Morris tribune., 1883-08-08
CORRESPONDENTS.
SPOKANE FALLs,W w. T. July %, 1888.

SPOKANE FALLS, w. T. July %, 1883.
| EDITOR TRIBUNE:
DEAR SIR:-It was suggested b.
my friends that upon my arriva
in this country to send few lines tt
the "TRIBUNE" and for the benefit OF
its many readers l shall now try t.
give a short sketch of what l have
seen up to this time, and being alone
with large family shall not be eX
pected to write in detail of what
have seen and experienced on the
whole road, but suffice it to say that il
is a journey that should much dreaC
to undertake again, but thanks to Goo
our journey was Il safe one and we
arrived here after being II days on the
road. After leaving Nebraska the
country presents nothing of special in.
terest to the ordinary observer until
reaching the Sacramento Valley and
with the exception of few low places
where the water and small rills from
the mountains could be brought to
bear upon the small patches of grain
and gardens, the whole country
looked fearfully rough and unfit for
habitation. They were harvesting and
threshing when we went through
California and the crop looked nice
and was said to be a moderately good
one. l think California is nice state
to live in, but it is very warm there.
On account of strong head-wind, our
trip from San Francisco to Portland
was very rough, all the passengers be-
ing down with seasickness that lasted
until we got inside the bar of Col
umbia River. From here and up, the
passage on the upper deck of the
steamer was very delightful and being
on the 4th of July our steamer
"Columbian with all her cOlors
flying and her decks crowded with
emigrantS was greeted with salute5
ofcannons and flags from the vessels
and towns along the whole distance.
The dense evergreen forests here come
clear down to the edge of the river,
and salmon fishing and all in con-
nection Herewith is the only thing of
interest. Portland is Il very fine and
busy city and nicely located, but what
I could learn from folks | came in
contact with the whole coast or the
part that lies west of the Cascades, is
too wet during the winter to be
h healthy and as a consequence rheum-
atism is prevailing ailment. From
there went to Hood River a place
about 80 miles up the river, where /
was to find an old acquaintance of
mine from Wis, and upon whose
writing [ expected to find Il good place
for making a home, but failed entirely
to find what 1 expected. The first
thought disappointment commenced
to steal over me and my family, and
from this it appeared plainly that the
so much talked of and widely pub
lished greatness of this country was
only trace and nothing but the work
of capitalists and r. r. corporations.
We concluded then to go to the so
much spoken of Walla Walla. Here
the country is more like our Mime
sofa prairies, and the most exte nsive
is carried on here, but no nest
farmers told me that the yield of grain
is growing less and less every year on
account of increased dryness. The
spring sowed grain is failure this
year, but winter wheat will give an
average of % bushels to the acre.
Gardens do not amount to much.
in and around town was held
very high. Living costs a good deal,
and the ever flying dust and dryness
made it the most disagreeable place I
nave seen, and if the wind should
blow here like it does i'm Mimi, it
would be impossible to live here. We
hen wendell our way to this place, so
hat in the case of not finding anything
better than heretofore, we wonld be
20 much nearer and on our way home
md from descriptions of the place one
should think that this would be no
more than new frontier town with
Lots of good chances for speculation
and investments, but l was surprised
TO find town of double the size of
Morris with every possible chan co
grabbed and left iii spectators hands
md drummed up the whole country
over. One thing the place can boast |
Of, is it's fine water power, two saw
md planning mills are kept busy one
iour mill is running and two more
sre being built; Il number of fine brick
buildings have been built this sum-
ner and more are going up all on
SPECULATION. The place is said to be
destined to be one of the greatest |
manufacturing places west of he
but where the resources
20 keep it shall come from I have |
allied to see, AMI unless they shall |
come the rich mines the country |
around here is said opossess, it will
never come from the farming
for have not seen II farm yet that | |
should wish ia take in trade for an |
ordinary farm in Stevens county, and
more or less farming has been carried |
Oh here for the lust ten to fifteen years. /
The timber here Is plentiful but
consists chiefly of hard fir that for
most purposes is very inconvenient to
handle and unfit for decent work, and |
work here is very wearisome.
)ne good thing here is the absence of
thunder storms, mosquitoes and flies,
ind they can also boast of the pure
water, but the lack of the soft green
grass, the faded and yellow looking
orairies, the dry and grave1y resident
OTIS and dusty roads makes the
1abitation here during the whole
most disagreeable one. My
r. 4. n. \