Willamette farmer., January 28, 1881, Image 1

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VOL. XII.
REMOVAL NOTICE.
of tkta paper la ow re
r4 k to Ho. Walnton,
atrMt, -p-ot-in, soar Front atroot
la mum we occupied
yoar Ago. It cm - foand,
It la omly oa block South of the
Stark rtr-ot forrjr.
IilTUH WAITOOTOK TKBEITORT.
SMOripUonat the ConnUt Forth of th Col-
TuabU and teak Riven inelud j th
Klickitat, Yakima, Ipokautand Faloua
Valley, and - Grand Coulet of
tot Columbia River.
The area of New York mid Pcnnsylvoniu,
combined, is only 1)0,000 square inilca, mid
they are two great States, with million of
peoplo and great value of property, mounting
up to thouaaiul of million"; they havo no
great extent of fertile toil, contain wide
mountain range and liavu liccn inado valua.
bio to man by centuries- of laW. llotli of
thoo SUtr are not ciual in extent to Oregon
which liaa 100,000 square mile, and Oregon
nd Washington, with 10,000 square milea
are nearly twice aa largo n lioth of them.
New York and Pennsylvania could bo dropped
down'on the Kaat aido of the Cascade range
and not cover the area known as Kaitcrn
Oregon and Washington. This ia tlio region
we are attempting to describe and we take
this method of giving tho readers soino idea of
the vaatnou and importance of a great area
which possesses mny surface attractions as
well as Invites development of riches that
time will call into existence, not to be found
upon the surface. It cannot be supposed that
in the brief limits of newspaper articles we
tn givo in detail the merits and peculiar fea
turea of this wide scope of territory, but wo
shall review eh county and attempt to place
before the reader such fact as will !est ex
press the advantages each offer for settlement
Ind a fair description of iU tonography and
characteristics.
The farms in Now York Statu cover lfi,(100,.
000 acres of improved land or not mora than
one fourth the area of Oregon, whilu Pennsyl
vania contains in farms 11,600,000 acres of
improved land, or not much over one-fourth
the total area of Washington Territory,
Thnto States have liven for over two centimes
and a half growing in weilth and population
and we are in our very infancy and tho prob
lems of-time have yet to bo solved in our
favor.
It ia only lately that we liavu begun to real
i7o tho value of the country Rut of tho Cas
cades, The idea of planting wheat upon tho
hillsides and and plateaux of that arid region
was not entertained by the most sanguine;
but cultivation has been gradually attempted
and has proved tiicceMfiilovcrnwidu scope of
country that wa considered only a natural
pasture and it has been found that this soil,
light in weight and in color, ikhcoi great
vitality and has productive forces that are
not often equalled. For two or threo yens
past a great immigration jias been pouring
into the most available sections of the whole
interior region. In great part this hat come
from the older settled portion of Oicgon, for
many have sent their sons to maku home in
that new land of many hopes, and many who
have got tired of struggling with hard fate
have taken their families thither and claimed
homesteads on the widespread hills and plains.
Then again, others, with means to invest havo
gone thero to establish stock ranches on tho
wide range.. The healthfulncst of this clear,
dry climate, ha allured many who found it
necessary to avoid the mist and rains prevail
ing toward the WesUrn Coast.
Capitol ha of counse been allured by the
rich prize offered in the transportation for so
great and promising a region and wo see rail
road systems rapidly developing by both the
Northern Pacific Railroad Co., and the Oregon
Railway and Navigation Company that will
soon bnnfe every productive spot of any im
portance Kaat of the mountains into a speedy
communwatiou with ocean transportation.
Th fact is evident that the influx of immigra
tion has only just commenced. Time will
make this region the homo for millious, and
the greatness of its ftiturs is a matter we may
well speculate upon. To-day it is cagcaly
sought, because, a we liave before explained,
an great an extant of soil remains vacant that
ha only to be turned over aud sowed to grain
to produce good harvest.
hamama COIINTV,
This county, on the north, the Washington
side, is located directly in the Cascade Moun
tain and ha derived it chief importance
from the existence of the Cascade railroad by
sean of which the portage is made around
the falls. This road is six mile lone. A
steamer landing below receives the freight
and pasaeuger from Portland, conveys all to
another landing altoye where they are trans
ferred to another steamer and taken to The
lal!et. The county cannot lo said to have
any agriculture. A very limited area for set
tlement is found along the shores, and the
heavily timUred mountain sides are cut into
wood for supply of steamlioats aud locomo
tives, or made into ties for the uie of the dif
ferent railroads that are being built in the Up
per Country, The portage railroad around the
Cascades has the merit of being the first rail
road ever constructed West of the Kocky
Mountains, as it lias been in operation since a
very1 early day,
KLICKITAT ron.NTY.
