The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1916-02-04

In another column is published a
letter from Chas. A. Andrus, gen
tleman who has lived at Nighthawk
for a number of years, and well known
known in this place. The letter is
dated from Idaho Falls, town put on
the map through a large and success
full installation Of an irrigation sys-
TEN, where Mr.. Andrus spent some
weeks, going out before the holidays
and returning last Friday evening. Mr.
Andrus has great faith in the future
prospects of this country, he is very
intelligent and observing gentleman,
and while in the irrigated country
around Idaho Falls took advantage of
every opportunity to secure informa-
ton as to the effects and results of
irrigation, for he felt that If reclama-
ton could be followed by abnormal
prosperity in country like that, the
success that would follow reclamation
in this valley would be far and away
beyond the expectation of the most op-
timistic and sanguine. A few minutes
conversation with Mr.. Andrus will
convince a resident of this locality
that he does not begin to rc:iii4e in
the remotest degree what the West
Okanogan Valley Irrigation district
watering system means to this valley.
Before the application of water to The
Idaho Falls country more barren or
desolate stretch of territory was not
TO be found in the state. The land " is
useless and worthless, without value
and holding out no inducements to the
settler The vast flat was without trees
or vegetation other than scanty
growth of sagebrush. Water was plac-
ed upon that land a few years ago, and
today it is one of the richest and most
productive sections of the state of
Idaho. The country is now thickly set
tied, good sized towns have been built
up, substantial and comfortable I'M
provements are to be found on every
ranch, an indication of thriving con-
dition among the husbandmen, enor-
nous crops are raised with never the
danger of failure, growers ship in
car and train load lots, and real con-
tentment and prosperity has a place
among the land owners. Now, mark
you, water on arid land has worked
this transformation at an altitude of
5000 feet where the meteorological con-
ditions are such that only the hardi-
est varieties of the vegetable kingdom
can be grown, and that transformation
has taken place in a very few years.
If water can evolve an Eden out OF a
desert so unfavorably located, what
changes can be wrought when water
is turned upon the rich and fertile
lands of the Okanogan valley, where
not only can the hardest varieties OF
everything that grows be produced in
profusion, but all of the more tender
fruits and vegetables common to the
most favorably situated portions of .he
temperate zone? Truly, few of us have
even a remote idea of the changes a
few years will work in this immediate
vicinity after water is turned upon the
soil. If such returns follow irrigation
on the high lands of Idaho, the returns
should be many fold greater on the
low and productive lands of this val.
ley. This is bound to be the garden
spot of Washington, the cornucopia Of
abundance that will supply the mar
kets of the coast. Object lessons sucn
as the Idaho irrigation district men,
toned should make us all feel better
satisfied with the prospects of the val
ley under the new irrigation system,
and be proof positive that it can be
only a question of little time when
every tillable acre will be under cult
walton, with the entire district thickly
settled.