River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-02-11
FROM" OUT WEST. !"
A Few Words About Oregon.

!" "oLlIS loii, as 10 topography dno
climatic conditions, applies to Ore
gon. Both states border on the Pa
cific and each is divided into similar
sections by mountain ranges that ex-
tend through both states. The
Cascade mountains run the length
of both, from 60 to 100 miles from
the coast. The Coast range, but a
few miles of the coast, extends the
whole length of Oregon but termi-
mates at the straits of Juan de Fuca
in Washington. Between these
ranges, the Cascade and the Coast
range-lie the celebrated Willamette
valley in Oregon and the Puget
Sound region in Washington, while
the great central plains extend
through both states between the
Cascades and the Rocky mountains.
Central Oregon, however, as a
whole, has less rainfall than central
Washington, and consequently is
less susceptible to cultivation. Elk
cept in few Of the northeastern
counties the whole vast region be-
tween the Cascades on the west and
the borders of Idaho on the east, is
given up to stock and sheep ranch
ing. Here are pastured 100000
sheep and 100000 cattle besides
large number of horses. Cattle and
sheep ranching, mostly on govern
ment land, is very profitable, as the
expense attending the industry is
light.
Within this whole region, extend
ing east and west nearly 900 miles
and from north to south 200 miles,
there is no railway. Some settle
ments were made here for agri-
cultural purposes, but the most of
them have been abandoned. Trav-
elers through the southern portion
of this country report it as utterly
desolate, with sand storms, sage
brush and rattlesnakes, as the chief
attractions. Here the sand blows,
leaving huge drifts against obstruc-
tons as the snow does on the Dako-
ia prairies. Yet the land when irri-
gated produces in abundance.
Speaking Of rattlesnakes, some Won
derful stories are told of their farnili-
arity. A woman was observed to
poke around hill of beans with a
stick before attempting to pick
mess for dinner in a garden where
beans, irrigated, grew in profusion.
From one hill she drove out five
rattlers. A rancher had been away
from his shack for two weeks. Re-
turning in the night he proceeded to
feel for matches on shelf when he
heard a rafting. Lighting his lamp
he found two rattlers on the shelf
and three more on the floor.
The Willamette Valley, $50 miles
long by 80 to 40 miles wide, is the
great agricultural region of Oregon.
In fact this valley is the garden spot
of the Pacific coast, and here is the
bulk of Oregon's population. This
valley is we'll watered and all kinds
of cereals, vegetables and fruits of
the temperate zone are raised here.
Owing to sparseness of the popula-
ton of this state-but about 100000
on its nearly 100000 square miles
in I9oo-land is not exceptionally
high even in this valley. Improved
land can be bought in the William
cite valley for $40 an acre. There
is very great difference in the
quality of the lands in the state as a
matter of course. The mountainous
portions are necessarily, untillable.
The foothill country is rough, the
hills often abrupt. The country
east of the Cascades is table land,
cut up in the northern part of the
state with mountain ranges, and
deep depressions. The southern
portion is composed Of treeless, ele-
waited plains, covered with a scant
growth Of bunch grass. The tim
Der lands of the state are as extern
sive as those of Washington and the
timber equally as good. Lumber
ing is the main industry wherever
the timber can be readily got to the
mills on the sea board, to rivers or
to the railroads. There is large
amount of land subject to home
stead, something like 38,ooo,ooo
acres, besides the six or seven mil
lion acres in forest reserves. The
lack of railway facilities is the main
drawback to the rapid settlement of
the country. The southeastern part
of the state has lately been investi-