f ft t Jr- "
ook' Count
jouriri
VOL. V.
PJUNEVILLE, CROOK COUNTY, OltEGON, OCTOBBB10.1901.
Q
v
C7
CATTLE SOLD
C. Sam Smith Gets a
Good Figure
Raising Bettor Cattle
Henry Gray Rofuaoa $22.60 for
Hi Vearllnifs, Demand
for Oood Oftttie.
Last week C. Sam Smith and
Henry Orcy were in town and in
discussing tlio merits of graded
tock they gave there experience
with cattle ImyerH this full, which
should bo proof popitive to any
ono thut it docs pay, and pays well
to raino pood grades of stock. Mr.
Smith disposed of his cuttlo at the
following figures: Two year old
steers $31, yearling steers, 122
yearling heifers $24. Among the
iieifcrs were a number of this
springs calves. Mr. Orey was
offered 122.50 for his yeorlings
and refused the offer. It certainly
seems to one outside of the business
that there is more money in rais'
ing a few good cattle than in a lot
of scrubs that w 11 bring only half
or two-thirds the above prices
Scrub cattle will certainly eat up
as much grass as the graded stock
and will stamp out a great deal
more, tor they are greater travel
eis. With the curtailing of the range
the numlwr of stock must of neces
sity be lessened and therefor to get
as much value oit of the business
as for merly. It must come to . the
raising of better "grades those that
can be turned into cash at an
tarlier age.
Warm Spring Warbllngs.
Krom our regular onrraixmdent, -
More rain more rest for some
people, but not for us 'kids",.
Mr. See and family have returned
from Portland and tho land of
eternal dampness.
I guess the Smithsonian man
learned tho pinto language in pne
day, for he has gone back east
ugan.
Several homesteads havn been
taken on the Agency plains lately
and we will see that transient home
steaders comply with the law as to
residence.
Quite a temperance discussion
was indulged in here last week,
which is a good thing to advocate,
but to see people so extreme,
while the revenue from whiskey
furnishes them their bread and
butter is like a man trying to raise
hiniBclf by his boot straps.
Almost a tragedy nappened here
lait night by Harry Miller giving
the night watchman, Jas. Hays,
a ' scare almost equal to an anarch
ists manuevers.
An ex-deputy game warden
was here a few nights ago and
left next morning before the agent
could order him off the reservation.
Ex-CoRNCRACKER.
Uncle Sam is kinder to the Indi
an than to the white childien. At
the Indian schools the girls are
taught how to scrub, cook and sew
and the boys are taught trades,
while in the white schools the
children are dismissed with only a
few dabs of astronomy and geom
etry in their heads. The Indian
girl who can tell when an egg is
cooked enough has been treated
far better than the white girl who
can extract the square root.
During the year past a, Navaho
Indian bequeathed his fortnne,
valued at over $20,000, for the cs
tiihlisliment of free medical dispen
sary "as an aid in extinguishing
cruel aboriginal superstitions" in
the tribe.
The manuscript for a uniform
course of study for Indian schools,
which Mips Peel, superintndent of
Indian schools, has been at work
on for the past three years, is now
in the hands of the printer. Thirty-one
subjects are included and
special attention is given to indus
trial branches. Those treated are:
Agriculture, baking, blacksmithing,
basketry, housekeeping, laundry
ing, carpentry, cooking, dairying,
engineering, gardening, etc. It
is said by those who have in
spected it to bo the best and
strongest course ever written for
Indian schools. Miss Heel has
gleaned her ideas from personal
observation in ihe field, and has
also consulted with prominent
Indian workers.
The leadfr.
Post Items.
Prom our regular onrmpondnit,
L I) Gillcnwater has started
with his spcep for the Mitchell
country, Mr. Gillenwatcr contemp
lates moving his family there in
the neaar future.
Mr. and Mrs. T. R. Curl and
others have returned from recent
trip to the fruit orchards for their
fall supplies. .
John Buoy and family, of Burns,
passed through, here recently froin
Creswell on their way home.
They sent a few days on the creek
visiting with their Aunt Mrs. R.
Knox.
Archie Wold and son have the
contract for finishing the new
new school house.
Dick Koopman has returned
from Pendleton. Mr Koopman
left here recently in search of stolen
property. We are informed that
he found the same near Pendleton.
