The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1871-10-06
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE
WALLA WALLA, w. r., !
Sent. d. 1871 {

0CRAT something OF what we know
about Walla Walla and other things.
We shall not enter into descrip.
tion of our trip up the Columbia nor
attempt to describe the many points
of interest or beauty which greeted
our Wis On along its borders. These
things have.been portrayed upon can
vass and delineated by pen until our
readers have doubtless been surfcited
by their beauty, grandeur and mag
nificence, and probably dose of liter
al fact and commonplace information
would be far more palatable.
Leaving Albany on Thursday, the
14th inst, We arrived at Wallula (the
summer terminus of steamboat travel)
on Sunday morning, the 17th, and i'm
mediately took the stage for this city.
The distance from Wallula to Walla
Walla is 32 miles, but the sand hills,
alkali dust, execrable chuck. holes,
scorching sun, monotonous sage-brush
and barren plains string it out to
double that distance. In fact, to say
that this road is terrific would but
family portray its intolerableness. II
Pluto's dominions were traversed by
such a road His Majesty would never
be at a loss for fiendish punishment for
his most intractable subjects. BY
dint of the exercise of much impu.
dence and through the assistance Of n
friend We had secured seat on the
outside of the coach, with the driver,
where, after being nearly suffocated
with dust and jostled, shaken, knocked
and pitched about for seven almost in
terminable horus, we succeeded in
existing until we reached
wALLA wALLA CITY,
which seemed to the exhausted souls
and dust-obscured vision of our
party like the Golden walls of the
Celestial City to the weary Pilgrim.
1t was truly an oasis in the desert
just at that time the Mecca of all our
| fondest desires. And indeed under
any circumstances Walla Walla would
impress the stranger with pleasing SER
sations, with its broad streets, shaded
avenues, neat residences, tastefally
ornamented lots aud business hustle.
The city has about twelve numbered
inhabitants, but seems to do as much
business as other provincial towns
of three times that number
of people. Times arc brisk, money
plenty and the city is improving rap
idly. There will probably be fifty
new buildings erected here during
the current year. We find the pco-
pie hospitable, warm-hearted and
liberal to remarkable degree. The
stranger will never have cause to re,
greet being found within their gates.
THE wALLA wALLA COUNTY FAIR
was held here last week, but in con-
sequence of the rumored existence OF
smallpox in the city, the attendance
was much smaller than usual. Many
hundreds were deferred from coming
by the fear of exposure to that loath-
some and dangerous infiiction; so
that really the Fair scarcely arose
above. the dignity of respectable
"hoss-trot." In the stock department
we observed few nice pigs, but from
these specimens we would hardly
think the rising of mud-larks" had
been made speciality by the Walla
Walla farmers. The cattle exhibit
were quite limited in numbers, but
those on exhibition spoke volumes in
praise of this section as a stock-raising
country. We saw some beautiful
specimens OF thorough-breds, promi-
nent among which was 3-year old
Durham bull, weighing 2,100 lbs
We hardly think our own Willamette
Valley can beat this. The horses
were generally fine specimens of the
equine species, and many of them
made good time on the truf The
races were generally hotly contested
and extensively patronized by the
enthusiastic "sports." Indeed it
seems to us that nearly everybody
bet on the races, but the proverbial
impecuniosity of the fraternity and
other conscientious scruples compelled
the writer hereof to refrain from
that spiecies of "hazardousness."
The interior of the Pavilion was
mostly distinguished for the amount
of unoccupied space, showing great
lack of interest in this department on
the part of Walla Walla ladies'
However, considering the terrible
dusty roads and great distance of the
Fair Grounds from the city, We could
scarcely censure the fair ladies fol
their delinquency in this Particular
There were on exhibition some beau
tifnl specimens of needle work, leath
er-work, ETC., and preserved fruits and
jjellies which would cause the epicuri
an APPETITE to yearn muchly.-
The fruit exhibit was not extensive