Passing through the gorge of the Columbia
we leave the Cascade Mountain summits to
the West and open upon a region that, with
some intervening range, sucn as tne Wu.il
illWi'BMEiMiM-tfy .W Vtff w ) M &&) l M m Wm v !
! A TLa v A ! s 1 VrfT-MfJKjyBrv r fcs-j a !l?W ff I nm 8 i JL VI flY i 91: I A
: - ' rrrr..,: : ,, , ' . , ; ,
Mountains, thpf Coeur d' Alcne and Hitter
Root Mountains, extends eastward to the
Rocky Mountains, Including Northern Idaho
and part of Montana. The river shorn are
bleak and inhospitable, and for five to fifteen
miles on each side of the river it seema that
the winds have scir.ml the sand exposed on
tho banka and bars at low water, and have
spread it over a wide breadth on each side)
but a few miles back from thesu barren,
sandy or rocky shores, there is a rich and ex
tensivo region tn bo found that year by year
becomes more activunnd instinct with popula
tion and prosperity, llordcring the wild
shores of Skamania wo find tho growing coun
ty of Klickitat, This county lies in two laud
dittricts and we liavu report from each which
show over a million ami a quarter of acres in
cluded in Government survuys. We Judgii
from reports received that not one fourth of
this surveyed land is claimed by occupanU
and tho bnlanco is ready for settlers to taku
under government, or to filo upon for pur
chaso of tho Northern Pacific IUilro.nl.
Klickitat valley has an area of twenty by
thirty miles and Is generally good soil and
covered in it natural statu with bunch grass.
It has long been considered n good stock
range, but within a short timo it has been con
sidered an inviting field for farmers to occupy,
and the valley and its surrounding hills aro
settling up r-pidlv nnd will soon 1k pouring
out a surplus of wheat for export. Klickitat
county has its natural outlet on the Columbia
river and is much uearcr market than l'alomo
or Walla Walla valleys. Tho soil is good and
there is enough of it to accominadate a largo
population. How easy it is for energetic peo-
fde to find homes thero and claim plenty of
and, ran bo judged from the experience of'Mr.
Hinry Mcrarland, of Denton county, who
vtent np the river last Spring aud located in
Klickitat, forty miles aWo The Dalles, ami
only six miles from tho Columbia river, with
a down nut graiio an mo way. lie took up a
homestead on a high hilly region, where
bunch .grass was growing thriftily; he located
a timlier'cult'iro claim -ud filed upon some
railroad land, and has a claim iikii aTtotit (too
acres of rich, fertile noil, that promise to lie
good for wlirat farming. His claim includes
a grand spring on which glows a large quan
tity of balm or cotton wood, and within a
couple of miles thero is gravelly prairie that
grows scrub oak which am with for firewood,
while his rail timber has to bo hauled from
the mountain, soino l'J or in miles distant.
It is probably as healthy on this high location,
and on tho rolling hills of all the Kastern
c mntry, as iihii any xrtion of our country.
The high hills havo deep soil and the Klicki
tat valley very jmssibiy oners no better loca
tions than can Iki had for the taking, on tho
hill part of that county. The county seat is
(iolilcnilslv, in Klickitat valley, which id
nsady has no cral bundled inhabitants and is
t'lu seat of n lively trade. (Tolumhus is a point
of coming importance on the Columbia.
Klickitat City is n thriving place, and the
interest ol the county already supiioit n live
ly newspaper. The Simeon Ind'an reservation
occupies considerable good laud in this coun
ty. Tho Indians have made ccmiderablu ad
vance towards civilization: thero is a good
Indutrial school there, and Rev, .1, II, Wil
bur, for n long time agent there, is supposed
to have demonstrated tho vosibiiity of indue,
ing thu Indian triliesto maku some advance
towards an enlightened condition.
