The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-07-11

sions. I haye been present and
listened to a good many public
speeches but I must say frankly that
never saw speaker receive as cold
reception as Mr.. Bryan cid in the
city of Eugene. About three weeks
ago I made trip to the southern part
of Oregon and to the northwestern
part of California for the purpose Of
investigating the country in general,
and particularly as to its timber.
And on my journey | found quite a
nice body of redwood. | measured
trees that would go twenty feet
across the stump. These were at
the time the largest trees lever saw
in my life, but afterwards on trip
i to the northeastern part Of Oregon
| found still larger ones. About
fifteen or twenty miles from Lato-
we'll on the O. r. & U. I run across
quite a bunch of immense trees on
the northeast side of the Divide, be-
tween the waters of the Bull run
and the Hood Rivers. This bunch
of giant trees, the like of which |
never saw before or since. Before |
saw this giant had meas ured, from
time in the mountains where |
have cruised, that would measure
from twenty-nine to thirty feet
around, about three feet above the
base, but these trees could not be
compared at all with the big trees |
found on the mountains this trip.
They would appear as mere sticks
against such giants which measure
around the base from eighty to
ninety feet and are from $50 to 400
feet high. They stand on a kind of
a flat or bottom, and this fiat is well
protected from discovery as far as |
could preceive. by steep and high
bluffs; not away from the Hood
River side up, but from the main
water divide down. There is a trail
on the Bull Run and by extending
this trail about seven miles or so |
believe these giant trees could be
reached so that man on horseback
could easily ride from Latowell to
there in day. These big trees of
Oregon are in my mind somewhere
near the north line of the National
Park, but it doubtful if they are in it.
There are two species Of the giant
trees. One species to which [ would
draw attention too especially has a
yellowisl and not very rough bark,
is straight and as round asa candle,
has no limbs until it reaches an i'm
mense height, and has a wonderful
crown. The father of this aristo-
cratic species in these mountains
is surely the king of our forest.
| These trees are not the noble fir,
nor of any of the common trees Of
the mountains. [ never found one
of this special kind of trees in the
mountains except on this particular
fiat or bottom. The bottom is
about quarter of mile broad but
I do not know how long. [ had no
time to examine it. as [ had to
hurry back to camp before nightfall,
and [ cannot positively say how
many such giants there are. There
many be hundreds and there may be
thousands. Cedar is the second
species of the big trees, but the
most wonderful thing about them
seems to be that they are, in spite
of their immense diameter and age,
seemingly sound and hard through
and through. Or my trip to the
coast range | discovered some nice
spruce that will measure from s to
10 feet in diameter, and are about
250 to 800 feet in height, and grows
on avery rich soil. West of Alheny
there is an enormous large
burned territory+ it's size is from 20
miles wide to 20 miles in length and
there is nothing 10 see but bare
mountains and dry stumps as far as
your eye can reach This would be
very good country for stockraising,
and number one soil exists upon all
of these hills The valleys are
covered with what is called the
thimble berry bush; these berries
are very delicious in taste. The
southwestern part of Oregon con-
sists mostly of Blue Bare Mountains
and are covered with large rocks,
masinathie and chaperal brush.
The soil in the valleys is Of rich