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