Klickitat has a present population of over
:i000 nnd is making rapid growth. Stock
raising has been a opu!ar occupation but
sheep are not so plentiful North of the Col
umbia! pcrhajia not more than one sixth of
Kistern wool clip comes from the Northern
counties. Wintsrs are generally more severe
there than South of the Columbia and stoik
raisers generally are losing heavily there for
a few weeks past. The exceptional season
that is carrying snow and frost todeorgia ami
Louisiana on the Kast of the Rocky mountains
is felt somiwhat on this coast. While the
cold is not intnso mid the Winter in most
parts of Western Oregon and Washington
has been comparatively mild, because thev
are sheltered by the Cascade ranco from tho
Influences tnat flow Irom over the Kockv
mountains upou our Kastern counties, Kast of
the Cascades th present winter witnesses
vicissitudes of climate that are destructive of
much property. We look at it in this lichti
That the day of great stock ranges is alwut
over; where farming can lx carried on to
advantage it will lie encouraged by the build
ing of branch railroads, and wheat growing
will replace the roaming herds that sometime
carry th. brand of an owner oter a hundred
miles of country. Stock raising may not di
minish, but must be carried on more practi
cally and within closer limits. The first place
of all the Kastern country had to I the stock
range; now come the husbandman to claim
the best available land for cultivation anil
combine stock-raising in a small way perhaps,
but in a safer and more humane way, with
the legitimate pursuit of agriculture.
YAKIMA Ht.TV,
Reaching from the Cascade range to the
Columbia, where that river runs Southward,
as the map will show, to its junction with
Snake river, Iwunded on the South by Klick
jtat county, and North by Stevens county, is
the great county of Yakima. It is not to lie
so tributary', a it Southern neighbor, to the
trade of tho Columbia river; that is, when
the Northern Pacific railroad complete its
lino over the passes that cross the Cascade
ruisufrom Puget Sound, that mad will pas
t'irough the midst of much attractive country
that lie upon the Yakims river, and will
claim the traffic of the Northern counties, of
Washington, Stevens on the Kast and Yakima
on the West of the Columbia.
Writing from Yakima city, a correspondent
PORTLAND, OREGON, FRIDAY, JANUARY
of the Sail Francisco Chronicle speaks aa folt
Iowa of tho lands, productions, people and
gold minea of Yakima county!
"On arriving at the Upper Cascade you
again take a steamer, and about thtee o'clock
in tho afternoon you arrive at Tho Dalles, a
very thriving little place of l.MK) inhabitants.
Here you will re main over night and nt day.
light take tho Yakima stage. After crossing
tho Columbia to the Washington Territory
side, you travel 12 miles to reach the summit
of the Klickitat hills, l'rom here you can
take a birds-eye view of the great Klickitat
Valley. In the disttuco you behold Uolden
dale, tho county seat of Klickitat county. To
the right and to the left for 1 miles may 1
seen here und thero a cottage, with n few
acres undercultlvation. After traversing this
broad plain you enter the Simcoo mountains,
which nru well covered with forests of pine,
fir and tamarack, and as there is no under
brush, the hills arc covered with perfect sward
of pine nml bunch grniics. On arriving at
the summit of the Topniih spur of these
mounlains you first liehold tho akima river.
At a single glance you liehold it meandering
for nearly one hundred miles. Far towanl
the north it apparently emerges from the hill
side, mid like a silver thread glistening in tho
sunlight, you trace Its ig-xag t'ourso for more
than sixty miles to tho northwest, until hid
den by high mountain near the Columbia.
Directly in front of you lies tho Simcoe valley.
aliout twenty-five miles in length. Nearly
uvcry acre of this fa rich farming laud, but It
is us yet only a desert waste, being tho Yaki
ma Indian reservation. For thirty miles you
can travel and not nee house, not oven an
Indian camp, and on this journey you will not
pass over an acre but which, if put under cul
tivation, would raise forty blshels of wheat.
Next in order is tho Attanuui valley, which ia
twenty-five mile in length, and from one to
seven miles in width. This valley is thickly
settled and is a very rich agricultural district.
