WEST SHORE.
873
THE METROPOLIS OP THE BIO BEND.
The Big Bend country includes one of the largest agricul
tural regions of the weBt. Specifically it lies west of a straight
line from near the mouth of Spokane river to the Columbia, at
a point about forty miles above the junction of the Snake. In
general terms it includes nearly the whole country westward
from Spokane Falls to the Columbia river. It is an elevated,
rolling plain, bearing little timber, a good growth of bunch
grass and, in some places, sage brush. There are a number of
depressions in the surface known as coulees, or old river
courses, the general trend of which is northeast and southwest,
as if they had at some time carried the whole or a portion of
the waters of the great Columbia on their way to the sea. The
principal feature of this description is Grand coulee which ex
tends across the bow formed by the big bend of the river and
bears unmistakable evidence of having once been the channel
of the Columbia.
The chief town in the Big Bend country is Waterville, the
seat of jubtice of Douglas county, and the principal grading
point in the central part of the state. It is on the surveyed
line of the Central Washington railway, under construction
from Spokane Falls westward to tap the resources of a region
having no adequate communication with the outside world, but
possessing rich inducements for transportation facilities. The
Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern is another road partly under
operation that is projected through Waterville. The town has
about 700 inhabitants and the county about 3,000. The town
is at present reached only by stage from the temporary terminus
of the railway at Almira, or from EllenBburgh, the former being
much the shorter stage ride. The United States land office for
the new district embracing Douglas, Okanogan and the north
half of Kittitas counties is located there. The county commis
sioners recently let the contract to erect an addition to the
couit house, to cost $10,000, which will make the building a
great deal larger than is shown in the picture in this paper.
Two new mail and stage lines were recently added to those
previously in operation, making four mail stages with their
headquarters at Waterville. Tnese are the Almira & Water
ville, the Ellensburgh & Waterville, the Ruby City & Water
ville and the Lake Chelan & Waterville, each of them making
two trips a week. Thus from Waterville every important in
terior point is reached and the only way to get to and from
them is by way of Waterville. This makes it the most natural
supply point for the mining section being developed across the
Columbia, as well as for the surrounding farming country.
The postofflce is a money order office. The only brewery
in the Big Bend country is located in Waterville. Consider
able pride is taken in providing good public school facilities, an
adJition to the school house costing $0,000 being now under
construction. The news field is covered by a weekly paper,
the Big Bend Empire. There are three churches, four lodges
of benevolent and fraternal orders, a board of trade, a brass
band and a fire company. Most of the trades and a number of
the professions are represented In the business of the town.
An enterprise that is greatly needed there, and one that would
surely do a profitable business, is a flouring mill. The citizens
of the town will give a site consisting of an entire block of land
as a bonus to secure the construction of a flour mill, and the
offer is one well worth investigating. Grain raising is the most
important industry in the Big Bend and as the country become
settled the consumption of bread ituffd warrants the construc
tion of facilities for manufacturing them at home whereby the
cost of transporting the grain out to market and the flour back
to the consumer will be saved by the people. A banking house
is also needed in Waterville. More business that would be fa
cilitated by a banking house is transacted in Waterville than
in many towns where banks are established.
Badger mountain is a quite prominent elevation less than
four miles south of Waterville. A few miles to the west is a
rugged ridge that gives pictureBqueness to the view. In the dis
tance is the main range of the Cascades from the uneven crest
of which snow capped Mount Stuait thrusts a sharp, glistening
point into the sky. The moBt western sweep of the Upper
Columbia is less than a dozen miles west of Waterville. There
is an abundant fuel supply from the timber of Badger
mountain and lumber is also accessible. But one of the great
est benefits that the town derives from that friendly knob is an
unsurpassed water service, the supply being springs flowing
from the side of the mountain at a sufficient altitude to afford
as great a pressure as could be desired for any purpose in town.
Waterville is the only town between Spokane Falls and the
Columbia river north of the Northern Pacific railway that has
such an ample supply of the best water with a perfect natural
pressure and requiring the minimum of expenditure to estab
lish or operate the plant. The fact that a pure water supply is
available is a very important one. The health of the people
depends in a great measure on the purity of the water used, and
Waterville is particularly fortunate in having unfailing springs
at hand and in such a situation that gravity is the only power
necessary to obtain their full benefit.
So far as the fanning interests of the Big Bend country ire
concerned it muBt be admitted that they are in no wise ad
vanced. The country is very sparsely settled, so there is noth
ing like general cultivation of the soil. Efforts thus far have
been largely experimental. But enough has been done to show
conclusively that the various branches of agriculture flourish in
every corner of the Big Bend. The range stock business, being
least hampered by the lack of transportation facilities, was
first established and it is very profitable. Cattle and horses re
ceive more attention than sheep, because mott of the country
affords good pasturage for the larger animals, fcheep generally
are taken where the land is too rugged for the pioBperlty of
horses and cattle. Next to the stock interetts come grain, for
the production of which the Big Bend country is particularly
adapted. Then root crops, vegetables and fruits are grown to
a large extent, considering the comparatively small area under
cultivation. But it has only been three or four years that set
tlers have been locating west of the Grand coulee and it can
not be aBserted just what the range of the products is that
will yield profit to the intelligent husbandman. There has
been no failure of whatever crops have been tried. It is not
expected that corn, watermelons, tomatoes or the more sensi
tive fruits will flourish in every location. But on farms reason
ably sheltered there are generally satisfactory crops and in
some instances it would Beem difficult to find more suitable con
ditions for raising semi-tropical products. Tobacco, sweet po
tatoes, peanuts, sorghum etc., mature in many places and
when the country is brought more thoroughly under the plow
it is likely that there will be a quite general cultivation of such
crops. The yield of cereals Is bountiful and of good quality.
Waterville draws elements of strength from the country
surrounding it and also (torn the fact that it is the most access
ible trading point for the mining region of the noith and west,
In which a great deal of capital is being invested. Gold and
silver, coal, iron, lead and copper are obtained from the reel ion
tributary to the metroixjlls of the Big Bend. No town in the
state has a better basis for growth, and it is growing steadily
and substantially. The probability of railway communication
being established before the end of tbU year is loading inves
tors to note the advantages offered and to improve them.