Crook County journal., August 01, 1918, SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT EDITION, SECTION THREE, Page PAGE 6, Image 21

rAGE 6
mooK cot'NTY jornxAL
ACUI'HT I, IIHtt
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III ?i
FOR COMFORT AND EFFICIENCY ON THE FARM, USE
ELECTRIC AUTOMATIC p
For your Water Supply. They are Cheap to Operate and require attention
only Once or Twice a Month
ELECTRIC POWER FOR IRRIGATING PUMPS
ELECTRIC WASHING MACHINE
ONLY TWO CENTS AN HOUR TO OPERATE
Electri c Sewing
M
ac
hin
e
Cost of Machine with Motor Complete, $37.50, and One Cent an Hour to Operate
fljTIN addition to the above, there are Dish Washing Machines, Ironing Machines, Ranges, Chop
flpers, SeparatoVs, Churns, and many Other electrically operated appliances that take the! place of
hired help, and are a real economy to use. s2liz--h
Des Chutes Power COMPANY
OPERATING IN PRINEVILLE, ORE, REDMOND, ORE, MADRAS, ORE., METOLIUS, OREL, CULVER, ORE., AND ADJACENT TERRITORY
'- - ii- -""-i - -'
COL. F. SMITH
C. P. SMITH
C. F. Smith was born amid the
mists of the Willamette Valley while
"'Old Oregon" was still wrapped in
the swaddling clothes of a territory
and just two years before its admis
sion Into the union into full-fledged
statehood. Those were tumultous
times for our country. The nation
was swaying bask and forth under
the mighty eloquence of a Lincoln
and a Douglas. A great panic was
sweeping over the country, thousands
of banks were closing their doors in
failure and worst of all the war cloud
was arising on the distant horizon
that in four short years was to bap
tize the land in a deluge of blood.
Perhaps it was because of the martial
psirit that was permeating the na
tion, that the subject of our sketch
was christened "Colonel." However
that may be, he lived up to the name
from a very early age, Shakespeare
to the contrary notwithstanding. If
tradition is true, immediately upon
stepping upon this scene of action, he
began to take voice culture and at
the same time began to give orders
In true military style, to all within
the hearing of his voice.
During long winter nights for it
was In the bleak month of February
lie was appointed commander of this
household he was most exacting in
his demands and required that those
under him should take the most vio
lent exercise and was not particular
at what hour of the day or night he
Issued his commands. He seemed to
take a special delight in seeing "dad"
clothed only in his bare feet and his
nap sack, pace back and forth on the
bed room floor while the Colonel
continued in the development of his
vocal organs to his own huge delight
but to the utter despair of the house
hold and the otherwise kindly dis
posed neighbors. This, however, is
only rumor and we, having no authen
tic records on the subject,' cannot
vouch for their truth. We do know
that he "Grew and. waxed strong"
and as is true always and only of
youth, he gathered the roses of life
and cared naught for their thorns.
After attending the public and high
sehoos of Eugene with high honors
he entered the Freshman year in the
"University of Hardknpcks," some
of which he gave, many of which he
received, and after a few strenuous
years in which his development had
been rapid, "Home" became too small
and the Willamette Valley too tame
for bis young blood and with the su
preme confidence of youth he started
out to conquor the world for himself.
To him the Cascades seemed like a
mighty citidel barring his path to
success. Mounting its 'summit, he
saw the path of golden glory that
Hope painted upon its western slope
and following It he came to dwell in
the land of the Purple Sage. The
city of his nativity should know him
no more.
Prineville had become the city of
his adoption and after the passing of
the years he still remains one of her
Btaunch and loyal citizens.
In those early days men saw as
now that there were two great needs,
the lack of which retarded the growth
of Central Oregon. One was water
tor crops and the other transportation
facilities for the stock, mighty herds
of which roamed amid the hills and
valleys.
Eighty-five per ct of the wealth
of Oregon was In the Willamette Val
ley. If Central Oregon had water
to Irrigate the land and railroads to
carry the cattle to market, there
would be a more even distribution of
this wealth. Though but a youth of
twenty, Smith shrewdly saw these
needs and flung himself into their
development with all the energy at
his command. The O. W. R. & N.
was at this time like a coy maiden,
carefully stepping her way toward
Walla Walla and EaBtern Oregon,
while at the same time carrying on a
silent flirtation with Central Oregon
and expressing a willingness to be
wooed and won by Prineville. Prine
ville, had her own. Ideas libout the
matter and not being in accord with
those of the above mentioned maid-
known as the "Carey Act." This pro
ject was surveyed and reported fav
orably upon by engineer L. D. Wetst.
The state was not satisfied tliut the
project was feasible, so they had the
engineer employed by the Federal
Government, a man by the name of
Lewis, check over the survey of
Weist. After careful Investigation he
reported favorably upon It, confirm
ing in every detail the survey al
ready made. Surmounting the most
tremendous obstacles, Colonel Smith
graded, ditched and put In condition
to receive the water more than twen
ty thousand acres of land which Is
looked upon even today as an engi
neering feat of no mean proportion.
