Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-21
UP TWO RIVERS.
TIE PAST AND PRESENT OF TIE WILL
AMETTE AND COLUMBIA.
Description of Scenery of Marvellous
Beauty and Grandeur-A Winters
Journey-The Cascades.
WA1LA WA1LA. August 10. 1850.

WALLA WALLA, August 10, 1880.
Almost thirty years ago, when this
region was young in civilization, SO young
that its savages were unsubdued, and no
signs of villages and few attempts at set
Element could be found east of the Cas-
cades, 1 journeyed one summer from
Portland to The Dalles in boats, pulling
with might and main against the spring
floods of the Columbia. Then there were
no steamers to do the work and the shores
were unsecured by the hand of man, while
the Indian canoe was very frequent feat
ure, and the lodges of the tribes were
clustered about the fisheries at the Cascades,
and also at The Dalles 1t was striking
feature of those rude scenes to see the
Indian fisherman toiling amid the boiling
waters to lay up storeso of fish for winter use,
with spear or scoop-net standing on some
isolated rock amid furious waters, and
swinging to the squaw, who waited
on the main shore, the huge salmon he
captured from the stream. Then all about
was young in civilization, and was fresh
from home and Eastern life, with all the
world before me, transferred in q few
months from the scenes of early colonial
life on the Atlantic and the Oldest civiliza-
ton of the continent, to land so new that
the ;egis of the republic had scarcely
stretched to cover it. 1t was after weeks
of buffeting that we reached the Cascades,
drinking in all the vision of mountain
grandeur as we passed slowly by the
wonderful shores, watching the fierce Cas-
cades as we made the long portage through
the enchanted gorge, and then journeyed
up the strong but placid stream above the
falls in -bottomed fat-boat, whose
broad sail was spread to catch the favoring
Chinook wind.
FOR BOISE AND SALMON RIVER.
When civilization came, itwas borne up the
broad Columbia with fever-stricken miners
from California forts standard bearers; they
were tired of the worn out placers that re-
manned in California, and with blood
heated by the wild reports from the Upper
Columbia were rushing toward Salmon
river, Boise, Burnt river, and other
points, with the scent of the sleuth hound
and the instinct of the gold-hunter. This
civilization was of the widest, but its effect
was magical in causing steamers and rail
road portages to be built, and made settle
ment of the upper country possible.
Again l was borne up the river in this wild
flood tide and pierced the interior on some
tidal wave that swept over the mountains
and valleys alike Where now are count
less farms or uncounted herds, the bunch
grass then waved supreme and uncropped.
Towns and villages were coming to life
protoplasm was developing the germs of
the distinct line between savagery and So
ciety, and l witnessed, in many journey
ings, the slow development of the future.
A WINTER JOURNEY.
One Of the widest episodes of life that
has known some variety and adventure
was realized towards the close Of the most
terrible winter ever known in the North.
west, when, determined to reach home,
travelled over one hundred miles on snow.
shoes to the Dalles, and then down the
Columbia river on the ice. The mountains
were draped with snow and every cascade
or fountain that leaped from cliff or wall
was frozen into more fantastic shapes than
the waters assumed when they "came
down at Lahore" So it is with wealth
of past associations that / travel the river
again, after an interval of fifteen years, to
find scarce trace left Of the Indian canoe
or the savages themselves, though the river
shores, where they traverse the disrupted
range, are 30 little changed from the long
ago and are so wild and inaccessible for
the most part that century may pass and
the continuous woods remain with
scarce a change.
TO-DAY.
My last visit to this region was in the
summer of 1865, when travelled as CORE
spondent for several prominent journals
and visited the mining centers of Eastern
Oregon and Idaho. A few years had then
wrought wonderful improvement, but no
conception was entertained of the near
future, when agriculture should assert its
supremacy, grazing herds and focks be
driven away by the pillow, and the face of
nature reflect the sheen of a universal har-
vest. Time has wrought such changes as
to demonstrate that wherever bunch grass
waved wheat will thrive as WELL l pre-.
SuIlt buC pdTdDlc ID rue w Vic ltLtGT, ludb
bunch grass denotes the extent of the
wheat-growing region, though, of course,
it is found growing scant on wild and
rocky spots where wheat culture will not
be attempted. To-day there are thriving
towns, villages and farms on hill and in
dale, over wide region where the wind
whistles past the bending bunch grass and
no herds cropped the pastures. The trans
formation is wonderful-though no more
than sll new regions have realized-the
strangest feature being the fact that for SO
long time settlers had little conception of
the resources of the country and agricult-
uralists delayed their demands upon the
soil, confinng themselves generally to the
river bottoms, while the richest harvests
have been found upon the uplands.
VIEWS ALONG THE RIVER.
The Navigation Company now offers to
the traveller or tourist delightful facilities
going aboard magnificent steamer at
night you occupy more than comfortable
state-room, and at breakfast call in the
morning find the journey commenced the
boat has passed from the Willamette to
the broader food of the Columbia, and
hoarse whistle announces the approach to
Vancouver. Though it is August the river
is trimming full with the floods that usu-
ally spend themselves in June. From all
the ranges of Montana, Idaho and some of
Utah, as well as those of Oregon and
Washington, the SHOWS of a winter, in
clement beyond the memory of man or
savage. are still melting and flowing to-
ward the sea. The shores are still brim-
ming full though the water is falling
islands seem afloat, and the meadow lands
of either side are hidden beneath an inland
sea. On either side are dairy and grass
farms, and usually potato fields are seen,
but the stay of the food has disturbed
many of the farmers calculations. Wheat
is scarce known here as product; the great
wheat fields of the Willamette have been
left behind the shores are wooded, with
mountains in the distance, and the country
is only gradually being redeemed from its
wild state. But this region is 30 near
market that it must be eventually valu-