Yakima City ia situated nt the junction of
the Attanum ami Yakima rivers. This is a
village of about H00 inhabitants, and building
up very rapidly. One day's staging fiom The
Dalles brings you to tbia place. Tho chief
occupation of the inhabitant at present ia
stock-raising. Aliout fifteen thousand head
of caulo ill 1. Jfivcn frpm hero this coming
spring to Montana and oastern"mi krt, -Agriculture
here is atill in it infancy, sim
ply because we have no market lieyonil home
consumption for cereals. Hops are raised
quite extensively, nnd ore the only crop that
will pay to export. I lie lanu nero is, ror tne
mot tart, of an excellent quality, but now
and then a spot is ton strongly nnpreguatcd
with alkali to lie utilized. 'I he ivoragu crop
of wheat will yield about thirty bushels, but
some Held yield as much as sixty per acic.
Thousads of acres of good farming laud are yet
to lio reclaimed by settlers. Them is one
liody of land lieL'iuiiiiig within five miles of
t iwii, containing iiIkiui 4S0,0(K) acres, that is
all vacant, and other bodies of smaller dimen
sions aie inviting settlers. Our mines are
attracting considerable attention this season.
For several year past a few miners have U-eli
diligently at work oivcning quartz ledges, and
several thousand dollars wcic taken out last
season with arastras, but this seauui two
quart, mills will lie in operation. Our placer
mines turned out quite handsomely last sum
mer, and their owners are expecting to do
much better this year. This country is torn
liaratively unprotected, but numerous ledges
have Ik'cii found of gold, silver and lend. a fuw
of cinnabar and antimony. There is no doubt
that before five years shall have rolled around,
Washington Territory will havo yielded np
millions of the hidden treasure."
Vu do nut endorse tho over sanguine asser
tions as to production, but tho soil is very
prolific and needs no high statement of it
powers. This great county is in a measure
open for settlement. It is colder than at the
Columbia and South of it, but would not be
considered cold to excess by any inhabitant of
tho Northern States. Stock frequently sub
sist through the winter without much, if any
feed, and cattlo and horses are numerous there.
Hut here alto, the huslianduian is coining too,
iu a measure drive out the stock man; another
year will probably are active commencement
of the road from tho Sound over the Cascade
and when the charming hills and vale of
Yakima are brought within a few hours ride
by railroad of tho waters of Puget Sound there
will be the ureatest tKissible incentive to set
tlement, cultivation and development. That
company will no doubt send its brauches to
evcrv- fertile valley within it reach and no
person who now visits that comparatively
savagu region can readily belie vo what magical
changes may be piodutcd in it within two
short years, in case the railroad give it life
and attractiveness. There were about '.,000
population in thi county aliout a year ago;
taxable property about a million dollars; total
are nearly 10,000,000 acres, and while this
may include much hill and mountains, that
sort of region will not exceed the average in
New York or Pennsylvania and Yakima coun.'
ty alone ha one fourth the ore of the Utter
State, ltmides the vallleya alluded to by the
writer aliove quoted, ia the Kittitas valley, 40
miles in length and Ki mile wine.
KTf.VKNS rXll'.NTV.
This county w a named after it first lioy
crnor (ieu. I. I, Stevens, who was afterward
a distinguished Union (ieneral, and fell iu
one of the battles of the civil war. It covers
an iminenso area aud will also bo traversed,
through it whole length in a Northeasterly
direction by the North Pacific railroad, which
ha its road graded lyond Spokane Falls, and
tho track Is laid for a considerable distance,
the work being commenced at Aim worth, at
the junction of the Columbia and Snake rivers,
to lie pushed towards the Kast from there a
rapidly as possible, through Montana. From
a published description of this county we take
tho following.
"On iU border at Ft. Colrille and the
Chimakane mission, here, aud here also were
enacted many important events of early Ore
gon history. In IH1 1, David Thompson, as
tronomer of the Northwest Company in his
overland voyage to forestall tho enterprise of
John Jacob Aator, established a post at the
mouth of tho Spokane. In 1812 the Pacific
Fur Company (Aster's) esUhlished the Spo
kane house ami Fort Okanagane. Here too,
aro several of tho Indian battle fields fought
since the name of Washington ha been ascri
bed to the Territory, Tho Spokane plains aro
extensile, a portion rich and' covered with
hunch-grass. The west-side hounded by high
bluffs, running to Spokane river, and to the
head of f-olville valley, is growing well-watered
regkm admirably adapted to stock raising,
which will lw described in the geographic
memoir of Kastern Washington. The coun
try northeast of Sxkano fur about forty miles
is n level plain, covered with bunch grass,
lino fof'graring, but not considered extra for
agricultural purposes although crosi have
lieeu grown successfully on tho plain. All
West and North of Spokane, after leaving tho
town Ubout six miles, there is n level prairie,
the wijl being a rich black loam, pronounced
by tho (Ieneral Ind Ollico chemist to be the
best in tho United Stater for wheat; it is in
terspersed with tlmW. nnd abundantly water.
