The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-02-12
Oar Oregon Csrre.pendence.

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/ gas sa@a .oaissi------s7a gts 80. 4, -.
PosrLAxp, OasooH, Z.
d'ii.le - l'gg.Y2a Dec. 25tA, 1861. r.
FsssHp 0soxos P.:-- @ 3-4. :. s..
A Merry Chrmtnas gbs, +.
l. ~ ycu perceive. hare shifted my qaar.
tsrs since you last heard from me. / an
now in the Metropolis Of the North west
the Big Willasnmeter -" .Wet.foot "--s
cothtry where 1t has niped every day since
Icame into It. and sprinkled the rest--in
short, il isthe Oregopian's heavep--the placs
where they start everywhere from, and 70.
turn to when they leave there. The inhab.
itants arc called " Wet-feet," . name deriy-
ed from the secessisy Of being obliged 70
learn to swim in order TO live whole year
At . time in this Valley. One year. resi-
dsncs confses the title. As I write ION my
knee in the har-rocm,) the besrdsrs are ia
the dining room playing with . toy locono.
tive and train Of cars, the land'ady Is boss.
Ing the job, the kitchen boys are looking on,
the landlord is up stairs whistling " Pop
Goes the Weasel" the citizens gcnerally
are wading the mud in the streets. the chill.
dren are shooting fire crackers. and xli the
jour printers. but me, are on bust, and !
Am satisfied. a
Well, everything In the mines being froze
up. nothing doing. and good Of the same
thing being kept up "even unto despara-
tion," concluded "cladawa "-seoot, ske-
daddle. get up and dust Three of us bot
q Cayuse pony, put our " duds and some
muck.a-muck on him and started for the
Columbia River, intending to take q boat
for this place. If we met with the coed luck
to meet one, which we did. Ten miles from
Auburn, over some very high hills, brought
US up in Powder River Valley, where many
Of the enigrants have taken up ranches and
are preparing to raise crops next season. II
is very rich well watersd Valley, some 20
by 80 miles In area. and susceptible OF rails.
ing-horxes anyhow; for grass is very plen-
ty. Another days drive and we reached
Grand Round Valley, scope of country
surrounded by high mountains, about the
same size rs Powder River Valley. very lev.
Ell, and more easily than otherwise described
as an immense hole in the ground. Here
many farm. are being commenced, az also q
little town called La Grand, distant from
Auburn 81 miles, and just at the foot Of the
Blue Mountains. We had the pleasure here
Of sleeping in big wagon-the ground was
80 cold. Showed on us ~ We startel into
the mountains, 40 miles across, and we be-
gan to fear we would be caught, but had to
wade SHOW only one foot deep. Lucky we |
Slept that night on hill side 50 steep that
a man would be obliged to tie rope around
his neck and lash himself to tree to keep
bed. No timber in these mountains but
pine, Ar and tamarack; none in either Of the
valleys mentioned. Next day the snow melt.
cd away, and We reached the brow of the
nerthern slope Of the Blue Mountains, and
came in sight Of the Columbia River Valley
: the sun being still days travel ahead.
On this evening we witnessed the Erandest
sight Of nature ever beheld in all the wan
derings Of this pilgrim. The valley and oil
the mountain gorges were filled with dense,
misty fog, reaching about half way up the
mountain side, rooling and tumbling in the
breeze like water, in . gale We sat down
upon an old log and looked long ans steady
1t the grand sight. Now il would present
the appsarances Of a grand sheet Of water !;
the trees would rise end creak in the foam
like puppets in show occasionally an Is
land. az it were, rising above the surface and
then gIadually disappearing a. the tide
would rise ane fall here column Of spray
would suddenly shoot up hundreds Of feet,
bend over and fall As Of it's own weight, and
leave hole in the fog until the ground
would appear beneath then current Of air
would strike and the fog would roll in huge
waves, higher and higher, faster and faster,
apparently overwhelming everything in its
course, until il struck the mountain side,
Ind was suddenly burst to pieces and scat.
ered away In the canyons in clouds and
rainbows. Finally strong breeze spr nng
up from the North, and soon the entiro mass
was on the move for the mountain top, the
sun was hidden fro,a our view, and we were
envsloped in its folds in damp, cold, driz-
Fling shower. The wind knocked the fog
= flinders lad the fog knocked the romance
'nt Of ns just ~ effs,tusily.
After passing through the Umatilla In
iian Reservation, we looked back and saw
he mountains snveloped in snow. and theu
we were glad. We had made narrow es-
ape. The mountains were closed for months
o come unless i thaw should unexpectedly
happen. Grub is plenty 10 the mines. Fine
arms are on the Reservation, cultivated by
he Indians, under the direction OF an agent
'ppointsd by the Government. 'ra
We reached the Columbia after trsveli AZ
LEVIN the Umatilla 30 or 60 miles, and found
boat the following morning bound for be-
ow; paid our fare, ~ far as the boat went,
md then began to look around. We found
he Columbia river to be about the width OF
he Missouri, very swift and fall Of recka-
L 10 said to be the most difficult streem to
,avisate in the Omitted States, though an &C
'idsnt seldom occurs. The valley is much
he same a that Of Snake Rivsr-alkali
lust, sage brush, broken, rocky and totally
,nHf {op os,ot,votsnu g. L.