Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-02
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We drove twenty or twenty five
miles through the heart OF the Waiia
Walla wheat region. the most fertile
in the West. The soil is lava dust or
decomposed basalt. Although there
is no rainfall for months at a time,
winter wheat grows finely. yielding
from twenty to eighty.tive bushels an
acre. \ single tract Of 1000 acres
has produced 81, 600 bushels in II seq
son. There is no artificial irr CATION.
as in the Gallalin valley; in the al
sence of,rain thelneces sary moisture IS
supplied to the growing crops by a
natural process, the mystery oi which
no inhubitant has solved 10 his salts
faction. As the Dutchmau said TO
ME at Ainsworth. 1t rains up ON
the roots from underground"
The great wheat region .. the fu-
ture lies partly in Oregon. partly in
Washington, and partly in Idaho. 1t
begins close under the Blle Moun-
tains, includes the Cmatiila Indian
reservation reaches westward almost
! 20 the foot of the Cascade IA igc in
Oregon. auc northward To The Spo-
kane and the Columbia. Walia Wal.
la Is its central point anu its met1opo-
lis. Roughly outlined on the map.
the region is crescent perhaps $50
miles from tip TO tip, its Concavity
toward the northwest, the round OF
its back in Idaho. IL includes not
less than 100000 acres of fine
wheat land. Not more than one
twentieth is under cultivation. yet the
surplus tor expectation this year Is
not less than $50. 900 tons.
Ten miles OF the way was in the
reservation of the Umatilla tribe,
across rolling prairie, yellow brown.
popUlous with with great herds OF
Indian ponies and bigger boned
American horses. The umatillas are
rich in horses. Some of them own
thousanps. worth at the ruling prices
on the reservation from SIS to $50
apiece The animals look fat IL is
not always safe TO buy cayuse from
a Umatilla. There is a we'll known
game PLAYED in concert by two indi-
ans-a man OF property and thief.
You are offered good pony at a rca-
sonable figure. You buy. 4 week or
two later another Indian comes along
and claims the pony As his, The pur.
chase is explained. but the seconG
Indian points 10 the brand on the po-
ny's shoulder. it is. in fact. his prop.
erty. and he can prove his title. He
carries the beast back 10 the reserva
ton in triumph, and your only re.
course is 10 capture his friend the
fraudulent seller. who has probably
found il convenient 10 hunt the hills
just then, or 10 visit aCqusiu,aaces
belonging To some remote tribe.
The UmatH.as are not only rich ip
horse flesh, they are also among the
greatest land owners on the face OF
the earth. A handful of Indians oc-
cupy i've or six thousand acres o.
soil similar 10 the wheat lacds that
are worth $50 an acre Just across the
reservation line. Ii opened 10 settle
ment, much of this uncultivated land
would fetch $40 an acre al public
sale. The Umatillas' domain is worth
millions oil dollars. According 10
the Agency enumeration there are
about TO of them 10 all According
10 the belief OF the best Informed
white neighbors of the tribe. people
who have no interest in magnifying
its size, there are not more than $50
or 300 altogether-men. squws and |
OF course there is strong |
sentiment 10 the neighborhood against |
the Indians monopoly OF oil this
splendid land. II the reservation |