East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-09-20

William 10. Curtis, the famous de-
scriptive artist, has the following to
say concerning his recent trip through
this section of the state in the Chi
cago Record-Herald:
Pendleton, Ore, Sept. s, 1907
From La Grande We took railway
train over the o. R. & N. line to a
station called Meacham, where there
is lumber camp, and there H. G.
Gwinn, secretary of the Commercial
club of Pendleton, met US with his
automobile and took us across the
Blue mountains over the overland
trail which was followed by emigrants
from the early SOS until the railway
was built, You may have seen or
heard of Ezra Meeker, a patriarchal
liking individual with a long white
beard, who last spring travelled from
Oregon to the District of Columbia
and then via Philadelphia and New
York to New England, in a prairie
schooner, drawn by a yoke of oxen.
They lived in the wagon en- route pre-
cisely as Ezra Meeker's father and
mother lived when they followed the
trail to Oregon in 62, when he. a
mere boy, drove the oxen most of the
way. Meeker's recent journey was
to identify and mark the trail in or
der that it might not be forgotten be-
cause there have already been dis
putes concerning certain localities.
He paid his expenses by selling books
and photographs of himself and his
Critters" and performed an import
ant duty to history.
Changes Mark Trail.
TIL earliest immigrants including
Lewis and Clark, followed the Mis-
souri, river from Independence, Mo,
and crossed Montana. Marcus Whit
man and the 900 "Forty-four-Forty-
or-Fight" Americans who went with
him in 1S47, followed the Laramie
trail and then came up this way to
Walla Walla- The stage route kept
the California trail for protection to
New, where it turned
north through the Raft river country
and followed the Snake river to its
junction with the Columbia, where
the passengers took boats for Port
land. In those days Umatilla was the
most important town in Oregon, and
had a population of four or five thou
sand. It was the supply point for
all this part of the country, but today
1t is only division point on the rail-
road with a few hundred population.
Through Forest Reserve.
The trail we followed over the Blue |
led us through the Wenaha |
forest reserve, which is like a park, |
covered with splendid frs, pines and
,edar trees, and 1t was the most de-
ightful morning ride you could inn
lgine. After leaving the forest the
rail comes out into high, open
plateau, from which the eye can ira
,erse the country for rs or 80 miles
n every direction. On one side is
series of velvet hills, seal brown In
,olor. wounded by water ana wind in
lges past so severely that the scars
,emain upon the mountain side. On
he other hand there is grand view
If the Umatilla valley where 100000
acres of wheat had been harvested
lew days before-one of the greatest
sights that can be seen anywhere.
100000 Bushels OF Wheat.
The Umatilla valley is part of the
zreat plain of the Columbia in east
ern Oregon. and was formed by sue
,essive blankets of lava, varying from
1000 TO 5000 feet in thickness and
hen covered by an immense fall OF
volcanic ashes. This made it one of |
he most fertile areas on the Ameri-
IAN continent and we were told that
per cent of all the wheat crop OF
he United States and 3S per cent of
he crop of the state Of oregon Is
harvested annually from the land that
ay around us like a pale yellow sheet.
These $4,000 acres in 1908 produced
!. 900, 900 bushels of wheat which sold
'or about s4,5OO,OO0 and, although
he land has been steadily cropped
or nearly 40 years, it still produces
In average of "a bushels to the acre
Allotment to Indians.
This splendid valley was once the
property of the Umatilla Indians, but
n a real estate transaction with the
it passed out of their
lands more than 40 years ago, with
he exception Of about $4,000 acres
which was allotted in severalty to the
Jmatillas, the Cayuses and the wal
a WaIla tribes, numbering altogether
bout 100 people. The head of each
amily was given 100 acres; others
,ver IA received 80 acres; under IA,
o acres They cannot sell the land'
,ut can lease it under the supervision
Il the Indian agent, and 1t is nearly
IL taken that way by white people
t rentals varying from SO to s6 an
ere
Irrigation Not Needed.
These Oregon wheat lands are NOT
irrigated. but have been cultivated
ince the eos after the same methods
hat are now called "dry farming
hat is. by thorough plowlng and har-
owing until the surface soil is pull
erized every year. and planting the
rop only every other year. The pre-
ipitation in this section will average
6 inches and is very regular. MOST
( the rain falls in the spring and
arly summer. The tracts that are
lanted and those that are left fallow
re irregular and atv scattered helter
keller over the valley, so that the
atches of brown where the soil
hows and the patches Of straw color
here the wheat has been harvested
q side hv side In odd shapes, fur