cd by creeks and lakes. Tho section is set
tling up last, ami wlirra one house could be
seen last spring, moro thai iiftv can now bo
count.l from any door step the dead level of
me (utiniry uneniig no onsiruciioil to ino
view, The prairie extends from the Spokane
to the Dig Rend of Columbia river, sixty miles.
South of Spokane tho country is somowhat
ruugr, but valuable for grazing. The town of
Spotsno ha the finest water-power on the
Pae Coast) and is surrounded by an exten
sivai.gricultural and grazing country, on the
line.! the overland railroad, with an outlet
to ls'ilh aealtfiarda, and the seat of uovernm.nt
ol the country and section; it future aa a
manufacturing and distributing pcint is as
sured. The Indian are industrious and
noaocable. Aside from the several forts that
rnen'vc them, the comparatively thickly pop
ulated country serve as a restraint against
depp-dations, even should they ever content-
piau sucn action. At urur il'Alcne Inks,
twn ty-eight miles east of Spokane ia a four
corr any pout, under command of (Ion,
U ii. The drlvo from Spokane to tho
IJI ! w.thu country Wing
level Almost as "it floOrf The !aKe;inthlry
miles long, with a general width of three
miles.
Wualso take the following from the Tocoma
lAidgerof Sept. 3d, describing the topography,
soil and climate.
TonxllUI'ltlrAI. KKATI'HKS W TIIK IMU.NTIIV.
Tho itvcragu contour of its surface is that of
a gradual slope raising, imperceptibly to the
naked eye, at whatever eminence it may be
viewed, from the v'idiiinbia river eastward to
the foot hills of the mountain iu Idaho, hav
ing the general ap)caraiicu of n vast plain
devoid of timber and cut up with couUt-s.
AtAiimwoith, whtrctlio linn begins, the eleva
tion is 4.VI feet above tho sea; thirty mile out
the elevation is fi'.KI feet; at fifty miles it is
l,l:i(lfeet;utsoveutyiuiliis, I, t'.T feet; at ninety
villus. I.Wi'J: nt ono liunred and eleven. '.'.(W):
at one hundred nnd t bitty, 'J.XVI; and ntadis
. .i i i..i r ..:.... ii.... r
bancu in iiov iiuiitiieii mill iniii'iv iiiiii-h nuin
Ainswortfi tho elevation is 2, 1(H) feet, showing
n raise in that distance of 1.IKKI feet or 10 feet
to tho mile, I ho great exH'iisu of country
has u light colored soil, and is covered with
bunch gross. From a bird's eye view, the
whole of Kastern Washington would ujipeir
to lio level, treeless plain, prominently mar.
ked by a number of tortuous lines, each res
embling the course of a river line. One of
these lines is crab creek north of tho
railroad, one of tho longest of thu class called
creeks, and like the Snake river flowing to
the West, a clear, ice cold stream a doicu
yard wide, over peopled with trout, mean,
deriug where ouce flowed a river of co-ijectural
antiouitv. between whose hitch and widely
separated walls of basaltic rock lie wealth of
gross and grain soil eager for the plucking;
others ttill are thu dry chanucls of old timo
water courses, licsring traces of a nobility in
their prime a grand as that of the Columbia
of to-day Several of these dry water cour
ses, called coulees, aro quite wido and deep,
and iu places have jw-rpcndicul&r walls of
basaltic nick, lieariug mark of thu action of
swift water currents. For the greater part,
however thro banks aro less precipitous, and
are of successive terraces, rising to high table
lands at thu general level on either side, and
well covered with soil and bunch grass. This
country ha Iwen lommonly referred to aa a
rolling prairie, which isaninailesjuatedescrip
tion, conveying an erroneous idea of thu char
acter of its surface. It is more tlu a rolling
prairie. Several distinct classes are apparent.
