The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-01-02

MANY strange and ludicrous stor-
les are current in the eastern AMI
middle states regarding the western
people and conditions that exist here
Why these ridiculous stories are Civ.
en- out as veritable facts to an INTEL
ligent class of people is a mystery,
and greater still is the mystery that
surrounds the fact that people of
intelligence will give credence to
them. Every new arrival from the
east brings new story of what
he expected to find when he came
out here. Some say that they were
led to believe from all accounts of
the western country that it was a
land of fabulous wealth, wherein gold
and silver and precious stones were
so huge and abundant that the PEG.
pie were moving farther up the
streams where they were smaller.
Others claim that they were led to
believe that if they came out west
they would never have to work any
more; that money and all kinds of
precious jewels grew on trees and
all they would have to do would be
to go out and pluck it. Recently
new arrival was overheard saying
that he was very much disappointed
in the size and build of the western
people. In the course of the CONVEX
sation he said: "Why, l was led to
believe that any person who lived
out here six months was transformed
into large, heavy, muscular being,
on whose cheek was stamped the
blossoms of health; that sickness
and disease was unknown out here
for the pure, bracing and exhilarat-
ing mountain breezes made it i'm
possible for germs of disease to ex-
ist. Instead of that I find that the
people out here .ffer but little if
any from those of the eastern
states"
Others are greatly surprised to
find that the sun rises every morning
and sets every evening just as it does
back in their native state. They
wsre told by somebody that this
was the land Of perpetual sunshine"
and they were led to believe that
where the sun shone everlastingly
that old Luna would never have
chance to show his face, excepting
as his dim features could be dis
cerned in the day time trying to
compete with the brilliant rays of
the sun. Many others are greatly
disappointed on arriving here at this
time of the year to find that it does
rain and occasionally snow. Some
body told them that it, was an irri-
gated country and they were of the
opinion that where it was necessary
to irrigate it could not rain or snow
Persons who arrive here at the
present time and look down the
streets would certainly be justified
in feeling disappointed. Instead Of
looking for a street car or a vehicle
TO take them to their destination they
would naturally look for boat or
an ocean liner.
During the warm period in the
summer months nany of them ex-
press their desire to see it rain for
they were told that 1t seldom rains
out here and when it does the drops
of water are of a very strange CON-
position and formation-dry on one
side and wet on the other. On several
occasions these newcomers told stor.
les that had been related to them
of unusually heavy freshets when
the dry side of the drops Of water
would cling to the barbed wire fen
ces and create dam so that the
water would back up stream and do
irreparable damage to the adjoin-
ing property.
Walter Peterson, young man
who arrived in the city on the Sth
of this month from the northern
part of Minnesota, was as much, II
not more surprised than a great
manC other eastern people. His
is best told in his
own words. He said: "For the last
two years I heard many stories
about the west, nearly all of which
appealed to me. I sought all the in
formation I could get from every
source and finally decided to come
out here. In my minds eye FORM
ed many pictures Of what / expected
to find out here and Of conditions
that / thought existed. In the first
place thought the people were a
half wild class. and a person would
be safe nowhere among them. In
stead of that ! find them to be q