Woman's chronicle. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1888-1???, 1888-09-01
Written for WoMAN's CHRONICLE.
From Eastern Oregon.

land of Eastern Oregon. How much better to
have adopted the language of the loye-sick swain,
when contemplating the absence of his beloved
"ThOu art so near, and yet so far
In this age of steam and steel rail no Arkansian
can complain that Oregon is a far-off land, when
he can reach its limits in less than four days; and
yet, in point of distance, it is indeed a far-off
land considering that thirty years ago it could be
reached only through the greatest toll and hard
ship. Then it took two days to travel the dis
lance you now travel in one hour; for, in the mad
rush of the iron horse to reach the extremity of
the northwest territory, it frequently carries you
fifty miles an hour, and l noticed, when almost
upon the summit of the " Rockies" we were
speeding on at the rate of fortyive miles an hour,
the train being drawn by two powerful engines;
and from the summit of these lofty mountains it
almost seemed that it was dashing to destruction
as it pursued its unsteady course, swayng from
right to left, almost as ship tossed upon the bill
lowy deep.
And thus has the distance of the old wagon
road been all but annihlated by the rail, and the
children of the rising generation no longer measure
distance as we did, but have substituted the steam
rule for the wagon and foot rule of their fathers.
But continuous travel of four days in a close
car, breathing the air vitiated by the respiration
from the lungs and the eXhalations from the per-
sons of men and women, is calculated to render
our trip at least uncomfortable, and cause us to
welcome the announcement of our destination
And thus, our journey ended, we are just in
condition to court repose.
Once here, we set about investigating the in
ducements to remain and we find an exceedingly
healthy climate-a climate with few extremes of
heat and cold. have been here since the middle
of May, and think in that time the number of
warm DAYS could be counted upon the fingers of
one hand; and while the CHRONICLE has informed
us that the denizens of Little Rock, overcome with
heat have been seeking cool retreats in the noun
tains, or fastening to the summer resorts OF the
north we, of Eastern Oregon, have been en-
loving the most pleasant weather, the air being
cool and invigorating. It>is now the middle of
August and there is promise of continuance OF
the same pleasant, bracing weather that has pre-
vailed thus far throughout the summer Ola resi-
dents assert that pleasant weather will continue
until December, when it will lapse into mild win
ter, continuing thus until the early part of jan
uarv, when the thermometer will then show range
from zero to thirty degrees below zero. This,
however, will last only three or four weeks, after
which the balmy "Canook winds" will prevail and
again temper the climate, accompanied by season.
able rains These "Canook winds" blow from
the Pacific ocean, whence they bear with them the
warmth generated by the ocean stream cor
responding to the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic
ocean. Thus, instead of long, cold winter, to
be expected in this extreme northern latitude the
weather becomes almost as mild as if it were the
climate of Southern Arkansas, save the two or
three weeks referred to.
This is surely the paradise of small grain. Win
ter wheat is sown in September and when there is
snow an abundant crop is assured; but should it
be winter killed from lack of this white covering
spring wheat is sown in its stead, and it is said
that there never has been failure to harvest