Some of it consisU of numerous hills well,
rounded, covered with soil, and U-aring gran
of thick growth extending quite over their
tops, hucn land mignt properly be named
prairie, aud they lie chiefly on either side of
and near the coulees. Further back from the
coulees is found the rolling prairie country,
and still further away a higher table laud in
extensive acre more nearly approaching th
character ol level than rolhnir prairies. Ther
is yet another kind of land called scab land.
In many places along and in the coulees and
in the region of the tulo lakes to the northeast
this dark colored liaaaltie rock peeps through
tlie soil in spoU and dusters of all sizes, but
rarely exceeding an aero at any one place; und
seen at a distance on the light colored back
f round of a lull tide, tliue sioU bear resem
linco to scabs on an animal, and hence the
name given this kind of surf ice. Hut com-
Iared to the w hole, thi rock surface or scab
aud is of but small projiortion, perhaps less
tli n one-twentieth; it is not intended to con
vey the impression that these large coulee
are numerous. A traveler might follow hi
course for several day without encountering
one of them, and, that too, over an absolutely
unbroken stretch of agricultural country, aa
28, 1881.
in the prairies of Illinois or Texaa. Their
courses are tolerably direct, and they afTurd ex
cellent roads for both wagons and steam cars.
Their bottoma are comparatively level and,
being direct and free from hills and steep
grades, the Indiana have long used them in
passing from one section to another, and In
dian trail may lie seen along the bottom of
every coulee. Upward and along tho bottom
of such a dry river bed, called Ksquaitzcl
coulee, the Northern Pacific Railroad, now
being constructed, passe for 03 miles north
eastward from Aiutwnrth, which is at tho
mouth of Snake river, reaching the foot of a
divido that separate it from a similar dry
river bed, known a Providence conic:, liy
13 miles of easy grade thu lino passes over this
divide into tho bottom of Providence' coulee,
along which it continues to Lako Colville,
whicii is tho head of this coulee. Along side
of this graded line of railroad is t'io wagon
and stigo road leading to tho front. In trav
eling over this road tho vision is confined to a
limited landscape in front and rear, to thu
banks of tho conleu on cither side and sky
aImivc, with never n glimpse of thu surround
Ing country. A mountain must bo vciy high
to lie visible, nt even tho short distaneo of 10
miles, at thu side, Resides thoso named the
Oram! coulee Is noteworthy as being, proluv
lily, thu largest ot all tho dry river beds. It
heads at thu Columbia river, aliout midway
between tho Orcat Hem! and FortOkinakaue,
and, having a course southeasterly, ends in
that river. It is indicated on somo maps a
tho old bed of tho Columbia, which now pur
sues a large and mora tortuous course around
it to thu West. From what has liecn said it
may not seem amiss to summsrio tho topo
graphical features of that portion of tho 1 or
ritory lying Kaat of tho Columbia rivor, na
comprising a prairie lovel, rolling and hilly
having ,i general inclination from the east
ern bouudry to tho river named, anil travers
ed by several rivers, deep and dry watercour
ses, and their numerous tributary ravines.