E. B. Knox left on Friday for
the Deschutes country to assist in
bringing his father's sheep out to
full range.
Frosty North.
Pcnonal Bide of Kooncvelt.
The following statistics of the
new president are of interest at this
time:
Height five feet eight inches.
Weight One hundred and eighty
five pounds. Chest measurement
Forty-two inches. Collar No
16 1-2. Gloves No 8. Hat-No.
714 Shoes No 9. Has not been
sick in the last ten years. Hn.s no
life insurance. He is 42 years of
age. His lather died at 47; his
grandfather at 77.
He prefers simple food, but is a
great eater. His appetite is vora
cious and he indulges it. He does
not smoke.
He takes all sorts of physical
exercise rides horseback, Uses
dumb-bells, spars, punches the bag,
wrestles and walks miles at a time
Besides tho forms mentioned, his
exercise ranges from hunting big
game, to romping with his child
ren. Has never had a physician;
says he had . no use for one. He
sleeps eight hours a night; go to
sleep tho minute he gets into bed
and does not wake up until morning.
The Beautiful Yalley of
. Eastern Oregon
Miles of Meadow Lands
Valley la Surrounded By Forest
and Elm Kocku. Climate
la Wild in Winter.
The little valley of 'Silver Lake
lies in the northwestern part of
lake county and forms a marked
contrast to the miles of barren
country surrounding it. To the
north the desert extends for a hun
dred miles with only an occasional
break in the form of monotonous
ridges or long groups of buttcs, and
one may travel for days without
seeing a farm house. In nearly
any other direction for many miles
one meets with scarcely anything
to remind him of rivilizalion and
if the name is applicable anywhere,
the valiey of Silver Lake could
surely be called an inland empire.
The valley proper is entirely en
closed by juniper and pine ridges
and high rim-rocks. Its extent
is almost ten by twelve miles, but
is not sharply defined because of
tho long slopes leading to the
surrounding hills. At leant one
third of this section consists of
natural meadow and swamp land,
reclaimed by drainage. This af
fords the chief resource and upholds
the reputation of the valley as a
hay producer. To insure a good
yield of hny some; of the jneadow
must be irrigated, but this is easily
done by means of a system of
levees and damn, placed in position
while the water is plentiful in the
spring. ,
The remainder of the valley is
taken up by broad sagebrush flats
and low dividing ridges. A small
part of this less fertile land is fenc
ed and sown to grain, principally
rye, but this seems largely to have
been abandoned because of the
uncertainty of the crop.
With' plenty of water for irriga
tion this land could be successfully
and profitably farmed and no
doubt would produce at least two
crops of alfalfa or clover annually,
notwithstanding an altitude of more
than 4000 feet. In the solution of
this irrigation problem seems to
lie tho future increase of the pop
ulation and prosperity of the
valley, for the water supply is
limited and will permit none being
taken from the meadows. Some
time ago a company was organized
among the . residents and land
owners for the purpose of procur
ing water for irrigation. It was
found that water could be brought
from the mountains in tho direcion
of tho Klamath Indian reservation,
but in so doing it would drain a
part of the reservation. The indi
ans would not allow this and the
project was abandoned. '
There is one remaining resource,
but it is costly and requires consid-
jerablo labor. Leading into the
valley are a number of basins which
could be converted into large reser-
I let. An abundance of water could
be collected in the spring and if
! the scheme was successful it would
form a great store of energy for
the dry months.
No more than ten years ago the
valley was the headquarters for
large cattle firms and thousands
of head of stock summered
only a few miles from the large
meadows, where winter feed was
provided. Today there is a great
change. The surrounding range
is almost bairen and summer range
must be sought in pastures or far
away in the mountains.
The town of Silver Lake is locat
ed in the southern part of the
valley on the higher ground. It
is not a very pretentious little town
but never-the-less furnishes sup
plies to a large section of the coun
try. Hero are two general stores,
carrying a large stock of goods,
hotel and dwellings and the other
buildings found in a village.
It will be remembered that this
place was the scene of the terrible
holocaust of 1894, on Christmas eve.
when,, forty-three persons were
burned to death. A few ruins
of the illfatcd buildings are yet to
be seen. In the cemetery, near by,
has been erected a costly and im
pressive monument to the memory
of hoso who were so ruthlessy
taken from their Iriends and kin
dred. The namesake lake of the valley
7 miles from the town, is about
twentysquare miles in area. The
valley is drained by three creeks
that flow into the lake, forming its
only inlet. There is no outlet,
except during very high water,
when it flows over a low divide
forming the only source of supply
for Ihorn lake a few miles distant.
