Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1905-03-23
Passing Of s'Oregon Desert"

LILO Olu maps VI OTcROu BLOW An
enormous area east OF the Cascades and
south of Prineyille nearly to the Cali.
fornia line bearing the ominous and for.
bidding label, "The Oregon Desert"
Millions OF acres were so abandoned to
the coyote and a few jackrabbts.
Herds of halt-wld cattle and wholly.
wild horses roamed at will. The
streams are few and far between, but
many lakes and marshes are dotted over
at wide intervals. The vegetation con.
ssts mainly of sage brush, some bunch
grass and varieties of wild bay grasses
covering the moist areas. The western
flanks of the Cascade Mountains are
covered with yellow pine timber.
When this gives out, as what was
known as the desert proper, is reached,
no natural tree growth but small and
scattering willow existed for very many
miles.
For the map of today the former title
of THE Oregon DESERT is both obso-
lete and misleading. The first discov.
.erv was that the central belt, reaching
from the Cascades to the Snake, could
be reached with abundant water. The
SHOWS of the mountains supplied
streams and springs of continuing and
unvarying flow. The peculiar forma-
tion of lave beds. end volcanic ash, tufa,
and the like, which cover the whole
purposes. The one has been to cover
the eleyated plateau OF Eastern Oregon
with coatings of volcanic ash and pull.
verized rock, which hold material for
the richest fertility when dissolved by
water and brought into contact with
plant life. The other has b. en- to pro-
vide channels and watercourses, under
ground and protected from evaporation,
which issue many miles away from
their mountain sources, or else through
wide expanses furnish water-saturated
strata but few feet from the present
surface of the ground.
The great central depression is the
lriigsble area. 1t begins at the Des-
chutes River. where the town Of Terd
has sprung into life; it etretches cart.
ward through the Malheur valley and
canyon to the Snake. 1t is needless to
desc ibe the tide of sediment now fol.
loving the 'fe- bringing water through
0 1T this region.
This, however, is not all by any
means. Not only are wheat and barley
farms spreading over the whole district
to the 10 ;th and reaching to join haL DIS
with ihe farms belonging to the Colum-
bia basin, but ceJesls there are growing
/ day Oh unirrigated lands. Farm life
is reeding over the upland expanses.
The stretches of sge-brush-covert d
areas south of the irrgab.e area have
recently been tested on wide scale.
Water in abundance was found at from
10 to 20 feet from the surface, and this
not in isolated spots, but in section
after section. The Siyer Lake and
river country is the most receUt land of
promi,e. The first wave of new settle
ment touched there last week and
brought thirteen heads of famllies who
selected permanent locations. These
people found as their headquarters and
tr ding point little town with sbout
$50 people, hotels, stores, school and
church.
These men, aud those who will follow
them along the road they travel, have
truly taken their courage in both hands.
Il is four days good driving from the
nearest railroad to the north of them
and 60 miles 10 The nearest little town
t. the south of them. Five days from
Portland. Do Oregon people realize
that the Oregon, Nevada & California
Railroad, pushing northward from Reno
is at Madeline, less than 100 miles from
the Oregon boundary. with an easy