The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-11-11
Little Stories Of Travel
BY JOSEPH HUGHES


good bye as the train was vending its
way along the banks of beautiful Col
umbia. This is one of the largestrivers
in the United States. About $50 miles
from it's mouth are the Cascades,
series Of rapids in the river. At this
point the government has built locks
through which the largest river boats
can pass. The locks can be seen from
the train window. Near them are the
fish hatcheries. which alone brings
millions of dollars to the state of Ore
gon.
Deep water navigation now extends
along the northern boundary of Oregon
$50 miles and when the ship railway is
completed the distance will extend $50
miles. This ship railroad is means
the government has devised to get
around the many series Of rapids in the
Columbia The Snake river runs north
along the eastern boundary of Oregon
$50 miles and entering Washington
empties into the Columbia river a short
distance north of the northern boundary
of Oregon. This stream is navigabe
from its mouth to Lewiston, in Idaho,
a considerable distance east of the
point where it leaves the eastern bound
airy of Oregon. Thus navigable water
surrounds three sides of the state the
Pacific Ocean on the west. the Column
bia river on the north, and the Snake
river on the east.
1t is this part of Oregon which pre-
sents panoramic view of these mighty
rivers, of large mountain peaks pf for
ests of untold size and wealth. of fruit
orchards bearing the choicest fruits, of
farms laden with their wealth of pro-
ducts, and of fish so numerous that
they cen he seen from the car window
AS forests are an unknown quantity
in Utah, / would like to give the peo-
pie little data on this question.
Beyond question, the wonderful for
ests of Oregon are its greatest natural
endowment. She has approximately
three hundred billion feet of standing
understandable timber. This is an esti-
mate by government officials, cruisers,
and timber experts who have made this
matter thorough study. Itrepresents
one sixth of the standing merchantable
timber of the nation. The forest lands
represent 81 per cent of the area of the
state. The value of this body of tim
Der is two-fold; first as source of
lumber supply; second as factor in
the maintenance Of a perpetual flow of
water in the streams and rivers of the
state, by retarding the melting Of the
snow and holding continuous supply
of moisture in the ground during the
summer months. Oregon forests are
also Of minor value as source of fuel
supply and as a source of ornamental
trees and shrubbery and in the pro-
duction of medicine and edibles.
Commercially, the standing timber of
Oregon wnen manufactured irto lumber
and sold at $l2 per thousand would be
SO, 600, 600, 600, a sum in excess of the
total amount of currency at the present
time.
The output of sawed lumber for 1906
was $500, 900, 600 feet valued at $780,
600, 900.
Another industry of Oregon and other
Pacific states which appeals to one not
living there. especially if he comes
from the Rocky Mountain states, is the
fish industry. This l will give in my
next letter as observed it at the Ex-
position in the Government and For
estry buildings and upon the Columbus
river and Puget Sound.