Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-05-22
From The pacific Coast

EDITORS DEMOCRAT:
This being Sunday afternoon and
things are quieter than on week days.
but 1t seems very strange to have things
quiet at all here for the people always
seem to be in such hurry here that
you would think it impossible for them
to ever stop on Sunday.
We arrived in Seattle May End, leav-
ing home April 22nd making close con-
nections at Omaha, having seven
minutes time to change cars. We did
not see much of the city.
Well we arrived in North Platte, at
two.thirty p. M. the next day, and found
q nice little town of some twenty
thousand. But we failed to see any
trees, nice houses or barns, and very
little farming like we have in Della
ware and surrounding counties. After
we left North Platte, we saw little OF no
farming at all. Then it was mostly
stock, sage brush and hot sky. 1t
looked to me as black ss the uninhsbi-
ted ports of Alaska that have been
through, only we could find plenty of
water In the north, but little or none
through Nebraska and Wyoming
The most amazing part of the journey
was when we reached the mountains,
for 1t was the first time the parties who
came with me ever saw mountains, and
they were certainly interested. First
they thought We were going to have a
big storm, and they said 1t looked q
good deal like it would snow But as
we got closer they changed their minds,
and agreed it was the mountains sure.
We arrived in Baker city Oregon
Thursday night at eleven P. NJ. 1t is
place of about 1900, it seems to have
good surrounding country, farming,
mining and stock raising. hut the
people take everyone for sucker
and try to guy him. They seemed to
me to be all promoters without any re-
suits, but still keep promoting. Well
we stayed in the town four days and
think it wou Id have good future for
farming with the aid of irrigation. 1t
is fine valley and all kinds of fruit
trees and shrubbery were in bloom
when we arrived there. Land was sell
ing from 81 to 500 per acre, it depend.
eli on how close 1t was to the city. The
land itself was all the same. In Pen
delton, Oregon we found farming
carried on very extensively. We saw
ranches as large as seven Thousand
acres all under cultivation, growing
wheat and oats.
All this country through here is a
very fine fruit country. Orchards of
ten acres are very common. Near
Dallas we saw an orchard of two
hundred and eighty acres all bearing,
which was claimed to be worth 500
per acre, and l don't doubt it, for it
was indeed fine sight to behold all in
blossom.
We arrived in Portland at 4:2O p. m.
on April 30, and stayed there two days.
1t is city of 10000 hustling people,
and 1t is called the "Web-foot City," I
found out after got here that l came
twenty days to soon, as none Of the
steamers will start for Alaska until
about the 18th, which will be the first
sailing date. Iexpect to he here for
time yet, or until the first steamer
leaves. Will Tierney left Seattle the
day before we got hare. He was well
and started out to tackle the ice in q
Whsler, for they are the first to get
through.
There are not many going North this
season, but there is lot of Eastern
people in this state. Some are salts