The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1889-05-16
THE Big BEND COUNTRY.


OF as includlng the Nhole OF Douglas
Lincoln and the western part Of spokan,
counties. But the Big Bend proper onll
includes the whole Of Douglas and tht
northwest corner Of Lincoln counties anC
has an average length Of 100 miles and al
average width Of sixty miles.
1t is divided into three parts by tive
coulees, the Grand and Moses. Tht
Grand is forty miles and the Moses Is fifty
miles long. They are from one to si1
miles wide and have vertical walls from
l0J to 1000 ieets high, and are twenty
miles apart. The cause for the origin ol
these coulees is unknown. A few thini
the Columbia river made them and once
flowed through and had its bed there
but after close examination We could
trace no riverbed nor see water-worn
rock. Others think that the lava from q
volcano flowed through the Big Bend and
made them, but such cannot be, for the
ro,'ks on the walls Of those coulees are In
regular formation and ranchers digging
wells have to pas through the same kind
Of rocks in the bottom Of those coulees
that the ranchers above have to do, which
proves conclusively that the soil in the
bottom Of these coulees has never been
disturbed. The most plausible theory is
that they were caused by earthquake
not an upheaval, but a sinking down Of
the earth between two seams or creyices
Of the rock.
The physical features Of the surface in
some parts resemble that Of the Palouse
country, or mountain waves, while other
parts are perfectly level. But taking 1t
as whole it looks like the prairies Of
Dakota and Montana, and is mostly COW
cred with bunch grass, except on the hills,
where there is a good deal Of wool grass,
and on the low flats you can find spots Of
alkali or salt grass. The southern por-
ton Of the Big Bend is quite scabby, but
makes fine range for stock.
The soil is light sandy color, and
many on first sight doubt It's fertility, but
Professor Hilgard, Of the Agricultural
college Of California and professor Of chem
istry, has Travelled all over the Big Bend,
and when Charles Liitchild, of Water
vile, handed him box Of soil lie felt Of
it and knew at once that II was from the
Big Bend. Mr.. Liftchild said the pro-
fessor stated that ii was decomposed vol
canic rock, fertilizer Of itself, and be-
lieved II to be the best grain and vegetable
soil in the world. The soil AROUND Wat
erville is darker than the rest Of the Big
Bend, and parties digging wells have
found trees at 4 depth Of forty feet be-
low the surface, which goes to prove that
there has been an alluvial deposit, but
underneath this deposit Is the basaltic
rock.
There are but few springs and streams
Of water. aud most Of the ranchers are
compelled 10 dlg wells or haul water q
long dislance. We made careful inquir-
ies a. 10 the depth Of wells and the purity
Of the rafaL The aSsrage depth Is thirty
feet and the Water Z pure and cold. We
found no part Of the Dix g.-Tsaa, country
where water could not Be obtained b.
digging deep enough, but q few ranchers,
after digging ninety or 100 feet, rather
than have deep wells commenced anew,
and found water, only a few feet distant,
at a depth Of twenty feet.
There is no wood except in the coulees,
along streams and on the mountains, and
sumo Of the ranchers have to haul wood
long distances. But as soon as the two
railroads are completed wood can be had
for the cost Of cutting and freight for
hauling. There Is also an abundance Of
coal along the Wenatchee and Columbia
rivers, which are only q few miles from
the Big Bend.
The summers are long and quite cool,
except during the dry season, when II
gets quite warm during the middle Of the
day, the thermometer going up some
times to 100 degrees, but the nights are
always cool. There Is always a gentle
breeze, sometimes q good strong wind,
but cyclones and hurricanes are un-
known.
1t generally rains In the early spring
and May and June, and in the fall there
Is generally sufficient rain to insure good
crops without irrigation. During the
summer months the roads are full Of dust
and the ground appears to be perfectly
dry, except in the morning, when 1t Is al
ways damp. This is caused by the por-
Gus and shelly rocks underlying the sub
soil, which hold the moisture, and the
warm sun during the middle Of the day
brings 1t to the surface in the form ol
vapor, and'the cool nights condense this
vapor and make the ground damp every
morning.
The staple products are wheat, oats and
potatoes, but several ranchers have shown
me very good samples Of Dent corn, and
say they have produced more than forty
bushels per acre; but We doubt. and could
not advise Tanchers to depend too much
upon corn raising. We made careful In
quiries and can give almost the exact yield
per acre Of the staple products: Wheat
~, oats ~, potatoes 200, barley 80, and
corn 81. The ranchers generally depend
on grain-hay for feed, but some depend
entirely upon the range, and often lOss