('IIAUAirrKK OK TDK HOI I.. '
Tho soil which cover tho whole of Kastern
Washington, from ono to twenty feetindepth,
ha peculiarities which givo it marked distinc
tion. It Is uncommonly light, lioth in color
and specific gravity, varying, however, in lo
calities a tho eastern lioundaryofthoTcritory
rpprreV. -Along the bank of tho Colum
bia it Is mixed In large, proportion with smiuI
taken up by the wiqd atTowSvnTcTtnthVv
and carried for mile inland, OpK)Mscd to
common experience elsewhere, the soil Is
fonnd to m better nnd better away from thu
river toward tho Kast. In a belt along tho
river the admixture of sand has I -con such
that thu natural vegetation is confined to sage
brush for n width of tenor twenty miles,
when thu proportion of sand mil soil am so
ultcicd ns to support bunch grans, which is
found tlieuco increasing iu quantity mid the
sago brush lessening, until tun litter finally
almost diapH'ars nt a distaneo of say twenty
miles from the river. It is believed that
nearly tho whole uf this sandy Im-U could bo
mado productive by irrigation, Fur tho
greater pait, it ri'semliles the soil of Tiilaru
county, California, which was thought to bo
of worthless desert character until reclaimed
und brought under profitable cultivation by
means uf irrigating ditches. Ileyond tin's
lielt and for an average diktaucu of, say 40
miles e vi t ward and far to tho South, and for
some distance to the North of tho railroad line,
toward Crab creek, thn soil is of the lightest
and finest character, Not differing In appear
anc from that of the Walla Walla valley,
Ileyond, it improve in uppearuuee, growing
darker und heavier, being of a rich light
brow n color; and hence eastward to Idaho,
this entire Kirtion of the Territory, say from
range Wi to 4(1 Kast inclusive, un area measur
ed by thousands of square miles, and varying
lor lliu nciu-r in pniuciuar incaiiucs, sucn as
are known as thu Crab creek, Palouse, 1'inii
grove and Four lkes countries, comprises
one great reirion of practicably unbroken ag
ricultural land, Nearly thu whole of a wide
belt of land West of the (Irani! coulee and be-
twecn that and the Columbia river, where
that river sweep to thu westward, and Wiuth
from the Colville reservation, has a soil of
dark, sandy loam, somo of the best in the
Territory. The climate there is 20 degrees
warmer than the Walla Walla valley. John
White, who has resided for fourteen yesrs
shout 'M miles from thu grand coulee, sows his
Spring wheat in Febuary, while in Whitman
and Spokan counties the Spring wheat is not
in until May
The northern iioition of Stevens county,
bordering llritish Columbia, is not much
known but is mountainous to a gnat extent.
Time will have to elapir licfore the country
south of it will fill up and there will lie this
comparatively unknown region to claim at
tention in after years, Spokane falls arc a
grsat natural attraction and also the site of a
thriving town, with a good country surround
ing, low in and villages are springing up
elsewhere. The Four lkes, to lie found on
the map, have, medicinal qualities, ami Medi
cal hike is visited by hundreds of invalids
troubled with rheumat.siu and nervous dis
eases, and wonderful cures aro said to follow
bathing ill lU waters,
WHITMAN milXTV.
This county is situated north of Snake
river, and east of thu Columbia. Itiontaiu
a great part of the attractive l'alomo country
towards w hieh a great immigration ho lieeu
tending for several year post. Wo publish
cUewheru an interesting and very fair and
Impartial description of tho 1 -louse country,
which preclude the necessity of going into
details with regard to Whitman county. A
very rich region akirU the Western slope of
the Coeur d' Aiene Mountains and constitute
NO. 50.
tho Spokam and Palouse countries. Whit
county is rapidly filling up and ha air A ?
many thriving town and village. Colfax.-
ino county aeai ana cniei point ol trade; J ,'
Idaho line, ha a rich and exUtwive agrieaaV
turai country au around It, and l Bear to Ii
bod lea of timber; Chtney ia a new aapi
for the chief olace in Palouse orosncritvi I
Colfax and Cheney have their newspapers.
one ia alao published at Spokane faflt. T a4
aro thriving village all through th coo-tapH
ana snipping point along nnako river tht-.
considerable trade.
Tho Northern Pacific Railroad
throuuh the moat unintcroatlnu portion a
Whitman county and ia divided from tho Pas-1
louse country by a range of hills lhatcoo -,
tute a harrier to trade, but tho Oregon IU
wny nun jiaviunviun iumpany win cr i
Snake river another year ami construct ro
and branches that will penetrate to every
Krtion of Kastern Whitman county. Wilt
tho projected enterprises of these two corn
rations in viow Slovens county and Whit
man county will soon posses alt tho tras
portatiou facilities they can possibly need a
this will stimulate production to a groat da I
ureo. Aualu referrinu to tho account we tat
iiC full of tho l'alomo country, and the sUtar-
ment as to vacant lands that aro furnished Its
tlio land unices, wo leave tills county with t
simple assertion that it possesses the groatsus
possible advantage in soil and climate aa,
deserves all that wu say of It. In copying a
counta of these section from other aoiirooa
omit what appear to ua to be oxtravagaMfc
statement ol products, simply because
know that thu tendenuv to live th verv b
facts attainable, in isolated cases, a thoa ar'.t-
ageol production, I tho fault of many wria
aud wu avoid it where possible. Thi Kasti
region ia wonderfully productive and
no exaggeration to mane it attractive.
