The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1913-03-28
Union, S. c., March II, 1913.
Mr.. L. M. Rice,

EulCOr Union lImeS,
Dear Sir: I have wanted ever
since 1 returned from the far north
west to tell the readers of the Union
Times something about the West, the
people I saw. their ways and Gus
toms. AS I told you when 1 landed
there it was a most wonderful coun-
try. Then 1 had not seen very much.
l arrived in Ilo, Idaho, March 9Th,
1912. The ground was covered with
twelve inches of snow and the ground
stayed covered until the middle of
April; it would snow every week and
sometimes every day. 1t did not rain
any there. We speak of April show
ers and you know how they come-one
hour the sun is shining bright, the
next it is pouring down rain. So it
was with the snow, the sun would be
shining bright and you would see
little cloud and the first thing you
knew it would be showing so hard you
could not see any distance before you.
The suns rays do not seem to have
much effect on the snow but a wind
from the coast, believe they call it
the chinook wind, and it soon carries
the snow away. There were snow
storms up till the 5th af May. There
was frost every month in the year.
August 10Th there was as much frost
and ice as I have seen any time this
winter. You will imagine nothing
would grow there. Of course there
are some vegetables that do not grow
up on this mountain, but what does
grow, l never saw such an abund-
ant yield and enormous size and the
vegetables that do not grow on this
mountain are hauled up there in wag-
ons by peddlers and sold at very
reasonable price. They bring them
from the irrigated sections around
Lewiston and Clarkston! it takes
them three days to make the trip.
Less than six years ago there was
not railroad upon this mountain
and the farmers had to haul all their
grain down the mountain to Culdesac,
a little Indian town, the nearest ship
ping point. 1t has only been seven
teen years ago since this reserva-
tion was opened up to white settlers.
People focked there from all parts of
the world and took up land claims or
homesteads. None of the land had
ever been cultivated, no houses but
here and there as Indian cabins. The
country just one big prairie with the
waving grass as far as your eyes
could reach, with the Indian cattle
and horses running wild. The men
and boys spent their Sundays cor
railing and lassoing the wild Indian
ponies. So many of the settlers got
discouraged and gave up their claims;
others sold theirs for just enough to
get away on; but those that did stand
the hardships own beautiful homes
with all modern conveniences. The
land is all laid off in sections, we'll
fenced with good wire fencing and
no farm land can be bought there to-
day for less than $75 per acre.
waited to see the harvest; it is in
teresting to watch the grain as it
changes in it's different stages: First
the beautiful green that looks like a
carpet; then redish color, and last
the beautiful golden grain. When the
harvest came they cut their grain
with a binder such as they use here.
On account of so much rain when it
is dry they use combine, a machine
that cuts, threshes and sacks all at
the same time. They hitch from
twenty-six to thirty-two horses to
this machine. / am sorry l did not
get to see one at work. When harvest
comes those ranchers get busy. They
hardly eat or sleep until their grain
is in the warehouses. 1t is interest
ing to see them thresh the grain. 1t
is quite different from the threshers
they have in this country. Every
threshing crew carry their cook-house
with them, house built on wheels.
In these cook-houses everything is as
conveniently arranged as any kitchen
with two women cooks. Wheat yields
from 60 to rs bushels per acre. Oats
rs to 80 bushels per acre.
A beautiful, wonderfully rich and
fertile region is that -Nez. Perce
prairie. The Nez. Perce Indians have
always been ranked the highest
among Indian tribes. I attended
Nez Perce Indian camp meeting of
the Presbyterian faith; the most in
teresting meeting ever attended.
They have beautiful camp ground,
and they go there every summer and
worship ten days. There were five
hundred Indians in camp last summer,