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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1886)
178 THE WEST SHORE. LAKE COUNTY, OREGON. MAHE movement on foot to construct a good wngon I rodl acrottn tho Cascades, in 8otlinrn Oregon, in A. onlr U render Lako nmt Klamath counting more accessible, !m attracting considerable attention to that region. With Lake county our people are probably ls familiar than with any other portion of Oregon, ainon it lrad. in now almost exclusively witli Han Fran cisco. It lies aoutli of Crook, oast of Klamatli, west of Grant and north of Mixloc, the extreme northeastern county of California. The center of Hottleninnt in the (loose lake ntgion, a large laxly of water which forum one of the aonrcea of tho Haeramonto. Lakoview, tlio county aeat, lies a few milea north of tho lake, iu tho midst of tho largoat body of agricultural land in the county. It contain a population of aix hundred, and ia growing rapidly. It oontaina a dozen atorea, various kiuda of ahopa, tho United States land oflioo for that dis trict, and a good local iiowapajMir, tho Urumhwr. Tho merchant carry larger stocks of goods than one would exxct lii find in a town of that aize, owing to tho fact that all merchaiidiafl ha to bo hauled a long distance iu fruight wagons, and a small stock can not lie quickly and conveniently replenished. There are thousands of acre of good arable land iu the county, much of which ia still omh for settlement Title can bo purchased at from 1.150 to .r0.(X) per aero. Improved land within a few mile of Lakeview can Imi had at from 10.(X) to l.ri.00 per aero. Wheat, oat and barley prmluce prolifieally and aro of good quality. Vegetables of all kinds thrive with cultivation. Hay ia, orhaps, tho leading and most profitable crop, ainoe tho chief industry is stock raising. Largo bands of stock nmin tho hills and valleys, tho cattlo lieing disMMMvl of to Nan Francisco buyers, who wild agent to purcluiMo them and drive them to market The general surface of the country ia mountainous, though by no means rugged. High, rolling hiUH, bo tween which lie fertilo valleys and many lakes of varied sin, are the general toxgraphieal features. In the main the hill are devoid of timlxtr, tho sage brush, which holds almoat undisputed possession of the vast baaiu lying Iwtwoen the Cascade and Sierra Nevada raugea on one hand and the IWky mountains on the other, being the one great form of natural vegetation. Bunch grans, upon which cattlo thrive umtner and win tr, covert large area, and is the ckief d.iendeuce of the stock men. The toil i. highly impregnated with al kali, o much to in place a to 1h rendered unfit for ag rieultur until relieve! of it surplus quantity. The value of alkaline toil ia plainly tot forth by Professor Hilgard, on another page, to which the reader it re (erred. Some of tht lakes are alkaline, while othert are freth. the latter being well stocked with fith. In Goose lake fish are very abundant, and in the spring season wagon load of large and delicious trout are caught by the Moplo and enlt.vl down in Imnvla for future Uho. The diumte it a moat healthful one. Malarial dis eases art unknown. The atmotphere it freah, clear and free from miasma and dampness. The newcomer soon finds his appetite stimulated and the quantity of victuals ho can dispose of at a meal largely increased. Com pared to the upper portion of the Mississippi valley, the winters aro extremely mild, though, to be sure, more se vere than in that portion of Oregon lying -west of the Cascades. The mercury seldom falls below zero, and when it dxs8 it is only for a brief period. The lowest ever registered by the thermometer was sixteen degrees below zero. The quantity of snow which falls during tho winter is not great, nor does it lie on the ground long at a time. Ordinarily there is enough to give good sleighing for a short time. Spring opens early, and be fore the first of May vegetation is well advanced. The rainfall is light, so much so that irrigation is necessary in tho greater portion of the county, which, owing to the many streams and lakes is not difficult nor expen sive. When properly irrigated, sage brush Innd has proved itself to be tho most productive on tho Pacific coast Tho absence of rain in the summer season is a guaranty to tho farmer that his harvest will be exempt from the dangers that menace crops in the East while lieing gathered. Whatever by his industry he has caused to grow he feels a reasonable assurance he will be able to harvest in good condition. North and northwest of Goose lake valley lie others, in some of which stock-raising ia almost the only indus try. The firrt, Crooked creek valley, is six miles long and from one to two wide. It is all owned by thriving and industrious farmers, who are engnged in the stock business and also raise grain and hay in large quantities. A few miles further north is Lower Crooked creek val ley, a stretch of arable land twelve miles long and from two to eight wide. It ia owned and enclosed by stock men, who use it for pasturage and meadow, and who range thoir stock on the desert in the fall and winter. The Lower Marsh is the name of a small valley a short distance farther north, through which runs the Chewau can river. Gieat quantities of hay are cut there for feeding stock. Crossing a dividing ridge northwesterly from this point, one enters the valleys of Chewaucan and Summer lake, about sixty miles in length, enclosed by rimro-k on the east and timber-bearing mountains on the west Snow falls to a considerable depth in the mountains, giving the streams a good supply of water until late in the tummer. The mountains contain plenty of grass for tummer range, as well as timber for for building. They abound in game, and the streams are full of trout The foothills are covered with fine grass, upon which large numbers of cattle are grazed. There is considerable farming done in the valley. Pais ley on Chewaucan river, is a town of nearly three hun dred inhabitants, and contains several stores and shops. The river affords good water power. . The soil is excel bnt, and in a few yeans by irrigation, will be rendered highly prolific, Fruit trees thrive, and many have been set out the past few years, but the settlement is too re cent to have any large bearing orchards. A few trees which were set out a number of years ago produce an