East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-07-28
The Wind-FaH Tree: A Legend
of the Mountains

II is a part of the religion of ev.
cry mountaineer never to use q
"wind-falr' tree for the erection OF
dwelling house.
Such a tree is never made into clal
boards, lumber, shingles or house
logs by a mountaineer who knows his
business. 1t may be used for fuel
1t may be split into rails, or in an
emergency it may be rolled into the
foundation Of a stable-but no part OF
1t is ever used in any form in a dwell
ing house.
And there are abundant reasons
for this. These reasons have been
indelibly impressed upon every sac
riligious mountain dweller who has
dared to violate this custom of the
old woodsmen.
Once in a deep forest in a wild
part of Oregon a naughty and disbe-
lleving mountaineer dared to ridicule
this old custom, and he paid for his
disbelief a thousand fold.
A gigantic "wind-falr pine lay full
length across a stretch of rich noun
tain meadow which he wished to cul-
tivate, and he decided to use the fine
body of this giant for a dwelling
house
He sawed it into convenient lengths
and hauled it to a sawmill, days
travel away, and had It cut into lum-
ber. When the lumber was dry he
built a neat cottage on his new home
stead at the edge of dense forest.
where an open dale offered a delight
full site for a home.
The cottage was built near the root
of the great pine which had been
blown over in some fierce storm of
the mountains. So the lumber made
from the fallen giant came back to
the spot where it grew from incancy
and where it fell an unwilling VIC
tim to the tornado which struck the
forest.
When the cottage was completed
the family of the woodsman came TO
live in it. They were proud of their
beautiful new home. The wife and
children loved it, and the old toiler
of the mountains looked with salts
fled pride upon his handiwork.
The summer passed and autumn
came. The season of cloudy weather
and early storms settled down upon
the mountains. The mountaineer
prlded himself upon having prepared
such a comfortable and attractive
home for his loved ones 1t was the
only lumber house on the entire
mountain.
One evening when the evening was
threatening the family was seated
about the broad fireplace, where
cracked the seasoned wood. 1t was
the first cool night of the fall, and
the fire in the new fireplace seemed
especially CHEEKY.
Outside the forest was gently sway
ing. and the great trees were whis-
pering to each other of the approach
ing clouds.
AS night advanced strange moan
ing noises broke the silence of the
mountains and drowned the low whis-
pering of the trees. At times the
moan would burst into a shrek. and
the noise of a tornado sweeping down
a forest could be heard
The mountaineer rushed out to see
II really such a fierce storm was ap-
preaching.
Outside all was quiet. The forest
trees whispered listlessly. A gentle
wind blew against the face Of the
mountaineer and the fleecy clouds
overhead were low and heavy, but not
threatening.
Wonderingly he returned to his
place before the fire. But he was
scarcely seated when the very house
seemed to cry and groan pitlfully. All
the noises of a forest in agony broke
the silence of the night. The sound
of great trees crashing and falling
against each other with shrieks and
supplications for mercy filled the
house. The startled family thought
the entire forest was falling about
the house and feared thai the entire
cottage would be crushed to the
earth.
Again the mountaineer opened the
door to witness the havoc of the
storm, and the wife and children