, 1889-09-12
Vineyards and Orchards Loaded
with Luscious Fruits--A Sam
pie Sweet Potato.
Wenatohie City, Which Claims to
be the Coming Town on
the S. l.. s. g. T..

hihii6 VI 'ut tNopNlNN0 VI VIC W
which will astonish them. Mr.. Burrell
was caller at the REVIEW Office yesterday
and when reporter asked him to give
some information for publication con-
cerning the location, climate, soil, re-
sources and possibilities of the Wenatchie
valley and the new town of that name,
he readily complied.
81 am not surprised" he said, "that
so little Is known of the Wenatchie val.
ley, for II Is yet without means of com.
munication with the outside world, OK.
cept by wagon road to Ellonsburg,
hence there is no way of getting its
numerous products to market. The val.
ley is situated in the northeast corner of
Kittitas county, fifty miles northeast of
Elensburg and twenty-five miles west of
Watcrville, and is just across the Column
bia river from the extreme point of
the famous Big Bond. The valley is
about six miles long and something
more than two miles wide, and lies par.
allel with the Columbia. from which it
is distant about half mile, except at
the lower end, where IL crminuteS on
the banks of the river. The soil Is sim.
liar to that of the Yakima valley, and Is
covered with sage brush. The climate
is delightful, the winters being very
mild, and frosts seldom come until
about the last of October. | have no
hesilancy in making the assertion that
the Wcnatchie valley is the most won
derful fruit-produciug region i'm the
great Northwest, There are enough
peaches rottiug ON the ground at this
moment to supply the Spokane
Falls market. We raise enough
fruit every year 10 supply the markets
of all this section Of Eastern Washing
ton. The peach crop has never failed
but once in the history of he valley,
which was first settled in 1872. Finy-
pound watermolons are not considered
at all remarkable there. | brought with
me to Spokane Falls sweet potato
weighing ten pounds, and IL was the
first one came across in the patch. If
you would like to see u large sweet pota-
to | will send you one Weighing fifteen
pounds when ! get home. We have
vineyards which would he credit to
California, and they produce as high as
200 pounds to the vine, Peanuts, tObac-
co and other tender plants grow as
luxuriantly in Wenatohic as they do in
We can come pretty near rails
ing anything. An indutrious
gardener and fruit grower could make a
Fortune in few years of of five acres of
Wenatchie's fertile soil, and this will be
done, too, when we get railway com
munieation, and in time all the land
will Q cut mp into acres tracts. None
of the land Is worth less than $50 per
acre, and some has been sold rs high as
800 per acre. None Of the landowners
care to SELL for they know the advent of
a railroad will make il much more Yalu-
able.
"Irrigation Is necessary to insure n
good crop, but we have AN abundance of
water, and every foot of land in the val
ley can be irrigated There are numor-
Gus small streams, and the Wenatchic
river, stream MS clear as crystal and
about the size of the Yakima, flows
across the valley and cmptioS into the
Columbia, A project is now on foot to
tap the Wenatchic river with an inn
mensc ditch for irrigation purposes.
About mile belowthe mouth of Wen.
atchic river the surveyed line ofthc Scat
tie, Lake Shore d Eastern railroad crosses
the Columbia. This Is just halfway be-
tween Spokane Falls and Seattle. On
the surveyed line, about half mile
from the Columbia, the town of
Wenatchie has been started on land
belonging to officials of tho company.
Last spriug one Of these officials
and would have purchased more had the
price not been placed at Il very high fig
tire rs soon aE the owners became aware
of the fact that IL was being secured for
townsitc purposes. Wcnatchie City at
present has population of about seven
ty-iive people, and there is every reason
To believe that it will soon become the
most ilourishing townon the =. Lisa II.
road between Spokane Falls and the
Sound. There is an abundance of tim
Der within distance of three miles and
plenty of lumber for building purposes
Water from the Wenatchio river can be
conducted without difficulty to the top
of the hills above town, giving IL fall
of 400 feet, which will insure plenty of
water for watcrworks, sewerage, etc.
The steamers ON the Columbia pass the
town on their way up TO the mouth of
the OkanOgun. All the land from the
town to the banks OF the Columbia is as
level as floor, as is also the entire valley,
for That matter.
"Nor is tho Seattle. Lake Shore &
Eastern the only railroad we are likely
to have. The Ellonsburg Il Northwest
ern Is now being built toward the Co
lumbia, and the ultimate terminus of
which will be a junction with the WASH
ington 4 Idaho somewhere in the neigh
borhood of Watervilie, and IL must nee
essarily pass through or very near TO the
Wenutchle valley. AT present VIC de-
pend ON Ellensburg for all our supplies.
When the railroad reaches us We will
come TO Spokane Falls, bringing the
numerous products OF our soil TO supply
your markets and buying our supplies
from your wholesale houses-proyidcd
OF course, Spokane Falls wholesalers are
able TO sell as cheaply MS Seattle. Any
one desiring to visit Wenatchie mt pres
ent must go to Ellensburg and there
axe tho stage.'
Mr.. Burrell has been resident of tho
Wenntchie valley for the past fOsir
years, having been captiyated on his
first visit, and. says be could not think
OF living anywhere else.
Wenatchie City is thirty eight miles
which il the outlet for the famous lake
of that name. Chclan is said to be one
of the most beautiful lakes on the CONT
ncnt, and will, In time, no doubt become
great summer resort. The Chelan
river from the point where It's crystal
waters leave the beautiful lake, TO It's
confluence with the lordly Columbia,
"the river of the West" is but three
miles in length. Efforts are being made
10 induce the government TO take hold
of tho matter of improving Rock Island
pids ON the Columbia. At present
steamers cannot ascend these rapids dur
ing low water. The improvement of
these rapids and the completion of the
Cascade locks would open the Columbia
to navigation from Astoria TO tho mouth
OF the Okanogan river.
The Same Merry Laugh.
Like shiDS lIpOn the sea we meet on