The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1911-04-07

miles. 1t was the most uninvitine
place one could well imagine. Refer
ence is made only to the conditions
and surroundings. The home was
well enough as compared with what
the pioneers of those days possessed
and the traveller was always assured
of cordial welcome and all the ac-
commodations within that the premises
could afford. Down near the north
end OF the lake. on Rocky Ford, Lord
rom Blythe, who, by the way. is now
operating IN the Methow valley, of
this county, most enterprising and
companionahle Englshman, had a
house occupied by a foreman 1t was
IN the nature OF headquarters for MIR.
Blythe's stockmen. That gentl oman
was interested in the raising of stock.
and he counte his cattle by the thou
sands. The country is within the
Northern Pacific land grant, and
the company owned every alternate
section. OF so little value was the land
considered that the company was beg
ging people to take it at almost any
price from 20 cents to $1.25 an acre.
and giving the purchaser ten years in
which to pay for It. There were few
buyers at those igures. Mr.. Blythe
did purchase geat many sections,
not that he looked upon the land as a
desirable possession, but his object
was to corral the water. in order to
keep other stockmen at a distance
Had he held on to that land to this
day his fortune would have been
collosal. ht even as it turned out.
be made handsome margin
A more cherless desolate, unat-
tractive, God d-brsakcp country in those
days could not we'll be imagined. Only
here and there at long distances
apart, were settered stock ranches.
Moses lake precinct included all south
ern Douglas comfy, and from seven
to ten votes embraced the full number
of electors therdl. One could ride
day without seeing a human being
Little water fallsin that region. Early
in the season thecountry becomes as
dry as the Sahara Here and there
lost and loneSife- spear or grass
peeped out; gnaAel. scrubby, homely
sage brush dottd the landscape. It
was one vast eXmnse of monotonous
sameness, and th@e who looked upon
it considered the Ind worthless then
and for all time TO come, and little
dreamed OF the magic change that a
few years would bhg about And so
the country was shMned and remain
ed an unoccupied deolation until that
great civilizer and Worker of trans.
formations, the railr@d broke in upOn
the scene. The Gres Northern built
along the base OF thehills that marks
the northern barrier OF the desert.
Towns sprang into exNence, the long
despised land was sehed upon with
avidity, and now the estwhile vacant
and valueleSS country is so thickly
settled that a new couay, Grant, has
been organized from that part of Old
Douglas county, and. n1eeover. prom
ises to become one Of t.Nwealthy cou-
ties of the state
But the railroad is nd wholly re-
sponsible for worili-g this great
change 1t had a stronghngerce, il
is true, and without the r@d the coul.
try would have cOntinuedh IT'S origi-
nal state for many more years. but
that has given the great Nh.e to the
land once valueless is atescientilic-
ally applied, factor thathas made
exceedingly valuable other lands in
this state hardly any more attractive
at one time than the Counul around
Moses lake With water thlsand will
produce anyt' ng that will gow ont
doors, and it is the INTRODUCTION OF
water that has be institutional IN
jumping the price OF land trom -
cents to $3.50 per acre.
When one stops 10 consider Shat ir-
rigation has done for the Yakha and
Wenatchec valleys. and the Mosas
lake country 20 years ago ohcre
was little or no choice bctwea the
three localities so far as surfae aD-
pearances were concerned SONG Mn,
can be formed OF what may be elpee t.
ed in the Okanogan valley, thai in
most respects. has a great lead We =
the sections named in natural adam
tages. The success that has follOed
irrigation elsewhere in the matta OF
increased production OF the most moi.
table crops and boosting the price Of
land, will be repeated in this valhy
and real estate will reach a value t
correspond With that III the most iav
ored localities. And why not? IN
conditions are just as good here, if N
shade better. than where reclam
ton has already worked miracles, al
we confidently look for the same mir
, cles being repeated in the Okanog;
valley in the course of very few yeai