, hca, putting III my Wallula Junction northward to a distance of near- i.,ur hours at Imorovmir whal I called "my Iv sixtv miles has been considered comparatively I frm."wllh the assistance of my family. I mad .1.1 . i.. 1... ..ni... I,,,, i.u it,. l.n,l 1 most 01 mv improvements on ine go-acre iwi HUlllllElW, IIUl UllljT VJ Klllbl HWI .J Mm I .if' L I f If 'II management of the N. P. R. R. Co., the grant J". .,.,, on lh, .,. .(-,, to which Company embraces the region named. 0 wh(ch gre iuiianiially fenced. I have From Ainsworth northward is sandy and entirely s house 10x27 ,n ,n" Mfn ......i -j .... 1 i:t I -f M. Uli. U l. I nlher out-houses. In S ( llion to this I UUtf a '. ., ... ..... well and set out an orchard of apple, rar, peach eating at Klliv.lie was questioned oy many Prc . m tm ch J(J0 , ..nti bIk)U, ,ll0 tical farmers. Mr. Rita has, however, within the ,,(, ( ,M fruits. Last Spring I put In n..t turn vmra. ilrmnnttraled that the soil, while about three acres of wheat, five acres of rye and f ' - 1 .... . i.i.i 1 .1... not strictly firsts, I. cap.b.e ofyie. ing wheat profitably. He has also demonstrated what U of c.liUw and other vegetables. I cut all have long held, nd that Is, that many of the my grain fur hay, averaging alwul two and a hall r ecions considered worthless In Washington Ter. tons to the acre. I lie pmaioes yie ucu me anou, . 1 .l ...i.u..i.. 1- m..t. I Ho fmshels iwr acre. I his 1 consider would N ritory, can, by three years cultivation, I made O" 1 ,m,, lih anil. to yield all the cereals, and return a nsnusoin wry MMinti llnte trconling to I Ik statements ol profit to the husbandman. Mr. Kin nas several older seiners, the last lesson was ins or.rsi ew section, in, he vicinity of Ritsville now ; In gJ&Sg vation, and judging trom ine inciease 01. j Kcumuu,e, wtihin ent vear over last year, we have not the slightest . , . ,hre ,a M,e (lom doubt but that he will raise more than an average hiring two or three carpenters ai in nine or crop in 1883. Our attention ha. also Uen at- bull.llng my house, 1 nave n. s,ni . c.m w., crop in 100 j. .... , , hnr n mprov nir my and In the sections named traded by the fine quality of the wheal pr.idured, of AlmmutK To.d,? whirh known as a variety 01 ine un viu. . wnui. .1 i.k( 112 an acre lor ine ini wnu n 1 It sunds in the head compact, and when threshed bought from the comany, or that which 1 claim is hard and amber-like, yielding a nutritious and J-ft flu, rich flour. . habits, can do as well In this region aa 1 hav Within a few days a German who had settled aonf( ,nd that this reglonolfershuiidiedsof homes .. . . 1! ..U mw.A aikn Aim. I .nn.llw B,nA R1V OWH lO f.Ut'sl SfUl IrwIuSlrUniS on land nortnwes, o. - ---v . , m mm. covered, contrary to his .upposit.on, hat he f (n nA on railroad instead ol Government land, upon tbou -ofM 4()(, ta,ing polillc need nut eon o consummating his purchase at the office of the ,hi, country. I shall be glad to show Intrndlng r,n..rl Uad Aifent. su re.iu ret n the con. settler, land in my neignw rn.wi viuauy .s General lnu Agent, ww t f(l j .r.n nl nurchsse to cultivate In a good and bus- fc estwrtcne. 1 .1 m very respecttuny jinn, KASH Kt llUMKMANN. band like manner not less than one-sixth of the acreage purchased. To the surprise of the land ,U,-n,nrnt. he sh'.wed that In the past three yeais he had not otdy cultivsled a large Irsrt, but V ailvise our faimrrs, cUlly between bad done so with a profit of l cent, on his Portland and Kalama, lo rU hw- When lite investment and lalior. It was so surprising Dial cm,iructlm of tht branch of the N. P. K. R. ,rh rrtults had Iwen obtained In a region eon. tee'ns this spring, Im will U h-gi, and no mi- sidcred worthless, that a letter was addie-cd to Uke. . i (..-...,,. I.. tWu I, h I hi.n askmg nuex,. ... -a mmpt, w matle the Wlow.ng .plr . H a(1Q .nt MJ iMy r.move.1. I.n' em Pacibc K, K. Co.- Sin Replying to t (bout tlma K4 CU4 u ftmovid, atso )
