, 1889-05-16
THE BIG BEND.
Careful and Conservative Pic
ture Of the Country.
Its Extent and Productiveness
Accurately Described.
FORMATION OF the Earth--w Water, C1,mat~.
Rainfall, Hesi,h--Ths Metropolis
--Business- Society.

Ane Dig benu country IL Often spoken q
- including the whole Of Douglas, L,ncoIr
But the Big Bend proper only include,
the whole OF Douglas and the northwest
corner Of Lincoln counties and has an
average length of 100 miles and an aver
aged width OF 60 miles.
Il il divided into three parts by two
ooulees, the Grand and Moses. The Grand
10 forty miles and Moses il fifty miles
long. They are from one to ak miles
vide and have vertidal walls from 100 Ia
1000 feet high. and are twenty miles
apart. The cause for the origin Of those
conlees 10 unknown. A few think the
Columbia river made them and once
flowed through and had its bed there. but
after close examiDati0n We could trace no
y1verbed nor see u water worn rock.
Others think that the lava from u volcano
flowed through the Big Bend and made
them. but snch cannot be-, tor the rocks on
the wslls of those coplees are H. reRu.
lar formation and rapchers digging wells
have 10 pass through the same kind of
rocss in the bottom OF those coulees that
the rsnchers above have to do, which
proves conclusively that the soil in the
bottom OF those c0ulees has never been dis.
turbed. The most plausible theory is that
they were caused by earthquskes--not an
upbeavsl, but q sinking down Of the earth
between two seams or crevices of the
rock, -" 80 Y
SURFACE.
some parts resemble that Of the Palouse
country. or mountain waves, while other
parts sre perfectly level. But taking II "a
whole IL loots like the prairips of Dako.
q and Montana, and 10 mostly covered
with bunch Rrass except on the bills,
where there IL q good deal Of wool grass,
Ard on the low fats you can End spots Of
slkali or salt grass. The southern portion
ol the Big Bend il quite scabby, but makes
> sne range for stock.
~-ss rHk sofL
il light sandy color. and many on first
sight doubt its fertility, but Professor Hill.
gard of the agricultural college of Califor-
mia and professor Of chemistry has travelled
all over the Big Bend, and when Charles
Liftchild of Waterville handed him box Of
the soil he felt of it and knew at once that
il was from the Big Bend. Mr.. Liftchild
SAID that the professor stated that it was
decOmposed volcanic rock, q fertili3er Of
itself, and believed it to be the best grain
and vegetable soil in the world. The soil
around Waterville is darker than the rest
OF the Big Bend, and parties digging wells
have found trees at the depth OF forty feet
below the surface. which goes 10 prove that
there has been an aiuvial deposit, but
underneath this deposit is the basaltic
70
There are but few springs and strea ms
OF water. and most OF the rancbers are
compelled to dig wells or hau water a
long distance. We made careful inquiries
as to the depth OF the wells and purity OF
ek.. ~u..ka oath ,rtx
feet and the water 10 pure and cold. We
found no part OF the Big Bend country
where water could not be obtained by Dig
ginp deep enough, but a few ranchers
sfter digging ninety or 100 feet. rather
than have deep wells commtnt d anew,
and found wats only few feet distant,
at the depth Of twent, feet
WOOD.
There is no wood except in the coulees,
along streams and on the mountains, and
some of the ranchers have to haul wood
long distance. But a. soon az the two
railroads are completed wood can he had
for the coat OF cutting and freight for
banlinR. There 10 also an abundance of
coal along the Wenatcbee and Columbia
rivers which are only u few miles from
CLIMATE.
except during the dry season. when il gets
quite warm during the middle OF the day.
the thermcmeter going up sometimes to
100 degrees, but the nights are always
cool. There is always = gentle breeze.
sometimes good strong wind but cyclones
and hurricanes are unknown.
RAIN.
u generally rains in the early spring
ana Ma, and June, and in the fall there
10 generally sufficient rain to insure good
crops without irrigation. During the
sumner months the roads are full OF dust
and the ground appears to be perfectly
dry, except In the morning, when 1t ~ al
ways damp. This Is caused by the pour
Gus and shelly rocks underlying the sub
soil, which bold the moisture, and the
warm sun during the middle OF the day
brings 1T to the surface in the I, rm OF
vapor, and the cool nights condense this
vapor and make the ground damp every
morning.
HEALTH
We consulted the doctors ia all the vii.
Ieges as to the health Of their respective
conn uniiies and the universal answer was
that there WAS very little sickness exec pt
among new comers. who had not been ac-
climsied, or who came here on account OF
poor health, aud that there was no par.
Ucular clhsr oi uiseasts of ir'efe ruigect 10
the Big Bend; but all as n general rule
were hale ana hearty.
STAPLE PRODUCTS.
The staple products are wheat, oats and
potatoes, but several rancners have show n
me very good san, pies OF Dent corn. and
say they have produced more than forty
bushels per ac,e; but we doubt. aud could
not aoviee rancbers TO depend too much
upop corn raising We made caTpfui in.
quiries and can give almost the exact yield
per acre a the staple products: Wheat
~, oais 40. potatops 200, barley 30 and
nn~n Ih. r.unhara gpn.r.lly d.na,,J