THE WEST SHONE.
and lide one but little of the valley in
pawing through. It in o divided by heavy
In-ltaiif tjuitrrliglhe river and Hear creek,
that lh traveler never N-en the xitJ half of
the valley, ari'l frequently p.in ( w ithout
know ing that tin-re id mi li a place. The valley
pj r I aUmt five rnili-n long by three mil H
in width, and contain Mine of tin lnt bay
land in th- world. TV hay nt in very w-l-doin
exhausted, larjfM uanlitie U-ing " Mini-iin-n-l
over " almost every year. The Wallowa
river paw-n through the middle td the valley,
(ruin rat Ut wet, beavily Ulted on either fide
ilh pine, cot ton wood nri'l alder timln-r; m
mil' li i an to hide from view Home td the lx-ct
hay farnm, notably tin of Win. Webber ami
Jon-ph Johnston. I'H-ar creek, oinirijf down at
riitht allien from (he muntaiiin on the nouth,
alo beavily timbered, cut the Hotith hile
(whiih in iiiiu li the larger rtin) id the valley
in (no ortioiif hii dividing the entire valley
into two ur1i, aii-l furnishing an altinlarnv of
liinU r for all MiriNn for many yearn to come,
and a water jwer without or 1. The water of
(hoe nlmttiiH in about a clear and pure a it in
liiil'Wor water to lie, anil they aliound in fih.
The n lehratetl red Tih come tip once a year,
furiiiohin mrt for alurtit two week. Salmon
rotue tip three time a year, in April, August
and Nocmln-r, white the Htted trout and
nhincr n-main with u alwayn.
Now, having considered the valley itwlf
( l it ti n-d to ! considered all there wan
here) we have not lii;t'1e a cotiiliieticeinelit on
the Mil-jii t. reordering the valley I'll the north,
in a strip of billy, bum h-gran country, extend
ing catward along the Wallowa basin for forty
inilm or more, and from four to ten mile in
wilth. On the lull, which are neither high
lioT uteep, may U found the richest and It-xt
raiti land in all the Weft, intersrrsed with
othir land whidi i good for nothing but pan
turage, a i the case in all hilly countricn.
I'.ii V of these hilln, anl extending to Nuke riv
er, Mine f..rty or fifty mile, in a m-o of coun
try, Ut the mt jurt very finely liml-red, ami
without uii.lrfl iuh, no that one may travel al
luimt anywhere in a wagon. Kvery mile or two
we eiMvtintcr a thiikrt of long and iuot beau
libit i, Nitiietimea r&1eiilin for milen.
Tliew we hive to k arrtiiel, imv they jjrow i
ihitkly one can Mam ly fo throiU'h on foot.
Thi wouM a jara lit femrm arel tie
i hp'M. N-attere all thnut;h thin vat t t
of country, arc numerou oicn glailen, like the
N aver mellow (d the Kat, covered with the
leit of graxi fwm tbrw? to four feet high, with
the very richest of de-p, black noil, plenty of
pprinijn, and wnne Kln-aiiin of eonniilerablc fiiu.
Tliin whole region will wn le w illed. There
are alrea'ly nome wttler lo alel there, the only
inconvenience iH-inKihi-punown in winter. Thin
n-poii ban lufore it a irreut future. S'veral
larp; iaw mill may work lierw for many yearn,
and utill there w ill In; plenty of Kd timU-r left.
Uailroad tiea may i hhip" out for the build
irij; of thotixandri of mili H of railroad, and there
will he )!c remaining. Vat henlx of Mock
may raze here, and there will lie plenty of
uraiw left. KIk, ditT and N-ar may I; kilhl
for many yearn, and Home, will yet remain. The
miow fallrt here from three to four feet in depth,
but with plenty of hay and grain laid in for
winter line, ftock will do much U tter and come
out in Irtler condition, than in warmer eoun
triex, where there ix rain, wind and mud. For
the lirnl (ifu-en mih-H out, thin country in quite
level, much more m than most of the tttate of
Iowa. After that, an you go north toward
NiaVo river, it Inm-oidch more rouh and brok
en, while the climate grown warmer much
warmer, in fact, than any part of the Wallowa
valley. Incidentally, I mention that thin ia a
gnat country for IjucltleU-rrien, and for fear
that any man nhould consider a huckleberry a
Mnall matter to make mention of, I will junl
My, that toward spring, a Mij'ply will go far to
ward making one feel healthy, wealthy and
wiwe.
Hut to return to the valley. The lower part
of the Ninth half in hid from view and little
known. It in called Ih'arnond prairie. Thin
prairie in, or rather wan, the mont dried up,
(arched and unproductive ortion of Wallowa
county, with the exception of Home of it little
"ram hen" around the outnkirt next to the
mountain and river, which have alwaynln-en
very rich. Within the jwnt three yearn, Mr.
Chamln-rlain ban located a dcN-rt claim in the
center and dryent part of the prairie, ami ban
taken out a large irrigating ditch. An a conne
ijuciiif, he in making thin dexert region to
" hlimnom an the mh-." He in now rutting the
l-t quality of hay, and a good crop of it, too,
from land that u?m to ln, from the firot of May
until the fall rainn In-gan, an dry an gunjiowder,
producing nothing but bunch gran, and very
little f that. Wnllovi I'hufinin.