During nearly all times of the
year on this large body of water
may be seen ducks and other fowls
but because of the absence of brush
and the presence oft sand banks
and gently sloping boundaries,
entirely around the lake, they are
comparitively safe from the hunt
er. Winters here are usually mild
and the snow fall not so great as
in many localities of lower altitude.
It is to be hoped that capital may
find its way here and supply the
broad plains with water, trans
forming them from the barrenness,
that they now represent, into a
fertility of which the state would
be proud.
The Ashland Tidings says: To
villify a man during bis life time
and wear mourning ostentatiously
for him after his death is both
cowardly and hypocritical. Yet
that is what the three malodorous
Hearst organs have been doing
Day after day and month after
month the colums of San Francisco
"Examiner" have reeked with the
grossest abuse of President Mc
Kinley, and its last pago ha9 been
the place for most brutal cartoons
reviling President McKinley under
the head of " iVillie and his Papa,.'
They were continued almost up to
the very day of the assassination.
Since then the space has been filled
several times with full page black
faced ,type lamenting the loss of
the President in crocodile tears.
The "Examiner" has well earned
the name fastened on it by one of
its contemporaries, the Anarch of
the Dailies,"
Li nel Stagge, formerly a bank
examiner, and well known in Po . t
land, is occupying a cell in the
Tombs Prison, New York, charged
with forging the name of Homer
Davenport, the noted cartoonist.
GENERAL HEWS.
Items of Interest Gath
ered Here and There
Seme Stolen, Others Not
Oullimrs From Our Exchanges
News Notes of the Week '
Timely Topics
The Oregon Synod of the Presby
terian church will be at Baker
City Oct, 10 to 14.
The fall jrun of salmon in tho
John Day river is now at its best,
affording considerable sport for
people residing along the river.
Wednesday evening, Mr. A. B.
Byrd of this city, and Miss Josie
Anderson of Prineville, were united
in marriage at the home of tho
groom's parents, Mr. and Mrs. W.
C. Byrd. Burns Times.
Supt. Wiley of the Antelope
Gold and Silver Mining Co, has
placed a force of men at work on
their property in the Axhandle
country and will continue work all
the winter Asnwood Prospector.
T C Thornton, of Junction, has
a freak chicken. The chicken's
wings are said to be on wrong-side
up, the "elbow" of the wings meets
almost at the back of its neck,
while the points extend forward
past the neck, like the points of a '
stand-up collar,
Experts who made an investiga
tion of the large steel, truss bridge
at " Springfield, in Lane County,
report it to be in poor condition.
One of the cemerit piers is cracked
anil rust is playing havoc with the
costly structure. 'The county will
repair the bridge at once.
Mary J. Tustin, wje 0f Fred
Page-Tustinr United States com
missioner, died at Wrangel, Alaska.
Sep. 23,1901: She was a daughter
of the late Captain A. G. Hembree,
who was killed in the Yakima
Indian war of 1855 6. She crossed
the plains with her parents in 1834.
We have no bull fights in this
country as yet, but there is hope.
In Scio, according to the News, tho
"boys" have in confinement red
foxes, which they turn loose and
chase with hounds when wanting
"sport." Cock fighting is a Chris
tian sport in comparison with this.
Leba non Criterion.
Warren McDaniels, a young man
who has been working in Eastern
Oregon, met with herd luck while
on his way across the mountain?,
to attend school in the valley. He
had earned two hundred dollars
which he expected to spend on an
education, but he lost it while on
his way. He thinks the pim-e was
lifted by a Strang.-. Lebanon
Critirion.
Pete is dead and a large circle of
close friends will hear the news
with sadness. Pete was Prof. F.
M. Mitchell's bright bird dog,
known from Hrri4urg to Pendle
ton and down ti Print vill. Thi9
j morning Prof., Mitchell was walk
ing along with his gun through
a field when the gun wnsaccidently
dis-charced the full contents go ng
in o the faiihful . n'mal, who im
mediately passed into the gre.it
dog beyond. Mny will miss P;e.
Albany Democrat.