The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-12-26
Impressions Of a Traveller.
BY AxTEL RAHM.

laI-away Northern land, reputed to b.
frc zen half the year, where Of old tn,
Vikings sailed forth in their dragon
ships, seeking plunder and levying trib
ute on the coast of every country il
Europe.
As will be remembered, wife and
left Hood River be.p cen the 10Th anC
Goth of September and in this respec
can be likened unto some other people
who leave a country between two days
though, thank the Lord, for different
reasons. We attempted to sleep the
remainder of that first night, but with
poor results. When in the morning
awoke and looked out on the world
there was nothing so much in evidence
as sage brush, with here and there a
green patch with hut and an excuse
for fence for a border. At 10:30 we
arrived at the famous clog Cabin" eat
ing house, at Meacham, Oregon, in the
heart of the Blue mountains. This oasis
in the desert is managed by old "Grand-
ma" Munra, a white-haired, sweet old
lady, who for a moderate compensation
makes one feel like a king as far as ones
stomach is concerned, and that part OF
some peoples anatomy is the most vital.
Meacham is a veritable Delmonico in
the wilderness. The scenery in this
vicinity made me feel sad and forlorn,
and longing for Hood River crept over
me, which nothing but an old-fashioned
hold-up could have dispelled, This, for
me rather unnatural feeling, increased
after passing La Grande, (which did not
appear grand at alD for although the
valleys we passed through were in a
measure apparently fertile, yet after a
more careful investigation only a poor
quality OF grass seemed to be able to
cope with stepmotherly nature. Where
the land was high enough and dry
enough to produce ordinary farm crops
or fruit, nothing but sage brush and
rocks greeted the eye. The land in the
valleys was low and wet, the water-table
mostly within two or three feet of the
surface and in many instances over
flowed the land. No wonder the states
men of the early history Of the nation
considered and named the country be-
tween the Rocky and the Cascade noun
tains desert. | must however, in the
interest of truth, record that there are
some bright spots in this otherwise for
bidding looking country. For instance
the Snake is fine river, and the possi-
bilities for irrigation in the valley of
the Snake are undoubtedly great. Some
day in the not very distant future this
valley will blossom like the rose and the
husbandman reap rich harvests of lus-
cious fruit and golden grain.
Weiser, Idaho, is beautiful little
1nI h,, tftrl 10
and green meadows. Here is a splendid
chance for Uncle Sam to try his hand at
building dams and by this means raise
the water OF the Snake, thus bringing
an area of 10 miles by 50 under irriga-
ton. Next comes Payette, which also
has the appearance of being Il prosper
GUS city. Through inquiries made on
the spot | elected the fact that land was
selling at from $500 to $400 per acre near
the town. When expressing my sur
prise at such high prices, was informed
that it was cheap and that had better
"hurry up" and buy piece before it
went up to the sky and out of sight. |
was also told how much money one
could make on one acre, but but this |
don't propose to repeat, because dom t
care to jeOpardise my reputation for
truth and veracty. The railroad crosses
and recrosses the Snake at so many
places on its run through the valley that
lost the reckoning. | never saw so
many blackbirds congregated in one
place as did near Payette. They pre-
sented the appearance of black clouds
when rising from field, and wondered
how many worms and insects they de-
voured before leaving for more genial
climes.
When one looks out over this vast
stretch of level land where nothing
grows but the bitter sage, among whose
sand-worn and stunted existence the
sage hen only finds precarious living,
it is difficult to imagine that time can
bring any changes And yet, | believe
that when solue time in the future this
valley is brought under a thorough and
complete system of irrigation, it will be
the paradise Of the Northwest AT dusk
we arrived at Nampa, and from what |
could see in the rather uncertain light
of the street lamps, | should judge this
town to be the most prosperous and pro-
gressive, not to say aggressive, in Idaho.
Watch Nampa and see her take the lead
That evening we went to bed in the
blessed hope that the eiderdown beds
that the u. p. furnishes and our own
unsophisticated consciences would in
duce that sleep which we are told only
the innocent and the just partake Of,
but in this | was sadly mistaken. |
dreamed of snakes; big ugly fellows, like
those some people are reported to keep
company with occasionally, and when
my better half woke me up by punching
me in the ribs for kicking her, | thank
ed the holy st. Patrick that my boots
were under the bed.
After leaving Pocatello the country
became more and more desolate until
Montpelier was passed, when it again
took on more cheering aspect, Green
meadows presented themselves with
large herds OF horses and cattle content
edly grazing; but even in these favored
spots the homes of the settlers were
nothing but rude shelters, sort of
mongrel between log cabin and "dug-
out" There were a few exceptions,
however, to this rule, especially near
small place called Cookeville. Here ]
noticed some quite pretentiOus farm
houses with Well-kept surroundings.
The cause of this apparent prosperity
was readily detected in a number of
small irrigating bitches which termina-
ted in large green alfalfa fields. Imme-
diately after passing Cookeville the
desert again began, and with the excep-
tion of two tloCks of sheep and two or
three mining camps, there was abso-
lutely nothing to be seen but sage brush
and rocks for distance of hundred
miles. was told that these mining
camps, which belong to the U. p, are
are on an elevation of 900 feet. 1t was
not gold nor silver mined in this inhos-
pitable waste, but something which of
late has been of almost equal value in
some places; namely, coal
1t was with feeling Of considerable
relief when We at Granger connected
with the main line of the L p, for here
the road was in better condition and
the rocking, creaking and nerye-racking
sensation of the Short Line ceased. But
for our tired eyes there was no relief,
nothing upon which they could rest with