The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-04-30
COMING INTO OUR OWN

COMING INTO OUR OWN
The districts along the Columbia,
one Of the greatest rivers Of the conti-
nent. are coming into their own. The
completion Of the Panama canal has
turned the spotlight on the Pacific
coast, and its rays have illuminated
and presented TO the visions Of those
who care to look. the opportunities
along the Columbia river basin. Much
has been written and many words have
been spoken about the possible effect
Of the Panama canal on the northwest.
We have been living and merely
dreaming Of the possibilities that now
seem to be near naturalization.
Nature has dispensed favors of ines
tmable worth to the residents in dis
tricts drained by the Columbia. To a
certain extent they have been hidden,
and nature herself must be warred
against to derive a benefit from them
But the warfare has begun, and with
its progress the opportunities are seen
TO be accrung.
With the forces of the Northwestern
Fruit Growers Transportation League,
the purposes Of which were recently
explained here by c. A. Malbouef,
manager of the association, at work
for the broad world distribution of APP
pies, the fruit districts Of the north
west, especially those along the Colum
bia should reap benefit that cannot
at present be estimated. And the Hood
River district is especially endowed by
nature in position on the river and in
the climatic conditions that sea breeze,
mountain ranges and river gorges have
brought about.
A comprehensive article, "The Port
Of the Columbia, appears in the April
Sunset. The author. Randall X. How
ard, who has nosed for news in every
district Of the northwest, has for many
years been a student of conditions that
have prevailed and that will be put
into play when the Panama canal is
completed.
MIR. Howard concludes his article as
olows:
"The Panama canal, and the grow
ing trade of the Pacific, has given the
Pacific coast a new point of view. The
Pacific coast is ito longer a national
back door. 1t is evolving into a front
door to the world. The Columbia river
basin is turning its face toward the
new light, the port of the Columbia
being the promised new doorway. This
new doorway will spell many new OPP
portunites. Take, for. example, the
story of the apple. The northwest is
Sproved a premier apple district. The
apple is our national fruit. The port
of the Columbia and the Panama canal
should help to make the northwest APP
pie world fruit since this cheapened
traffic route will open immense new
markets in England. Germany, South
Africa. Or, take the story of wheat.
A broker recently travelled all the way
from Winnipeg, out in central Canada,
to personally pat some of the chief
promoters of the port of Columbia on
the back. telling them that the prov
inces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and
Manitoba could save millions Of dollars
by shipping their wheat via Columbia
river and Panama canal, estimating a
saving Of five cents bushel, on the
almost 200 000, 900 bushels annually
grown.
Then there are other supplementing
stories. What is the promise of the
Columbia river basin for some of the
thousands of immigrants that are eX-
pected to come direct from Europe ON
the completion Of the Panama canal2
The CuluWbia river basin is the wheat
granary OF the Pacific coast, though
much of the grain area is yet undevel-
Oped. The Columbia river basin has
the largest uncut forests within our
national borders. The Columbia river
and its tributaries have several mil
lions of undeyelOped water power one
example being the possible great
power project at Cello Falls near The
Dalles on the Columbia river, where
the state of Oregon and the United
States Reclamation service are sharing
in the expenditure of $50 900 for the
thorough investigation of what would
become the largest and perhaps the
cheapest water power PROJECT in the
world And millions of acres of semi
arid land may yet be reclaimed by us
ing the surplus water and power of the
Columbia river for irrigation. Great
river reclamation projects for the re-
covery of rich alluvial dairyinE and
truck gardening lands are already un-
der way for example, some 1900
acres of fresh water tide lands at
Clatskanie, on the lower river. The
Columbia river basin has room for
many of the frugal land tilling immi-
grants that the Panama canal will
bring direct from the Old Countries,
The sudden new awakening in the
Pacific northwest as to the logic Of the
Columbia river, as natural highway
and an ocean port, reminds one of the
remark of native philosopher. Per-
haps the man was a newcomer. At any
rate, after sudden windstorm had
swept through his apple orchard, he
stood under the trees marVellng that
such slender stems could securely hold
such large applesg almost no apples
having fallen.
After all, be repeated several
times, i guess Nature is pretty wise
guy.
THE people of the Pacific northwest
have redscovered the Columbia river,
threading its way through the historic
old Oregon country. After all, they
are now agreeing, Nature is pretty
wise guy.