The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1900-08-16
THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
A Wonderful Soda Spring That Bub-
bles Through Basin of Iron.
GREAT MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
The Spring Was Originally Claimed by Fred
Parker, Who Filed on II Under the Min
eral Laws. But Allowed His
Rights to Lapse.
GREAT MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

That portion of the Cascade range i'm
mediately tributary to North Yakima
or at least SO accepted by the local camp.
ing fraternity-numbers many natural
attractions among its tacit pleas to vaca.
ton enjoyers; and none of them is more
attractive than the soda spring, while
there is never a spring that appeals with
such responsiveness as that one on
Dumping river. Such, it is but fair to
individual springs to say, is the opinion
them-Simcoe, Ahtanum, Tetan, Rattle
snake and Dumping river
1t may not appear relevant to remark
that Fred Parker knows good thing
when he sees it; but such is the case
Away back in 1872 Mr.. Parker took a
poseor in the direction of Gold Hill. He
found this particular iron and soda
spring ten miles up from the mouth If
Dumping river, and he chopped big
pine tree into an extemporized black
board upon which to notify all corners
that he had filed mineral claim to cover
that spring. In other words, he wanted
to drink all that exhilerating iron juice
himself. His prevailing charitable in
stincts, however, probably overcame the
first intoxication OF the waters; because
he allowed his rights to lapse without
improving. his olaim-and everybody
else has followed his example. The wa
ter is, therefore, as free to all as pro-
hibitionist could desire.
AS said before, this spring lies ten
miles above the mouth of Dumping river
by the Edgar Rock route, or four miles
down it by the Glover Springs Goose
Prairie trail. You can take your choice ;
but perhaps the latter route is preferable,
it being an hour shorter than the former
The formation OF the basin is inter.
esting. 1t is followed out OF big ledge
Of an almost pnre commodity which
Jim Hill once told a chamber of com.
merce gathering in Tacoma that Wash
ington didn't have; and that's iron.
now worn smooth and bright by hun
dreds of feet and trouser.knees. The
ledge OF ore reaches back up into the
mountain at the river side, but pushes
out and ends three.fourths of the way
across the river. Through foot wide
crevice or two Dumping river boils down
to the Natchez; and on the bank OF the
stream the solid iron is scooped out to
form a basin about five feet long, two
feet wide, and foot and half or two
feet deep. This basin is iron-sided, IRON
floored; but from it's floors three strong
streams of bubbles constantly reach up
for the water level above. The basin is
always full, yet it has an overflow that
carries off a stream large enough to fill a
fire hose. Four feet away the water Of
the river is warm; but dip cup into the
spring and take a mouthful of the water
and you will soon discover whether
or not you possess sensitive
molar. 1t is clear as dis-
mond, cold as ice, full OF soda and strong
in iron. One does not have to cultivate
a taste for it. 1t is simply delicious
| when first tried; and the appetite for il
grows as the moments fly until most Of
the waking hours are spent "crooking
the elbow" over what certainly must be
Ponce de Icons tabled fountain of youth.
Some modern Esculapius may have
drilled the holes in the floor OF the iron
basin through which the effervescing
fluid percolates, because they are so pc.
culiarly medicinal. They serve in place
Of the matutinal cocktail as an appetizer
, they promote digestion as laxative,
and they flush and strengthen the kid
news.
! Altogether, Dumping river soda springs
have but two draw backs; they lie 60
miles away from this city, and there lie
not an ideal spot near them for camp
ing place. One forgets,the former objec-
tion after arrival, and overlooks the lat.
ter almost az soon.
BY the way, they do say that bath in