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About The Times-herald. (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1923)
".'.f-jjSJWvJv-' , : vAom T II K T 1 M N B - U 1C It A I, III1UH, HAttNHI BOBHT OIUROOW Halitrtiny December . ttoM j&vmmpiMxitow U :em' - rs W n HVL . strTrlK&rtri v v ,-jV n) "TTie is filled to overflowing wilh gifts for every member of the family. A Treasure House of distinctive merchandise the kind of goods that you will be glad to give and receive. Come in and see our display. On Saturday, December IS Santa Claus will give a toy "FREE" to every boy and girl who are accom- .parried by their parents. COME EARLY Weinstein's Cut Rate Stores BURNS iivwiSiMWjsaasjcViSswsiiMjKfrfa;!! Desert Farm Lands And Towns Are Deserted By Settlers Mixed with a llttlo romance, Lu cllo P. Saunders linn gruplilo Htory of tho doBorted homesteads between tho west lino of Hnrnoy county nnd Bend published In the last Sunday Oregonlan. It depicts tho life of the homesteader on tho "high desert" and applies to a big area of tho Central Oregon country. However, It does not apply to a more favored ooction of this big country whero there' really Is good soil with Irriga tion possibilities. The story carries some Illustra tions Including one described as "desert dwellers loafing at tho Burns hotel." This Is really a picture of tha Burns hotel but the desert dwell ers are far from tholr homes as Har ney valley Is not a desert, It has many acres yot to be developed by Irrigation but what cannot bo serr--ed by gravity systems from streams may bo reclaimod by underground water that is within reasonable depth and proven feasible for economical uso to Irrigate tho land. This plcturesquo story of Lucllo Saundors Is worth reading and for that reason Is herewith published: (By Lucllo P. Saunders) Little gusts of wind caught up wheelbarrow loads of whnt had once boon rye fields and flung dust upon tho lonely car. Shutters and barn doors banged dismally, Ponces were down and windows gaped vacantly, their ?anes long bIhco Jn smither eens. Whole towns wero depopulat ed, their postolllceti closed. This was an alien land, it could not bo Oregon and It could not bo tho populous high desert pf a few 7eara ago, ' "Plve per cent, Just five per cent ''xk$Bo&-' - " Christmas roinalu," those had been tho words of United States Commissioners El lis of Bend and Clark of Lapluo. And tho other 05 per cent of those who hud flocked to the desort in i 190G and 190t and 1912, whero were they? Tho wind answered a hollow "Gone, gone, gone," an it sucked Itself down tho chimney of an abandoned cabin. Timo has turned a page and tho high desert lies there waiting, hope ful and the prairie wind and tho coyotes only are left to wonder at the silent houses, the wagon roads almost obliterated by tho encroach ment of sagebrush and tho cavod-ln wells. The epic of the high desert Is a forgotten one, save by thoso scattered families who starved through the long winters, fought tho Jack rabbits that devoured tbir crops and stacked tho sagebrush ou the firo to keep out the frost through many a long, ley night. "When a man takes a homestead," It used to be said on tho desort, "he bets $1C against 1G0 acres of Uncle Sam's land that he can live on it throe years," Colonlht Ih Sturdy But tho colonist was a sturdy man. He generally won the bet. He saw dreams of great wealth whon ho had proved up and tho land was his to havo and to hold and, host of all, j to sell for a young fortune. But therein lay tho tragedy, tho man who cap now soli for ?G an aero is lucky; tho man who sells for ? 2.50 an aero Isdolng woll. Most of them can't sell at all!. Many of them owo taxes on the land. Othors who had locations on good trails to the ran go and had water havo sold out to stock ralsors, and tho sturdy ones who remain aro, almost without ex w Store ?? ception, engaged In that Industry. Thoro Is an excellent reason for tho dosolatlou. This Is tho first year since 1915 hat tho dry land crop has brought returns. Tho high duscrt Is a vast oxpanso of pumlco and sagohrush lying ho tweon Bend and Burns and oxtoud Ingfrom tho southern boundary of tho Ochoco national forest to tho rolling hills around Silver Lake. In 1914 and 1915 colonlratlon reached its peak an dovery 1G0 of 320-acre tract was occupied by a family. Tlioy began settling in 190G, then camo In Incroased numbers in 1909, when tho enlarged homestoad act was passed. By 1918 tho greater number had proved up und tho ex odus had commenced. Moro and more left each year, eager to forgot the hardships and struggle thoy had gono through. Tho postmaster in Bend began to strike off postofflco after postofflco from tho