Wu remind all readers that through all I
countries are scattered pooplo who are reaaWt
to aell their land claim at a very rvasonaMrL
price, iney Know they can go elsewhere I
ircqucmiv sen out tneir improvement at I
to get a llttlu money to handle. Any per
who goes Kant of thu mountains with (mlj
incxicraw meant can cosily locale to axcell
advantage and ut small cost.
Concerning Tbltves. t
Tcnjir.n, Or., .Ian. I", ISM-
r.illfir Willamette farmer i
."1
In ) iiiM'f-iJJjyrjUudi-i- the caption
Cling of II
hieves, yiiuIIuiie4ljQ"fl , ttj
daily rcxirt of rohlicricN occurring JiTi
small towns of thu valley, und other sections,?
ami you advise residents to keep n vigil.
guard over their preiuUes. This is well, ba :
ono cannot always Ik- mi guard, audit is a
them! unguarded tunes that "thiovi bnkJ
through ami steal." HV.nf this viciuity.li;
luil our sham of this hoMiio-n, and wo lusuai-
now n couple of "hiunluen" iu our county jail,
waiting for ticket of admisiou to that
State IMueatiuu.il Institute, familiarly known J
as the Penitentiary. When thieves mb &
Iioukii of gissli, they usually endeavor to iU.
them in Miinu other place, often not very f r
fliuii wheiethey wen-stolen, 'In such ill s,'
let thu person to whom goods ino otl'ered by
any stranger, take the measure of su
strangers that is, noto. hisupiiaiviit ugejiiebt,
color of hair, eyes, lieard, dress, builil, ex s
pluxiou, and any peculiar appmiuncu of gaiaV
spcecli, or oilier marked eiiaructriidie, wn
....... 1... ...., III.. -...., i.,.1.1.. V..1.. -1..
may I
uoods
readily rccnmiizalili.
i olfered for tale, their kind, iiuality, I
price they aro ollereil at, etc, I his may
done during thu negotiations for a sale, Ti
ask thu arty olfenng them if they are
goods; and II be will give you a written g t
antee. Ask also his lume. residence, whsss
be is last from, and if he can and will, gi
you the names of parties to whom you uaajs
leier in unier w ins iticuiiiicaiioii, as
occuiatioii, where he is going, to whom.
If he stands this test he may still
a thief, or otferiui: you stolen L'oods. and
hate "cheek" and ability enough to invent!
ei oi iiiausmie una, which you may no
able at the moment to detect, but in the gi
majority of cases a thief would not stand s
a catechism, or if he did you could lie atV
ed by bis actions ol ina real character. i
liny then do as you please; try to get
L-oods iu your isession Mini throiich tl
catch thu thief afterward, or decline ami
linn go. I ben sit down aim write a iloerqa
tiou of the iiarties, coods, date, etc., and as L
a copy to your local paper for publicatiu a
ino
simple fact that a certain iwrty ci
at your house on a certain day and ollereJ
certain goods, (to,, will do no bonest eta
barm, and will be qnite aulh'cieut. Do t
whether you buy or not. If you decline
buy and Mr, Vug goes to some one else, a
ia thero put through a like piocesa, with
like result, and each and every nartv pur
the same course, it would soon become lih-
lor Mr. vug iu mat section,
Any olfered reward is a meat incentive
parties ti try to catch thu thief, who wuals I
otherwise pay ntllu or no attention to such
matter. And let uk iiiiito iu petitioning the next s
siou of the legislature for a well duv a
vagrant law. II, O, Haul aw.
j i j
Christ, (ierlier, Wholesale Hardware, Tola
do, Ohio, says, Tho Kiceltior Kidney Pa
ha accomplished moro for mywifu in threat
weeks than all thu medicine shu has takeu ia
threo years, Itefer alt skeptic to me. S
advertisement.
Truth and Honor.
Query i -What is tho best family medic lo
in the world to regulato thu bowels, purif
thu blood, remove eostivenes aud biliouanctaV
aid digestion and tone up thu whole system) I,
Truth and honor compels us to answer, III ip
Hitters, being, pure, perfect aud hari la am .
See another cou una. Toledo Illade,
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