The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1909-08-27
RICHES IN VALLEY REALTY
The Prospects of Water Send
ing up Land Prices
in the County.
THE RESULT OF RECLAMATION
The Same Increase of Values Nav
be Expected in the Vicin-
ity of Orovi1le.

H. j. Coleman, of Omak, was in
Oroville Saturday on business, and in
conversation with Jas. f. Forde stated
that he had recently sold tract of
land near, or at Omak, receiving
$3.50 per acre for the same. He did not
state the size of the tract. but said
portion was still garbed in the native
sage brush, and that no water had as
yet been turned upon the land. II the
tract consisted of only a few acres un-
improved, the figures given seem
pretty stiff price. Yet people are
going land nutty, and it is getting so
that little surprise is expressed no mat
ter what the size of the wad paid out
for real estate in acreage lunches.
Any one who has resided any length
OF time in the county, and did any trav-
cling through the Okanogan valley
some years ago, know the condition of
things as they existed in the country
that can boast of $3.50 an acre raw land.
The location is on the west side of the
Okanogan river, between Riverside
and the town of Okanogan. Not so
long ago the fat was a shock to the
sepce Of sight. IN th9 winter 1t wa.
~ bleak and barren as the steppes of
Russia and in the summer as hot and
dusty as the desert of Sahara, This
description OF the land before occu-
pancy and in its virgin state does not
lRean that the constituents were not in
the soil TO produce iuAuriant Veglta-
tation under proper creative influence,
but when this description would fit the
case the cunning hand of man had not
diverted the life-given waters upon the
thirst-parcheu acres, and IL was utter
" worthless as an asset. The govern
ment reclamation schem near at hand,
and the abundant evidence of what
stich land wall ploquce eisewhere un'
asp lrpigavion has slson ~ that land a
value that the early settler little
dreamed of.
Considering the location, surround
ings and general character OF the iand
about Omak one turns to the more
favorably situated lands about Orc
vile, where nature has been lavish IN
framing one of the most. attractive
spots in this north country, and feels
that if irrigation can ever be intro
duced hereabouts the price and pro-
ductiyeness of land will equal that IN
any part of the state. 1t must be con-
fessed that in its present state, that Is
unwatered and unimproyed, much of
this land Ii of little worth so far as IL
can be made producer OF an income,
yet with water it can be made mar
velously productive and as valuable as
any rural realty III eastern WashlhS-
ton, There ii no use going behind the
facts. SO long as the land Is wlthoau
water holding it at an unreasonaply y
high price is a farce, for no one Will
invest where there is not some chahce
of a return on the Investment.
Irrigation is the solution OF the prop
lem of the upbuilding OF the town anu
valley. Othor influences may help o'e
growth of the town. Nothing Will
help to increase the value oil valley
lands, and create demand Tor thelii'
except putting them in "a shape 10 pro,
duce the most profitable products IL
land is held SO high that capital caiiilo'
afford To invest and put ON wafer 'oi
reclamation purposes, then the tllie VI
improyement and advance in values Is
postponed indefinitely. A man may
own a tract of land and believe 1t To pe
worth 800 or 300 per acre, yeo II III
cannot put water On 1t ana lnahc l'i'
provements the values exist ohiy III h'S
imagination. 1t requires large eAPen
ditures to reclaim. land, set o"V ',0V'
and care for them until in bearing
About Omak the government has 'akel
the matter in hand About oroNlli'
dependence will have To be p'"oo" =
private enterprise and private caPi'''
What is wanted here is some coiil ilP'n'
with the means to put IN his Il ii'''
ditch to cover the bottom anu o0ii.'
lands of the valley adjacent 10 Vh'
town, but some encouragement mus
be extended before this can ever "
ACCOMPLISHED Possibly at some llln
in the future irrigation ON an eAVeIi('
ed scale may be introduced IN 'ni