The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-07-12
Touring in Klickitat and Yakima.

of our trip, we left the reader at the
Pine Creek Ranch, in Klickitat Coun-
ty. Pine Creek is so called because
in its winding way down among the
mountains, its banks and the sloping
hillsides adjacent, are covered with
luxurient growth of pine timber. This
pine is of the yellow variety, hand
some to look at, makes good wood,
and now and then tree can be found
that nature has not so twisted as to
make it impracticable to split it into
fence rails. The crickets ravaged
this section of country in the spring.
They came in mighty drove and ate
up peoples gardens and injured the
bunch grass, and so filled up Pine
Creek with their clumsy bodies
as, at one time, to make it seem
necessary for the residents on the
creek to vacate their premises, but
fortunately heavy rain flooded the
creek, sluiced out the masses of dead
and dying crickets and the people
were, we trust, duly grateful to a
kind Providence for their merciful
deliverance. The log cabin of the
Pine Creek Ranch, where we enjoyed
a week of recreation, is beautifully
located on the creek bottom in grove
of quaken-asp trees. These trees
grow tall and thrifty, and the rustic of
their leaves in the breezes of evening
adds little to the music of the woods
in this charmed locality. The house
is substantially built and comfortably
furnished, and when graced with the
presence of ladies, as it was upon the
arrival of our host and his party, is as
comedy and cheerful country resi-
dence as one could wish to see. Upon
our arrival we were welcomed by Mr..
Fred Huntington, Mr.. Ben Burch,
Mr.. May and Burt, the boy of the
ranch. They had supper ready for us,
and with our host, the "Bovine Agi-
tator" to do the honors of the table,
who always thinks first of others and
last of himself, we discussed the chick
en- stew, and the beef steak with that
relish know only to those who have
travelled over the rolling hills of
Klickitat to get an appetite. They
have cool nights in this high altitude
and blankets are comfortable things
to sleep under. The first night at
Pine Creek our party made up the
interest on sleep lost while travelling.
The next day after our arrival we
paid visit of inspection to the blood
ed stock, imported last year from the
East by Capt. Blinn. Notwithstand-
ing the damage done in the immedi
date vicinity by the crickets, these
cattle look very well. The owners of
these cattle take great pride in them,
and use great care in their breeding
and development. We are not sutfi-
GENTLY familiar with the stock to de-
scribe them in detail, suffice to say
they are the finest Durham cattle that
can be found in the country, and con-
stitute the nucleus of the best band
of cattle east of the Cascade Noun
tains. The log corrals on this ranch
are capacious and stong enough to
hold the largest animal. They are
acknowledged to be the best in the
Territory for the general purposes of
the cattle business. At this season of
the year the men are all busy, every
where driving up cattle, branding and
marking the spring calves. 1t was
our pleasure, through the kindness of
Mr.. Huntington, to make one of par
ty of four men, to 60 on a drive.
Accoutered with spurs and whip, and
the other pariphanalia of cattle
driver, and mounted on a cayuse
horse, feet of foot and possessed of
more sense about cattle than his
rider, we invaded the ''Glade" with
the other "Bovine Agitators." The
ssGlade" is an open space or basin be-
tween the hills, watered by springs
and green with grass and bushes all
summer. These glades are often many
miles in length and are favorite pla-
ces of resort for cattle. They some
times cogregate here by the hundred,
and are easily surrounded and separa-
ted into droves for marking and
branding purposes. Proceeding down