The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1909-09-09
AN OSKALOOA VIEW.
Mrs. Steddom Tells of Her I'm
pressions of the West.

! Editor Herald:-I was much sur
prised to see my name attached to a
letter in the Herald, as l had not
written it for publication, but | have
forgiven them and as have been re-
quested to tell you of our southern
journey, will proceed to do SO. Be
fore we left Oregon we must camp
on the coast, for the Call of the
Wild is strong within u.s., SO We
avoided Newport and all places likely
to be crowded with people. We took
for the trip covered wagon with
camp fixtures and enough food to
last two weeks. Dressed suitably for
camping we felt more natural, and
possibly that was one reason this part
of the trip was the most enjoyable.
The 75-mile drive across the country
was worth more as far as getting an
idea of the country, than many times
that distance by rail. | shall forget
the dust and for Oregon | shall re-
member that drive through the wheat
field and then on through the fir for
est made doubly beautiful by moss,
fern and vine and the constant pres
ence of the mountain streams. To
forget the burnt district will be much
harder where the great gaunt frs
stand as their own tombstones in the
cemetery of the forest; branchless
tall and straight, washed grey-white
by the salt winds of over sixty years,
only here and there fallen brother
shows the blackened ruin that over
took them all. Only a few slopes
have been re-seeded where some lone
tree was left near the water All the
land is taken, however, by the hardy
pioneers and they make living. In
the valley where some of the land is
cleared, they ask as high as $500 an
acre 30 miles from railroad. Cows
pasture all the year round and they
make $50 per annum from each cow
bee farming Is carried on extensively.
We got cheese and honey to add to
our food supply and then went on to
the Pacific. For we inlanders the
ocean is constant wonder and de-
light. We battle in the surf, play in
the sand and watch the breakers for
hours. We walk miles on the wet
sand in the early morning to find a
good fishing place and hurry out by
daybreak to dig rock oysters while
the tide is out. We eat as only one
can when on the beach, and are sorry
when we break camp. | am dwelling
longer here, perhaps, than ] should,
but it is out of the beaten track of
the tourist. One gets so tired of only
going where everyone else goes and
seeing things you have already heard
about until you are tired of them. But
all tourists are afraid that they will
not see what all the rest have, or no
one will know that they have been
west. So we journey south and drink
at Shasta Springs with all the other
1 the town, go to Oakland and Berke-
ley, see the Golden Gate, etc. l men
ton these things in passing that you
may know that we "rubber-necked"
with the rest, but If you do not rub
up against people and find out lot
Of things you can't see, and get a
taste OF the great enthusiasm of the
west you have surely failed in your
purpose. One gets such a poor i'm
preston OF any country from the
railroad. Anyway seeing California
in August is like seeing Iowa in
March, and we must make due allow.
ance for that. At best the west is
settled only in spots; in fact, it can
never be any other way, for there is
so much waste land which will always
remain such unless Burbank's spine.
less cacti can be used to pasture
stock upon. The couplet, "A few
drops OF water mingled with the sand
Makes mighty difference in the
price of land is the keynote of all
the west. Where. there is water there
is wealth. Where there is no water
there is barren waste with few ex-
ceptions. Oregons great wheat
farms, prune, walnut and apple orch
ards are not generally irrigated.
l ANOi SdlIlOl lpI ali hlISdI-
ed, but southern California must be
artificially watercd. They talk out
here a great deal about the panic.
Iowa farmers did not know there was
one except by the papers. They say
lands are nearer just basis than
they have been for years. The first
impression of the west is that there
is nothing here but climate, boost and
tourist. The traveller Is very apt to
get disguised with the constant
boost or else swallows 1t whole and
may get skinned. But really that is
what we lack in our middle west. If
we would only cultivate that habit
there would soon be change IL it
is dusty, they will soon have all the
roads Oiled" which is true OF Califor-
mia, sbut seems a little distant for
Oregon, where oil is third higher
than at home. If it rains, they al.
ways feel better; If it is foggy, they
like that, too. II they lose a cherry
crop as they did in Oregon this year,
lit will never happen again" We
do need to initiate this western habit
OF making the best of the advantages
and covering up the defects. Is it
possible that all the boosters" have
I