The west shore., January 01, 1885, Page 11, Image 11

THE WEST SHORE.
11
more surely than by raising grain, or could until the
plow began encroaohing upon their ranges, as it has
already in many cases. It is to bo hoped that more
attention will bo turned to dairying by the owners of the
grassy bottoms along the stream.
The next stream of importance is Birch Crock, falling
into the Umatilla tliirty miles above the mouth of Butter
Creek. In all its essentials this Btreani is similar to the
one just described It is in the transition period from
the pastoral to agricultural industry. This means that
more people are settling here every yoar, and that the
herders' camp-fire is giving place to the domostio hearth.
Uncle Sam owns thousands of acres of bunch griiBs hills
which he is willing to give to those who will build there
a home. Many settlors think they have a soil equal to
thut of the famous wheat lands about WeBtou and Con
treville; but it has not been tried sufficiently to demon
strate this fact It is undoubtedly excellent There are,
however, great stretches of grass-covered hills not fit for
grain raising, which will always be devoted to grazing for
stock. In such places the soil is thin and the rocks close
to the surface. We find much laud of this character
adjacent to the blulTs of most of the principal streams,
and on the ridges between streams whore thoy approach
somewhat near together, as is tho cose on the riilgo be
tween Butter and Birch creeks, north of Willow Springs,
and botween Birch and McKay creeks in some localities
whero they are not far apart, and. in other instance
Other tributaries of the Umatilla aro McKay, Wild Horse
and Cottonwood crooks. Willow Creek is an important
stream, entering the Columbia near tho westoru end of
the county. It runs northward from the mountains down
a canyon, where the conditions are in most respects simi
lar to those described as existing along Butter Crock.
The stream forks into two branches, on one of which
the north lies the town of Hoppner. Willow Crook
canyon is the route by which tho wholo rogion in which
thut prosperous town is situated finds an outlot to the
railroad on the bunk of the Columbia. Thousands of
pounds of wool annually go out of the couuty by this
route, and thousands of pounds of goods euter by the
same way.
In the extreme southeastern corner of the county, in
the very heart of a western spur of the Blue Mountains,
the North Fork of John Day Eivor sweeps into it from
Grant County. Numerous small tributaries full into it,
along which are many little mountain valleys. There is
one of theso mountain valloyg of considerable size, known
as Cumos Prairie, which is a paradise of beauty and fer
tility. It is a nearly circular basin, some twelve inilos in
diameter, entirely surrounded by mountains covered from
base to peak with forosU of pi no and fir. The vulley is
crossed here and there with dark groen bolU of pines,
and gently swells up to tho base of the foothills, buck of
which rise the towering mountains, with streams of ice
cold water running down the rugged canyons. The
prairie is divided up into four small valleys viz.,
"Snipe," "Bound," " Wilson " and "Big (or Maiu)
Camas," with intervening ridgos of upland, which are
covered with largo, stately pines. It is claimed by some
that this upland will prcxluoe wheat when it is cleared.
There are a few pluoes in Camas Pruirio whore 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 usod for hay. Barloy and ouU do well, how
ever. Good gardens can be mmlo on tmmt of tho places
claimed, or evor likoly to be claimed It is well adapted
to dairying and stock raising, being watered by Camas
Crook, Owens Creek, Snipe Creek and other tributuriiw
to thit John Day. Besides, thoro are countless numbers
of uover-fuiling springs along tho foothills and in tho
valley, somo of thorn running nearly an inch stream of
water tho yoar round It is difficult to find a section of
land that hits uot one or moro of these springs.
Then thoro are the hot springs within a few miles of
Alba, which are alroady becoming famous as a pleasure
and health rosort Two and ouo-half miles Bouth of Alba
is a mineral spring with remarkable curative properties.
For some yours post this valley has boon the Mecca of all
cattle and shoep men of Eastern Oregon, who would
drive their immenso herds in hero every summer to pas
ture on tho rich, nutritions grussos. But all this is
changed now; for what was onco one of the finest stock
ranges in tho world is fust being broken by the plow, and
stockmen are obliged to seek " pastures now." To tho
sportsman Camas Prairie olTers superior inducements.
In tho spring largo numbers of salmon find their way
from tho Columbia up tho John Day, thence up tho
various crooks, where they are easily caught; and those
stroams alxmnd with tho delicious mountain trout Elk,
door, antelopo, mountain sheep, wolves, cougars, wild oats,
etc., are nuinorous; while if any 0110 thinks he has lost a
bear he can very soon find him in tho mountain on tho
south side of tho valley. Of gamo fowls thoro are grouse,
pheasants, chickens, and in the spring myriads of goose,
ducks and cranes. A new era has ojiened for Camas
Prairio. Those who settled thoro threo years ngo with
little or nothing have made a good start on tho highway
to prosperity. Homo 2,000 tons of hay, 2T,000 pounds of
butter and 4,000 pounds of cheese are made there annu
ally. There aro threo school houses in the prairie, and a
gixnl store and pout office, shops, eta., nre located in tho
little town of Alla, in the northern end of tho prairie.
We havo now passed over tho entire county, but there
is one section already mentioned which merits a more
extoudod description, since it offers splendid opportuni
ties for settlement This is known as the " Cold Spring
Country," and lies to the southeast of that portion of tho
Columbia Itiver between Umatilla and Wullulu. The
following description of that rapidly developing section
was writton by Mr. A. F. Purkor, a resident of that
region, and a journalist well known in tho Pacific North
west Careful attention is invited to his statement,
which are mode from personal olmorvatioti. Mr. Parker
says:
With tho exception of a narrow belt of sand and sage
brush, aliout one mile in width, borduring on tho Colum
bia Biver, there is scarcely ix acre of waste luud in tho