Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-09-04
mer-fallowed- probably plowed too late
for the present season and turned over for
early fall seeding, While in the western

NOTtH Oh Suake river, AGAIN, 10 d icSioh
skirting the base of the Ceur d'Alene
mountains, which may be considered as an
extension OF the Blue mountains, north
easterly, the range having been in ages
past disrupted by the forces that resulted
in the creation OF the Snake river. Here
again is an extensive wheat-producing
country. Like the other, a rolling earth
surface, sometimes in Level reaches, but
more often hilly region; but the soil is
blacker and actually richer than the fertile
stretch to the southwark 1t is claimed
that these eastern wheat growers can pro-
duce wheat at 80 cents bushel with as
much profit as the western Oregon farmer
has when he gets 81, because the produc-
ton is double. They claim SO to 45 bush
els per acre as common thing. and say
they can prove many instances where over
go bushels has been realized as the
average for a whole farm, and talk
of IS to SO bushels per acre as proved IN
exceptional cases. The present crop in
most of Eastern Oregon and Washington
has been greatly injured by week OF ter
rbly hot weather IN July, that prema-
turely cooked all grain, much of which was
hardly out of the milk The straw Is not
over Is to 20 inches high, and many fields
of barley and oats are lower yet, but while
some fields are not cut at all, and while
much grain is shrivelled, still they claim
an average of 90 bushels per acre In the
injured districts, and the shrivelled wheat
is said to weigh heavy and grind well.
The best farms are IN the foothills, and
there the yield is good and the grain plump.
Riding over the hills and looking towards
the mountains we see the foothills cleaning
with harvests or Swallowed with summer
fallow, and where am outlying spur presents
bold face the farmer has climbed there
and pushed his work close to the SUBMITS.
IMauGRATIoN.
A constant stream of travel and emf.
grants comes here and scatters to the diff.
ferent regions of development. The
choicest lands in the Blne Mountain country
are claimed, so the travel tends across
Snake river to the Palouse region, and
above there to the Spokane country. They
come across the plains as they did in the
beginning they come from UGah Nevada
and California, and not small proportion
OF those who arc settling the new districts
come from the Willamette valley, preferriug
to make a new start in a new country in
preference to remaining in the older settled
valley, battling with fortune at dis
advantage. The stream OF emigrants is
constant, and they seem to fitin among the
hills and hollows and 90 to work for them
selves. They take a homestead and a pre-
emption and timber culture claim, and
soon have more cares than they know
what to do with. Besides this region !
have described there are spots further
eastward that invite settlement, and with
ont pushing thus far up the Columbia the
emigrant can find land to pre-empt in the
counties OF Oregon and Washington nearer
the Cascade range. On the north OF the
Columbia river are the Klikitat and
Yakima regions, that are rapidly settling
up with practical farmers, and cattle men
have great herds of stock there. Few sheep
are kept north of Columbia and Snake
rivers on account OF the cold weather. The
eastern iiocks turn out 6,000, eco pounds OF
wool, niue-tenths Of which Is grown south
Of the Columbia and most of it in eastern
Oregon, east OF the Umatilla river Ne
doubt there is great deal of good farming
land on the upper waters of John Day and
Deschutes rivers, in Oregon, and in Kiiki-
tat and Yakima countless Washington, but
1t does not lie in as large tracts, and as
available, as in the Palouse and Walla
Walla regions.
TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
Goldendale, in KHkitat county, is a
thriving place and has its newspaper. Fur
ther north Yakima is another thriving town
with another newspaper East OF the Co
lunbia is great plain that is considered
bare and dry of streams, and passing this
we come to the Palouse region, and north
of it is the Spokane country. The enter
prises OF the Oregon Railway and Nayiga-
ton Company contemplate railway sys-
tenn that will salty all the Palouse farmers,
and the Spokane country, l25 miles from
the confluence of Snake and Columbia
rivers, is already reached by the graders of
the North Pacific road. Spokane Falls, to
the north promises to be a good point,
Colfax is the live center Of the Palouse
region, and far north is Colville, where
settlement has not yet greatly invaded.
South of Snake river, still in Wash
ington Territory, Walla Walla is the
leading town Dayton, thirty miles east, is
a charming place of near 900 population,
and Waitsburg lies between, while still
further east are Marengo, Potaha, Alpowa
and Pomeroy, surrounded by thriving az
ricultural communities. Leaving Walla
Walla and going south, half an hours
sharp drive brings you into Oregon. You
first come to village with several stores
and the inevitable saloons, called Milton,
then to Weston, a town of considerable
pretension and active trade; quite near
there is Centerville, that has grown up rap
idly with the rich country around it
twenty miles further and you are at Pen
dleton, older than the others, on the Una
tilla river, county seat, thrifty and pro-
Tessive, with two newspapers. Ii you go
on around the mountain wall you reach
Heppner, in the grazing region, and south
of the Columbia, $50 miles, on John Day
and Deschutes rivers, you find thriving
towns and good agricultural population.
PRESENT AND FUTURE.
The wide interior region is being rapidly
prospected and developed. There is abund-
ant room, and the emigrant finds it diff
cult to choose his location, The resources
OF the country are but dimly understood,
agricultural land is scattered, and rich
valleys exist In isolated localities What
is called the g Eastern Country extends
from the British line to the California
boundary, and reaches from the Cascade
range to the Rocky Mountains, occupying
an extent of country Eve hundred miles
square. Two hundred and fifty thousand
square miles of territory lies here, with
population averaging about one person to
over one thousand acres. There is plenty
of room for millions there are rich min
ing fields to develop and multitudes of re-
sources to unfold, and though not yet
noted for agricultural products, it is GER
tain that the future will show that in the
present its capacities for production are but
dimly understood.
Henry Willard, man of broad enterprise,
came here year ago and made bid for
the transportation of all this
great region that could be held tributary to
the Columbia river. He was backed by
capital, and succeeded in acquiring for his