The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-04-24
PEOPLE COURTEOUS
TO VALLEY VISITORS
So Says Man From Wisconsin
Who Finds Other Things Both
Interesting and Educational

Dear Editor: Thinking that some
of our eastern friends might be inter
ested in our beautiful. state, l take the
liberty of imposing upon your patience
by asking you to be so kind as to
publish in your paper a few facts that
came under my personal observation
the past few weeks. 1t was with pleas
ure that | accepted an invitation from
Mr.. \. w. Green, formerly of Eau
Claire, Wis, to visit the Yakima valley
and Horse Heaven plateau on reach
ing the beautiful little city of North
Yakima at II a. M, Mr. Green was
awaiting my arrival After breakfast
the next morning we started out to do
the city, which, by the way, is one of
the most prosperous towns of its size
on the Pacific slope. We first visited
number of business places in order
to gain as much information as pos
sible, first hand, along business lines,
and without any doubt in my mind,
some of the men We visited must have
thought that my stock in trade con-
sisted in asking questions. Every one
treated us very courteously and gen.
tlemanly from start to finish, there be-
ing no faultfinders or knockers among
them, and all seemed satisfied with
their business the past year We Wis
tied Edwad b. Leckey's jewelry store,
which is the largest and best of it's
Kind west of Chicago and north of
Frisco. Here We're diamonds and all
sorts of precious stones galore. Long
double show cases filled with watches,
chains, rings, bracelets and silverware
in abundance on either side piled I'D
on the shelves. ] could hardly believe
what was before me as we stood there
looking over that stock of goods. but
such is business in North Yakima
After visiting several of these places
| was curious to know what was the
contributing factor to their prosperity
as there were no manufacturing con-
Germs OF any extent in or around the
city. The reply was, "The large red
apple, and after visiting some of
their orchards and hearing of the
bountiful yields. it was easy In the
afternoon we drove out into the coun-
try around Mob Hill, the wealthy resi-
dence district closely adjacent to the
city of Yakima, We who live on the
coast think that the scenery in our To-
cality is the grandest in the world, and
1t certainly is fine beyond description
but there are Others as | have
learned in the past few days. We
drove upon an elevation overlooking
the Ahtanum valley with the Yakima
to our left, a mountain range on every
side, mute sentinels guarding the
beauties of that wonderland. Here
were orchards, orchards and orchards,
some one year, some ten years old
Among them apple trees seemed to
rule supreme. Here was to be seen
land that has sold as high as Sc, 900
per acre, also land that had brought
as high as $4,000 gross receipts per
acre. These are the extremes, how
ever in both instances and must not
be taken as the rule. AS we stood there
and gazed upon that beautiful scene
it seemed to me that prosperity was
stamped upon everything and every
where. Here We're large, pleasing,
well constructed residences, many Of
them of brick, stone and cement of
the latest designs in architecture, COM
bining comfort and stability. In
school district No. IS. seven miles
from the city of Yakima their school
building exceeds any school building
in your beautiful little city, so far as
beauty of design, comfort and solidity
are concerned, and that a country
school
The next morning We took the early
train for Prosser, arriving at $50.
After eating breakfast MIR. Green
hired a livery team and we started for
the la nd pr nrnJriGp - La
known as the Horse Heaven plateau,
which is between ten and eleven hum
dred feet above the city of Prosser.
In the valley there was a little snow
and some fog, but as we began to APP
proach the summit the snow disap-
peared, we We're above the fog and
looking across one of the most magni-
ticent stretches of country the eve of
man ever saw. Ever since coming to
this state reports of this section had
come to me incidentally from time to
time, until a longing desire had
"camped ON my trail'' for some time
and it would not down until. like Gaze
sar | went, | saw, ! conquered. As
we sat in the buggy looking out across
that emerald plain We took in the
beauties of nature as they were re-
vealed to us as we gazed Away off
to the east and south rolled the Co
lumbia river in its majestic grandeur,
that, sheening far celestial seems to
be- in its silvery beauty reflected by
the glowing sun. Altar to the west, in
sublime boldness. can be seen Mount
Rainier snow crowned. raising its
mighty form nearly 900 feet above
sea level, monarch of the Cascade
range of the United States of Ameri-
ca. Behind and below us lay the vale
OF plenty the valley of the Yakima.
such was the panoramic view pre-
scented to us on a winter day I'm the
Horse Heaven country, The Klickitat
Irrigation & Power company is build
ing a ditch from the Cascade noun
tains to irrigate the Horse Heaven
plateau, and when completed this
plateau will blossom as the rose. The
land is under cultivation at the pres
ent time, but is not a paying PROPOSE
ton on account of the small amount
DON'T GET RUN DOWN