July, 1883.
THE WEST SHORE.
valley is crossed here and there with dark green
belts of pines, and gently swells up to the base
of the toot-hills, back of which rise the towering
mountains with streams of ice cold water running
down the rugged canyons, while ever and anon a
bold, basaltic headland juts out in the clear at
mosphere like some glim sentinel keeping watch
and ward over this peaceful little valley. The
very atmosphere, rarified and aromatic from the
breath of fragrant pines and firs, stimulates the
senses like ancient wine, while brilliant-hued
flowers, of almost countless variety, grow in
profusion in summer times, to gladden the eye of
the lover of nature. The prairie is divided up
into four small valleys, viz.: Snipe, Round,
Wilson and Big or Main Camas, with intervening
ridges of "upland," which are covered with large,
stately pines.
It is claimed by some that this upland will
produce wheat when it is cleared. There are a
few places in Camas piairie where wheat can be
grown without fear of frost, but take the valley
in its entirety it is too frosty for successful wheat
growing, except it be used for hay. Barley and
oats do well, however. Good gardens can be
grown on most of the places .'claimed, or ever
likely to be claimed. It is well adapted to dairy"
ing and stock raising, being watered by Camas
creek, Owens creek, Snipe creek and other tribu
taries to the John Day river. Besides there are
countless numbers of never-failing springs along
the foothills and in the valley, some of them
running nearly an inch stream of water ,the year
round. It is difficult to find a section of land
that has not one or more of these springs.
Then there are the hut springs within a few
miles of Alba, which are destined to become a
veritable " Pool of Bethesda," as they are already
becoming famous as a pleasure and health resort,
Two and one-half miles south of Alba is a min
eral spring with remarkable curative properties,
especially for rheumatism, chronic diseases, etc.
Here is a chance for some enterprising person to
start a summer resort. The spring is on un
claimed government land. For some years past
this valley has been the Mecca of all cattle and
sheep men of Eastern Oregon, who would drive
their immense herds in here every summer to
pasture on the rich, nutritious grasses. But all
this is changed now ; for what was once one of the
finest stock ranges in the world is fast being
broken by the plow, and stockmen are obliged to
seek "pastures new."
To the sportsman, Camas prairie offers superior
inducements. In the spring large numbers of
salmon find their way from the Columbia up the
John Day, thence up the various creeks, where
they are easily caught. Elk, deer, antelope,
ibex, mountain sheep, wolves, lions, cougars, wild
cats, etc., are numerous, while if any one thinks
he has lost a bear he can very soon find him in
the mountains on the south side of the valley.
Of game fowls, there are grouse, pheasants,
chickens, and in the spring, myriads of geese,
ducks and cranes.
A new era of life, so to speak, Is just dawning
for Camas prairie. Tho.e who came here a
couple of years ago with little or nothing, have
got fairly started on the road to prosperity. Lssl
season there was hay cut to the amount of 889
tons, 2,500 pounds of cheese and 17,260 pounds
of butter made. This season, it is safe to say,
this amount will be doubled. There are already
three school-houses, a Urge, well stocked. ttora
and a number one blacksmith located.
The townsite of Sumner, on the new line o(
railroad from New Ticoma to Seattle, has been
surveyed and plotted.
The M. E. Conference is building a college at
Spokane Falls. It will be 40x66 feet and
three stories high, and will lie completed this fall.
The cost will approximate $8,000.
Fifty thousand acres of new soil were broken
during the past year in Spokane county. The
population has nearly doubled, and (he assess
ment list has increased one-half. The next year
will show even greater advancement.
The land office for the Whitman district has
been removed from Colfax to Spokane Falls and
will be opened for business at its new location as
soon as possible. That portion of the district
south of the Palouse river will probably be an
nexed to Walla Walla district.
Sedalia and llarriston are two young towns in
the Big Bend country, three miles apart and
sixteen from Sprague. As yet they contain little
but their hopes for the future, which are great,
and in view of the fact that they are surrounded
by a fine grain and grass country, well watered,
these seem not to be unfounded,
A tract of 320 acres in Schome harbor is being
laid off into town lots by the Hellingham Hay
Coal Co. This, with Whatcom, Hellingham and
Fairhaven, will make one vast town site of three
miles along the water front. The people of
Whatcom county are determined to be fully pre
pared for the " Iwom " when it comes.