list to which tho auto stages made deliv eries. On tho Burns road he ran his pen cil through Imperial, Hirers, Dry Lake, Arrow, Ilolyat, Buffalo, and Sherrlll until only Hampton, Broth ers and Mllllcan wero left. Perhaps 15 or 20 households still reclovo tholr mail at each of thoso pluces. On tho silver lake road ho elimin ated Promont, Pleetwood nnd Conn ley until only Port Itock remained Port Rock with its solitary store and tho two dwellings that are still occupiod, its abandoned "City Meat Markot" and Its feed mill, now fallen Into disuse, It Is surrounded by boarded-up school houses, root col lars that suggest Minnesota winters and fallen down barns. Bubble Is Burstcd Thoy stand thoro, monuments to a burstcd bubble Twolvn years ngo everybody though dry farming would pay and that If tho first crop failed It was a moro accldout nnd tho noxt would bo all right. At tho cry of ' free" land people flocked, in from all over. A family from tiiinlnnrt moved In net: to a qunrtut of kup f liiita. A bcIuj 1 toucher from KiuttMs put in her fonoo noxt to that of a atovodoro from nn I'rnnol&co. ahoy nil had fnlth and government oxports had It too. Tho did not know thnt Uio pumlco ash miili foil too llfchl fur cultivation cr thai night at an olovatton of 1000 foot would ho too cold nnd tho molsturo from water holes too llttlo for farming, They tried to rnlso nvurythlnn and mostly thoy failed. Through oxpnrlcuco thoy finally concentrated on ono thing. If thoy cultivated thin thoro was tho baro chince thai nno year out of orery three or four they might be successful. By this meanu thoy okod out a frugal oxlntnnco nnd waited for irrigation, which novor camo. Thoy aro still walthiK for It. Somo day tho high desort will bo a gardon spot, but tho tlmn whon water will bo put on It by artlflclnl moans Is still far In tho future. This yoar'a crop near Port Uotk la n bumper ono, for It has yielded a ton of ryo to tho ncre. Iloinostcndcr Is UulipM Tho average homestead was a unique character, romovml from old haunts In city or on tho farm, ho stood out in his llttlo community, developed character ospnnded. While proviiiR up ho lived flvo months of onch year on tho deHort nnd passed tho romnlmlor of his time laboring hnrd to nrcunimulito tho money with which to pay for necessities tha re maining suvou montliR, Ah n usual thing tho ontrymnn had a wlfo nnd two children. Ho Iind money for his filing fees and for tho construction of a one-room houso. Ho built a sagebrush barn for his horsos. In a year his fundus usunlly wero oxhautsed and he would have to go to work else where, loavlng tho wlfo at homo with tho chlldron to caro for tho place, Her solo protection was gen erally his shotgun. Then tho hard ships really commoncod. Rabbits and ground squirrels ato tho crops. Llfo became dreary, Perhaps tho mall was brought In onco a weok in summer; In tho winter ono might go as long as six wooks In somo section without a letter from lovodonos or without seeing n living creaturo out In tho storms. Houso HoiiKlily Built Tho houses wore tiny, often baroly moro than chicken coops, hullt of upright planks, so tho wind camo through tho cracks In chill draughts. A good houso was lined with brown folt paper, which also sorvod as wall decoration. It might havo a four hole cookstovo nnd a largo airtight heater, In both of which sagohrush was burned. Thero would bo a hunk crudely built Into ono cornor of tho room and supplied with Interlaced ropes or springs and shoddy blank ets nnd quilts at a dollar apiece from tho mall order houses. A table, cupboard and throo home made chairs, manufactured from loft over lumber, wore tho principal an Iclos in tho room If company camo thero would ho several sparo tomato boxes to nit on. Tho mirror was gonerally u Jnggod gla fixed to tho wall by hammering nnIM In around It. Pood waa mostly from cheap cans und was orvod In rustod (In cups and plates. Thero wero no carpets and mnyhap tho window curtains wero old loggers' shirts. Necessities wore brought to homesteaders far from tho main atngo routo by freighters, largo wagons nnd teama, which wont out onco in the spring and onco In tho fall. Water was hauled from wot wenther water holes at 1 a barrel, or woll, 200 to 700 foot In dopth woro sun): Tho former sometimes dried up, adding to tho hardships. Through tho long dUmal months thoro waH much privation. A school teacher near Brothers had two llttlo girls in her, class whom sho know wero under-nourished. Tholr fnther had been working In a mill In Bend and had boon hurt. Ho could send tho family no money and food had almost run out. Tho llttlo girls camo to school without lunches Their mother was vory proud and the