The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-03
THE YAKIMA LANDS.
What Irrigation Has Done and
Is Doing for Them.
EXTINCTION OF THE DESERT.
Cattle Grazing Where Jack Rabbits
Used to Play, and Orchards Dis.
place the BunchSrass.
From . Cessus Bulletin.

Yakima county Is south of kittitas and
north of klickitat. these three counties
extending from the summits of the Cascade
mountains eastward to the Columbia river.
the Yakima river rises in the county to
the north and flows IN a general south
easterly course into Yakima county, where
1t receives numerous tributaries from the
mountains on the vest. The agricultural
settlements are along these streams, the
most prosperous being at places where
water can be taken ont to cover large areas
of the fertile bench and valley lands. As
general rule nothing can be raised with
out irrigation, although there are q few
favored spots, as, Cor example, near Cow
iche. where wheat has been successful
without the artificial application of water.
In the eastern end of the county, out
toward the plains of the Columbia, there
are localities where farming without irri.
CATION is attempted, but the yield is SO
small as barely to repay the efforts of the
cultivator.
The Yakima river and its principal trib-
utary, the Natchez, rise among the high
peaks of the Cascade range, and thus have
large perennial supply Of water. Other
streams Of the county, as, for example,
Wenas creek and Atahnam river, derive
most of their water from spurs of the
range, on which, the altitude being less,
the SHOWS melt earlier in the spring. Civ
ing q diminished sammer flow. Along
streams of this latter character the area
under cultivation has already exceeded
the amount which can be irrigated by
present means, and IS q result there is
scarcity Of water during the latter part OF
the crop season. especially among the
irrigators on the lover portion Of the
streams. 1t is evident that water storage
must be resorted to in order to save some
of the surplus water OF early spring, which
usually comes IN food of short duration,
SO short in fact that the irrigators have
barely time to give their lands one
thorough watering.
In many of the streams there are often
two decided floods, the earlier resulting
from the melting OF the SHOWS on the
lower foothills, following warm wind or
rain. Later in the spring the SHOWS on
the higher mountains begin to melt some
times keeping up the height Of the water,
and at other times giving rise to a second
well-marked flood. The creeks which do
not receive this second supply shrink dur
ing June, so that by the first Of July there
is hardly enough water for gardens and
stock. Some of the lower grounds along
the creeks receive sufficient moisture by
seepage from the streams or from the
bitches on the benches to raise crops with
out the application of water to the surface,
but the higher lands must be irrigated, ex-
cept perhaps in the case of those at an
elevation of from 1850 to 1900 feet or more
above sea level.
The topography of this county is shown
by maps made by the northern transcon-
tinental survey in 1883. The area SUR
veyed includes the Kitttas valley and the
southern portion OF kittitas county, as
well as the greater part of Yakima county.
Besides the topography, which Is shown
by contoured lines. the forest areas have
been outlined and the soils studied, the re-
suits in each case being shown by colored
maps. This area is characterized by
mountain ranges running in q general
easteriy and westerly direction, many of
them being cut by the Yakima river. Be-
tween these ranges are fertile valleys, the
soil Of which yields large crops wherever
water can be brought UPON it.
The first of these valleys is the Kittitas
valley, lying in the county of that name.
After leaving this area the river passes
through the Umtanum range and enters a
valley region, the portion on the west or
right bank of the river being known as the
Wenas valley, from the creek of that
name, and that on the east as the Selah
valley. SOutu vi lGEteT valley Is the
narrow Yakima range, separating it from
Mckee valley. On the opposite side of
the stream and south of Wenas valley,
from which it is separated by Matches
river, is the Atahnam prairie, these two
valleys, Atahnam and Mckee, being in all
about twenty-five miles long and five miles
wide. South of these the Yakima river
cuts through Rattlesnake range into the
broad Yakima prairie, sixty miles
or more in length and from ten
to fifteen miles in width. Here
the river gradually turns toward the
east and flows along the Simcoe range.
which bounds the prairie region on the
south. 1t is in this great prairie region
that there appear to be remarkable oppor-
tunities for irrigation development, some
of which are being utilized.
According to the report of the northern
transcontinental survey, this whole region
in former times consisted of four great
lakes inclosed by mountain ranges now
cut by the Yakima river The soil of the
valleys has been deposited from these
lakes and is highly productive, containing
usually but small proportion of alkali.
The geological structure is in some re
spects similar to that of the ancient lake
basins in the states further to the east.
where artesian wells have been found.
East of the town of Yakima, in the Mckee
valley, are two wells, 2S5 and 325 feet deep,
respectively. having a combined flow of
1.35 second feet the waters of which are of
great value for household use, for stock
and for irrigation. An unsuccessful we'll
has been drilled near Pasco, Franklin
county, to q depth OF 81 feet, mainly in
basalt
The greater portion Of the center of the
county west of the Yakima river IS occu-
pied by the Indian reservation, which
thus includes large part of Yakima
prairie. Northeast OF this prairie are roll.
ing hills and plateaus, generally covered
with nutritious bunch grass so valuable for
stock raising. The soil IS rich, and Win
an abundant rainfall coed crops could n
raised. In some localities large areas OF
government land have been taken up, and
settlers have raised frota ten TO twenty
bushels of wheat to the acre. The ma.
! jority, however. have not been able %
secure q crop. and many h0mesteads have
been abandoned.
In the eastern part Of TIE county. awav
from the river, it is exceedingly difficult to
obtain water even for domestic purposes.
and it is necessary 10 haul il long dis
tances. deep we'll has been drilled a,
the expense of the state in section IS,
township S north, range % east. This
| reached depth of about 80 feet and cost
/ s5.ful Water was strucsI az depth OF
! % feet, but did not rise ~ a higher level.
| The lava or basaltic rock through which
the well was drilled is extremely hard,
| and progress was very SOW. AT few
places along the akima river steam pumps
| with 3 capacity OF from sos TO |. 900 gallons
| per minute have been Iocased for the pur-