Marshall Field, of Chicago, ami Baker &
Boyer of Walla Walla, are the proprietors of a
new town in Eastern Washington, upon which has
been bestowed the name "Waverly." It is sur
rounded for twenty miles by a fine agricultural
country. A flouring mill will be one of the first
enterprises.
During the month of June the following busi
ness was transacted at the Olympia land office 1
Cash sales, 24,878 acres, $M,6e,4 I ""'".
320 acres, $(i,4Kj homestead entries, 18,057
acres; pre-emption filings, 36,160 acres sixty
nine timler.land applications of a quarter section
each 1 final proof, 15,040 acres. The total cash
sales for the quarter were 54,589 $' JJ.
493-
The proprietor of the new town of Viola on
Fourmile, situated about 16 miles eat of Colfax,
sold one hundred lots in that fl ourishing embryo
city in three days. One year ago there was not a
business house in the place to-day it supports
two general merchandise stores, two blacksmith
shops, a planing mill, two hotels, one 1 two story
building, the other three story with Manurd
roof, two saloons, a livery stable, beside nu
meral other business enterprises contemplated.
Umber has been ordered so the erection of a
drug store i a taw-mill within three and half
'65
miles of the place loads over thirty trams per
day ! a first-class shingle mill Is situated near.hy,
and lilwrtl inducements will be extended to any
person who will erect a steam flouting mill in the
place. A rich farming country surrounds the town
of Viola for miles in every direction. It is ad
mirably located within eay accent uf inexhaustible
quantities of timlier. These happy conditions,
in connection with the business enterprise and
determination of her cilisens, insures to Viola a
prosierous future. - Colfax ViJHti,
Of the country lying in the eastern end of
Whitman county and extending Into Idaho, the
Palouse Outfit says : " The cillens of the east
em part of this county should use some exertion
t induce the coming immigration to examine th
country along the base of the mountains. Th
great Potlalch country offers great inducements to
the settlers, because of its natural advantages of
timlier, water, etc. The excellent body of land
surrounding Genesee, Uniontown andCollon, and
extending north, past Pullman, Palouse City,
Farmington, and into the Rock creek country, It
all one giade of land, constituting the finest body
of land on the Pacific coast. Being convenient
to timlier, and everywhere abounding in springs,
it offers advantages that do not exist further west.
The soil is rich, black loam, covered with a sod
that is easily turned over with three common
horses, Numerous towns ate scattered through
out this b It of land, and excellent mall facilities
everywhere aliound. No settler should local
north of Snake river until he has taken a look at
the Potlalch country, and from thenc north to
wards KiHikane Falls."
An agreement has been made by lit Interior
department with Chief Mows, whereby that
disgruntled chief agrees to smooth down his ruf
fled feathers and surrender his reservation to the
government, receiving therefor an annuity of
$1,000 fur a term of years. II will remove
with hit small band ol followers to th Colvlll
reservation, which It amply larg for their
accommodation. The Mows reserve contains an
area of 4,200 square miles, and embraces all tlx
country between the Okanagan river and th
Cascade mountains from where the Okanagan
unites with I In Columbia lo th International
line. In it are large tracts of agricultural and
grazing lands, immense forest! of great value,
and some of the richest mineral depotllt and
ledges in the west. The reserve was hastily set
aside in 1K79 when trouble was fcarid with III
most potent Motet, and the rights of many set
tlers and miners within lit limits wr ignored.
Representations in llieir behalf having bren mad
at Washington, an older was recently Issued by the
president, restoring bIkmI one-lwtnlieth lo Ih
public domain, being atrip off the northern end
occupied by th whit eople. Mote matt
fust about it, was called to Washington, and an
investigation of th whole mailer has resulted In
this agreement to surrender the entire reservation.
When congress shall have ratified this arid appro
prialed the money, the whole tract will be thrown
open to sclllcmenl. Then are other reservation
where a few buy Indians bold from nceupaitoa
thousands of square mile of valuable land,
which must toon b cut down or entirely shot
ithed, and lb sooner that I don the heller it
will be for lb (late and territories In which lliey
art situated.