The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1900-11-28
Eastern Oregon a Museum Of
Typographical Freaks.

states tnat tnere are immense lava UoWS,
or beds, comprising many curious forma.
tions In which scarcelya living thing Is to
be found. In Crook county In a large tract
Of magnificent yellow pine timber, free
from underground, and the ground GOV.
cred with grass, he found a sink or de.
preston In the ground which exposed the
entrance to lava cave. said to be two
miles long. The entrance Is large enough
to drive a fourhors team into, but the
interior-roofS, walls and bottom, are
fearfully rough and jagged, SO that ex.
ploration is very difficult aud unpleasant.
Only few miles from this lava cave
the timber ends and desert Is reached,
Some four miles out on this desert are
number of Ice caves, Of considerable ex.
tent, but they are of no use to any one, as
they are too far from any settlement.
On the upper branches and tributaries
Of the John Day river are what are known
as the famous fossil beds OF the Pacific
coast, where great many rare and valu.
able fossils OF prehistoric animals are
found imbedded in large nils, and along
river and creek bottoms. This region
was once inhabited by races Of animals
not now found on the earth, but just how
50 many OF them came together In one
place, to be DESTROYED and buried there is a
query which only Professor Condor can
explain.
There are number OF strange geolog.
ical formations in the territory travelled
over by Mr. johnson In the John Day
country, but one OF the strangest is what
he calls "A "rock Forest" on steep noun.
tain side, where there stand pillars Of
rock, several hundreds Of them, some as
large as IS feet IN diameter and many
from 2s to $50 feet in height, standing
like trees in a forest, and having the ap.
pearance OF forest which had been Wis.
tied by a cyclone, breaking off the trees at
various heights. The pillars vary greatly
in the material OF whi;h they are com.
posed, and show streaks, veins, bands
and blotches of different colors, forming a
most wonderful spectacle. The task OF
explaining the formation Of this wonder.
tul rock forest, Mr.. Johnson leaves to the
geologist. ..a
Some 20 miles from this rock forest Is a
section of several thousand acres known
as "the DEVILS potato patch" This
patch Is covered with round buttes run.
ming up to sharp points, some Of them
1000 to 1900 feet In height, some a mile
through at the base, looking from dis.
tance like lot Of gigantic potato hills.
These buttes are covered with sagebrush
and bunchgrass. The devil selected a
level tract OF country for his potato patch
and the wagon road wends in and out
among these buttes for several miles.
The rivers and lakes OF eastern Oregon
are also very peculiar. Some lakes are
Ted By a number OF streams and rivers and
have no visable outlet. They rise and
tall with the changes OF the seasons, but
are said to be constantly growing smaller
and more shallow. Many Of the rivers
are headed by immense springs, run dis.
tance, disappear and reappear miles away
and finally fail into some lake, and that is
the end OF them. One river particularly
attracted Mr.. JohnsOn's attention. 1t is
called Spring river. This river is only
three.fourths OF a mile in length from
head to mouth. 1t is ted by enormous
springs yelling up from the ground.
There are hundreds Of those springs with.
in a small area, all bubbling up like foun'
tains, of all sizes, and where they unite