18
CROOK COUNTY JOURNAL'S ANNUAL NUMBER.
natural phenomena of the world. A few
such discoveries have been made In Euro
pean countries, but they are rare.
One of these caverns, and the "father of
the Ice caves,". Is practically in the desert.
It lies at the foot of the mountains some
distance from Lava Butte and extends out
under the sagebrush and in the sands of
the plains. The entrance to this cave is
small and leads through a narrow opening
down an incline of about 45 degrees. At
a depth of 75 feet the bottom of the cave
is reached, and here is found the ice. A
pure, clear grade of crystal ice is found
here, winter and summer, and never seems
to diminish. When squares of the ice are
chiseled out the place is immediately filled
with water and frozen again as solid as
ever. The ice is of an unknown depth in
places, and seems to occupy space beneath
the walls of the cave, which leads many to
believe that these caverns are connected
and that the supply of ice may cover a
broad field in the vicinity. A discussion
of this phenomena may be found in the
leading encyclopedias of the country.
Rock Pillars.
By some peculiar incident, nature has
formed a number of rock pillars in this
section that are remarkable In their struc
ture and the wonder of all who see them.
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JOSIAH HINKLE.
pillar is about 120 feet in diameter, and
its walls are so straight and uniform that
no human foot will ever be able to reach
its summit. To stand beneath this mon
ster curio of nature and gaze up its
smooth walls makes one's eyes dizzy,
and also makes one's brain reel when he
seemingly not affected it. An eagle from
year to year broods her young upon the
top of this rock and no one molests her.
On this account it is called "Eagle rock,"
or "Eagle Pillar." Stein's pillar, alone, is
worth hundreds of miles of travel to see,
and one never tires of looking at it.
Picnicing parties from all over Crook
county visit the place annually, and a
visit to Stein's pillar Is always a treat for
both young and old.
Lakes and Streams.
On the upper Deschutes there are a se
ries of lakes from one mile in width and
length to ten miles. They are fed by springs
and mountain streams and fairly teem with
every specie of trout. When one tires of
mountain climbing or sight-seeing, or kill
ing bear or deer, he may stop here and
camp beneath the tall pines on the shore
of some clear lake and catch fish to his
heart's content. In proper season these
lakes are also the home of wild geese,
ducks, brants, swan, and every kind of
water fowl. They are seldom molested and
shooting here is good even for the ama
teur sportsman, and a "picnic" for the
professional. All of the streams flowing
into the Deschutes and Crooked river are
gooi fishing waters and some of the finest
"catches" in the country are made here.
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The most remarkable of these is Stein's
Pillar, 18 miles from Prineville, on the
headwaters of Mill creek, a tributary of
the Ochoco river. On a steep mountain
side overlooking Mill creek valley this pil
lar of solid rock stands 350 feet high. It
is uniform in size and stands on a solid
rock pedestal as straight and firm as if it
had been carved out by human hands. The
RESIDENCE OF JOSIAH HINKLE.
undertakes to study out the plan upon
which it was constructed by the Supreme
Architect.
Another of those remarkable pillars is
the one at the mouth of Crooked river,
where it flows into the Deschutes. Out in
mid stream this pillar, similar to the others,
extends high into the air. The water for
ages has lashed against its sides but have
In fact, fishing is always good, and game of
all kinds, from an occasional grizzly to the
mountain quail, is abundant.
Hot Springs and Rivers that Boil from the
Earth.
No less interesting, are these features
of Crook county. Near the headwaters of
the Deschutes are three rivers that boil up
out of the earth you might say out of the