Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-08-07
LETTER FROM FAR WEST.

| We are in receipt of the following
letter from Miss Rosalia Bohrer, of the
faculty of the Marathon County Train
| ing School for Teachers. Miss Bohrer
is spending part of her vacation in the
West, and being keen observer and
having the instinct of reporter, her
letters are always instructive:
BUHL, IDAHO, Aug /, 1906.
Mr.. THAYER:
am sitting on bag of alfalfa seed
in an unpainted cabin twelve by four
teen feet, in the midst of a sun baked
plain covered by low sage bushes, the
inhabitants of which are few jack
rabbits a temporary plover, horned
toads, coyotes, an occasional rattle
snake and some of the finest people
from various parts of the U. S. that
it has ever been my good fortune to
meet. There are very, very few
foreigners, but many from the New
England states and New York, who
have tired of salaried opositions and
I have come to make their fortunes and
those they will realize without doubt.
Probably the best adapted people are
those from the irrigated parts of Wash
ington, Utah and Colorado. Many
Yakima people are here around the vii
lage of Buhl.
1t might be impossible for transient
visitor of day or week to recognize
| the possibilities of this great and lone
some country, stretching far away on
every side to the horizon, veritable
ocean of sagebrush. One has the first
slight hint of its future on the rides
from Minidoka on the main Oregon
Short Line to Twin Falls, sixty miles to
the southwest. The government irriga-
ton canal is fed by water from the
Snake river twenty-three miles above
Shoshone Falls, which flows in wester-
ly direction through the lands for a dis
tance of sixty-nine miles. The country
is covered with hundreds of temporary
shanties in the sage brush. Gradually
the face of the landscape changes and
the magic touch of water enables one
to look across a country as Green as
Minnesota, Wisconsin or the better
parts of the Dakotas, and much more
productive. Besides wheat, rye, corn,
barley, buckwheat, alfalfa, clover and
timothy, the finest kinds of fruits may
be grown, apples, peaches, pears,
prunes, plums, apricots, nectarines,
ounces and cherries. l spent last
Thursday at the far-famed Perrine or
Blue Lakes ranch three miles from
Twin Falls, and ate dark red cherries,
worth forty cents pound in Wausau,
from trees bending down with the
beautiful fruit, peaches of the most
luscious variety, apples rivalling the
wine sap of Michigan. The fruit from
this famous ranch took the gold medals
at Paris, Chicago and Buffalo, and
many homesick soul has found not
only rest and happiness there for day,
from dust and heat, but has been able
to realize the prospects for his uncleared
farm through the marvellous pioneer
efforts of one of the worlds real bene-
factors-I. B. Parrine, of Twin Falls.
One approaches the ranch by steep
and romantic route into Snake river
canyon. The road runs behind Bridal
Veil falls and at that point even under
raised umbrellas one experiences good
old Wisconsin, down pour. A rope
ferry carries the team over to the ranch
where the beauty and grandeur of the
place gradually dawns upon one. In
quiet by ways along the opposite shore
one sees water of the deepest blue flow
ing over huge boulders, among which
are schools of trout swimming to and
fro. Every inch of ground that is not
solid rock is made available for orchard
trees and as the road climbs to the top
of the canyon it runs nearly all the way
through the trees until high above it all,
one reaches the source of irrigation of
this particular ranch,-two beautiful
lakes rivalling the sky in color and ap-
pearing few feet deep instead of forty
as they really are. The world famed
Shoshone falls are but few miles up
the river from Blue lakes.
The Twin Falls tract is the largest
irrigation enterprise in the United
States; 1000 acres are included in it,
permeated by a network of canals. The
electric power plant 20,G00 horse power
is located at Twin Falls and electric
lines will furnish light, heat and power
to all villages on the tract. Twin Falls
is but seventeen months old and its
growth in inhabitants and homes is
simply astonishing.
Buhl, near which am located, is the
centre of quite as large an agricultural
and live stock country
The climate and environment one
must adopt himself to. The days are
very hot, while there is scarcely
night thar is not as cool as Wiscon sin
nights ia the middle or latter part of
October.
As went at 600 O'Clock this morn
ing to get a cup of water from the
African water-bag hanging on the 81 de
of the cabin / saw one of my early
morning friends, sociable coyote
looking inquiringly at me about four
rods from the cabin. The mosquitoes
come closer and are as large as horse
flies. Respectfully yours,
ROSALIA BOHRER.