teacher, oagor to help, was puzzled as to the method to follow. She dovlsed a plan of doubling her own lunch, ato a portion, thon each day told tho hungry pair sho couldn't consumo any moro and to tako tho romalndor of tho food homo to tho chickens. Woll sho know that tho poultry would novor sco thoso sandwiches. A man with but u fow dollars in IiIh pockets walked 125 miles from Bend to file on n pioco of land, paid 112.50 to file on it nnd $12,50 for witness fees; thon with tho scant re malndor carefully saved for nmals, walked back to Bend and got a Job In a mill until ho had saved nufll cient to pay for his houso nnd to Improvo his land. Othors moro for tunato, Hold good farms In tho Wil lamette valloy, to pay tho oxpoiihob of proving up in contral Oregon. School teachers, droamlng of liber ation from drudgery, flocked Into the Port Hock country by tho score. Tho so-called desert towns were solitary places, a dwelling with tho postofllco, a PchoolhouHO and usually beside It a community hall, whero periodically dances woro held, which drow nttondnnco for many mlcs around. Thoso dnncoH began early in the ovonliiR nnd undod at ilmvu tho fallowing morning. Sleepy chll dron wont to hod on hunches around tho stovo or In tho coat room, An orchestra, composed of two mou, wrapped In knit mnfriorn, mandolin and an accordion, wan Instnlted on n two-by-four platform opposite 'tho stovo. Suppor wbb sorvod nt 2 A, M. by tho homostcadors' wives moat' sandwiches nearly two Inches thick, coffoo In tin cups and cako, a gonulno tront. Tho dance programme gonorally includod quadrilles, heoi-aud-too polkas and other forgotton stops, Diversions on tho dosort woro not nlways ploasaut ones. There was much stealing from tho houso that woro closed part of tho year. Whoti meat was scarco thoro wan cattlo rustling, a dangerous gamo In vlow of tho $200 Htnndlng roward ofrorcd for Information loading to tho ar rest of onyouo who killed stock not his own. Thorn was Justice In the dusort and I ho wrongdoer was gen erally run out of tho country by a solf-nppolnted committed of his nolghbors long heforo tho shorlrf heard about tho affair. Novcrtho Iobh tho atiunln or the circuit court In Crook und Deschutes counties aro gonerously daubed with tho names of .Mrs. Bailey, ono-tlino "queen of tho high desort;" Davo Dunn o tho soup-Btrnuer moiiHtnclio; .fabe War ner and drover Caldwell. Dunn, who en mo from a section fittingly known as Last Chance, was (Continued on Page Six) iV-ohiL umSIMENT k the inYMtmmt the adds lo yew wealth of health. It fe mora es sential to safe-guard and build up strength than it is to add to your wealth of cold. To an under weight child or nncmic adult SCOTT EMULSION three or four times daily would be an investment that would yidd splendid returns in snenguiana Vigor. OCCHJ Cf?imtvij concentrate, tonk-nourkh rnent, idfUu swtM growing child. Bcott a Mowsc, BlooMltM, N. J, H.J, J-J Wm. Farre Representing the American National Also the big and popular Pennsylvania and Fire mens Fund American Fire Insurance Companies Will Appreciate your Business When you build or when you repair, the hard ware you use reflects the wisdoms of your selection. We are always ready, willing, and anxious to show you our line and offer suggestions that might be of great value to you. I. S. GEER & CO. Further Reductions In Our CLOSING OUT SALE Lunaburg, Dalton & Co. Crane-Burns Mail Stage Seven Passenger Touring Cart Best on the line Leaves Burns Post Office every evening except Saturday, at 6 P. M. Fare $2.50 BONDED CARRIER 13. S. HACKNEY, Proprietor Witts In Western Stock Show Judging Dcrthu Underbill, co-cd in the California Agriculture College, de feated a field of fifty men a the bent Judge of cattle In the Western Stock Shows nt Portland, Ore., scoring 37 points out of 1,000. She it a c(tybrcd girl. TlllO BOY IH ItlflHT Sunday-school Toachor (vory se riously): "Now, Harry, what must wo do boforo our sins can bo for given?" Harry (still moro seriously) "Pleaso Ma'am, wo must sin." HLONDi: HKKS OI'INKH When a girl refuses a chap she thinks he'll proposo ngaln. He us ually does but to some other girl, RATS An daniroroHji ;'. They wrihi, dewtroy mid polxon thing tlint are GOOD TO EAT Hut what yon fcctl tiiem RAT HNAT and thry rritvo for It as cat deM rat-nip It 1m AbHolmcly GUARAN TICK!) to rid you of all rut nnd mIc. WmCOOK& s ons nay "wo nro pli'wscil to ntto wo ron elder ItAT-HNAP In, without doubt, tho lxt Itat mid Mousn extermina tor wo havo over used. It doe ALI j u rlalm anil moro I no." Ihrrm WW ,'We, nnc, $1.25. ItAT-HNAI will Kill THEM nnd lenvo no ftnWl. Hold nnd guaranteed by Keed Broth er, nnd I. H. Ofr Jl Oo. f ' M I L Si, nn'i V