The state now decided to Improve
upon the plan and conceived the Idea
of building a reservoir. Years of rid
ing after cattle when a young man
had acquainted the Colonel with al
most every foot of ground and the
geological formation peculiar to the
country. He knew that In many plac
es there was lava rock as porous ns a
sponge, through which water would
en s, rrinevme nas suuereu irom a glnk tQ Bubteralnan outlets and
breach of promise suit ever since, but whlch no englneering foat could pre
that Is another story. The only con-lTent and he feared th(j He of tne
nection that has with this story UpropoBod dam was of this formation,
that the victim of this biography was ; H(J BUggeBted to tno8e having the
a pioneer in the road building of this matter , cbarg0 that a graaU t(;st
company and with the hope of bring-! dam De built; if it failed to hold the
ing prosperity to the community for water they would be at but mtlo loBS,
foul years engineered the building Jf BUCCegHfuii tne larger and more
of roadbeds over which the trains are cxpenglve dam could be constructed,
running to this day. , hls advice was not taken.
There Is no doubt that Eustern Or
egon has plenty of water, but like
poor Dives it suffers because it is
so hard to get it to the proper spot.
With soil and climatic conditions un-'
surpassed in any part of the world,
it would be richer and more beauti
ful than the Garden of the Gods if
it could get water to the right place
at the right time. LI Hung Chang,
when visiting this country some years
ago, said, "If you had, water on this
land and some day you will this
country would feed the world." Fi
nanciers, agriculturists , and Cap
tains of industry from the East visit
ed this country and saw the tremen
dous prospects, but the problem of
getting water on the land was too
big for them. But where they failed
C. F. Smith succeeded. Small local
efforts had been made with some suc
cess yet not until his coming was any
project undertaken on a . large scale
to irrigate a large body of land. In
1891 as chief engineer and manager
of the Columbia Southern Irrigation
Company, he began the project of Ir
rigating 27,000 acres of arid land
west of the Deschutes river. This op
eration was corrled on under what is
fe
I
' . J'r
I
MK8 COL. F. SMITH
the dam was constructed at enormous
expense and failed utterly to hold
the water. Just as Smith had sus
pected,' like every dam project; of
course we mean a project of which a
dam is an integral part, there was,
criticism and question, but when the j
smoke of battle had cleared away, it j
showed the state had unsuccessfully
undertaken an operation at a coBt of
four hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars that the Colonel had successfully
completed a task of greater propor
tion for less than one hundred arid fif
ty thousand dollars, and this econo
my had been achieved not by "oppres
sing the labor In bis hire," for he
had the reputation among his work
men of paying the best wages of any
employer along the coast; but by
foresight In buying material and by
eliminating unnecessary waste and
loss. He believed with Henry Ford
that efficient men at high wages was
the best form of economy.
By bard labor, straightforward and
honorable dealings as cowboy, black
smith, farmer, and builder, he has be
come a citizen whom men look up to.
An "Old Timer" who remained with
the country In the dark hours; while
an Irresponsible element drifted in
and, out, adding neither to the his
tory of the country nor Its future, he
remained to share Its burdens and
contribute to Its growth and prosper
ity; the ideal typo of hardy pioneers
who have forged and shaped this
country Into all It may boast of and
who are none the less active now In
their efforts to bring to this commun
ity the day dawn of bigger hope and
more prosperous duys.
'In character the Colonel Is "un Is
raelite indeed in whom there Is no
guile." "Camouflage" is not in his
vocabulary. Plain spoken, sometimes
to a degree of bluntness, yet withal
he bus a warm heart and an ever
helpful hand. When the poor and
needy lay sick and helpless it was
not beneath his dignity to split the
wood and build the fires on a win
ter's day and many a silent citizen
and many a struggling rancher has
been a grateful recipient of his help
fulness, but when some "wise guy"
would take advantage of the Colonel,
there Is a shrewd wit that manifests
Itself to the discomfiture of the wise
one and the keen delight of the Col
onel's friends. Nature haB been more
generous In her supply of material
within the Colonel's cranium than
without. Whore nature has failed,
art has kindly stepped In to supply
the deficiency. O none occasion the
Colonel was visiting a barber who
was more laquactous than observant.
While he performed his tonsorlal art
upon the Colonel's chin, he launched
into a lengthy discourse describing
to him how much It would Improve
the Colonel's appearance to have a
hulr cut. The suggested operation
naturally did not appeal to the Col
oncL but when the Insistent barber
proceeded to enlurgo upon the nec
essity of a hair cut the Colonel re
moved his wig and told him if he
thought ho could harvest a crop from
that head to go to it.
Sometimes Colonel Smith has been
called "too conservative." This Is
because he does not believe In rush
ing recklessly Into needless and 111-
: advised expenditures for the county
that will leave the tux payors "hold
i Ing the sock" or with a burdon of
! taxes to bear for yoars for which
there has boon no value received. His
conservatism is of that healthy class
that believes In all legitimate pro
gross for county and state but with
keen business snnse he Investigates
and this Is the claim of man whom
we need In office, rather than an In
competent, who leaves the tax payor
with nothing but a lot of vain re
grots and heavy taxes to show for
their occupancy of office.
Ills partlotlsm Is more practical
than theoretical. Though he has de
livered no .eloquent phllllpics against ;
the "hellish Hun," nor turned on the
eye water about "the boy over there,'.' '
he was among the first to buy Liber
ty Bonds of every Issue and when It
came to a question of buying some
lurury or helping "the boys" by buy
ing bonds, he decided on the bofids.
Col. F. Smith has been a "History
Maker" for Crook county and a his
tory maker of the very finest type.
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