The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-02-23
BIG BEND IS
FORGING To
THE Front
REMARKABLE GROWTH OF RICH
SECTION OF WHICH TOO LIT.
TIE is ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Is
NOW A LEADER.

| Inc StoIy VI the progress OF the
big Bend" region of eastern Wash
ington is in some measure the story
of the development in recent years
of the Inland Empire. All the in
habitants of the east end Of the state
know that there is region some
where between the Idaho "Panhan-
die" and the Cascade mountains call
ed the Big Bend; some there are
who could locate it exactly and de-
fine its boundaries. Others know of
it in vague sort of way and that
it is lover west" somewhere
Take the map of eastern Wash
ington, draw a straight line from the
mouth of the Spokane river, where
it empties into the Columbia, south
west to the point where the Snake
river discharges into the Columbia,
and all west of that line to the river
is the big Bend" country.
The district takes in all of Doug
las and Grant counties, the west half
of Lincoln, the west third of Adams,
and the west half of Franklin.
The more remote, consequently
the least known, part of the Big Bend
country-Douglas county-is in the
great western bend of the Columbia
and circled by the river for 1875 miles
of its boundary. Douglas Is notably
the most picturesque of any Of the
counties embraced in the region.
Douglas for the most part is grain
raising country. 1t is a treeless pla-
teau, $500 feet above sea level and
nearly 1000 feet above the river.
Near the Columbia, the country
breaks away into hills and canyons;
in places steep and rocky. Down the
canyons are good country roads,
more used formerly than they have
been since the railroad has arrived.
The Methow and Okanogan rivers
flow from the north an empty into
the Columbia opposite Douglas coun-
ty.
The Entiat river, flowing from the
west, is rapid-fowing mountain
stream also harnessed to supply the
needs of man. Its waters, through
a power plant near its mouth, gener-
ate the electric power to light the
city of Waterville and to operate It's
Touring mills.
Change in Douglas Rapid
With the farmer came local gov
eminent. ownership and defined
boundaries of land with the things
that prevail in all well-regulated ag-
ricultural districts. The herder often
turned farmer, and the more reckless
gun man. If indeed he survived, with
drew to more loosely governed COM
munities.
How rapid the change has been Is
shown by the fact that today over
so per cent of the land In Douglas
county is under cultivation, while less
than one-third of the big state of
Minnesota is under cultivation. The
county has an assessed acreage of
70S,257 acres; real property is as
sessed at $5,432.066; personal prop
erty is assessed at $1,292,825, and
| the tax levy is $333,435.S6. The first
assessment in the county was in 1885
(the county was organized in Novem-
Der, 1889. The assessment roll con-
tanned 239 names; there was a little
over 5000 acres of decided land, with
only 191 acres improved The value
of the land was $20,447.50; the i'm
provements were worth 1920. Per-
sonal property was valued at s117.-
332.30, making total valuation of
$138,700. There was raised by taxa
ton that year $3.421.57, in contrast
with $334,435.86 in 1909. The tax
levy is an average Of 20 mills, on a
total valuation Of nearly $s,000,00o
Ninety per cent of the cultivated
land is devoted to wheat: the bal
ance Is in other cereal crops-oats,
barley, orchard and garden land.
The ranches on the plateau run
from 100 to $40 acres, usually not
less than 800 acres to farm.
A potent quality OF the volcanic
soil OF the Inland Empire is its last
ing power. There are plenty of farms
in eastern Washington and northeast
ern Oregon where the test of time
has proved over and over the lasting
quality of the SOIL
Within mile OF Waterville Is the
farm Of A. l.. Corbaley, on which he
has lived for 26 years. and 1t is per-