Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-07-17
FROM CAMP LEWIS
TO CAMP KEARNEY
Albin Wahl,trand Write. Interest.
ingly on Sights Seen on
. this Trip.

: this Trip.
Camp Kearney, California,
June %, 1918.
Willmar Tribune,
Dear Editor:
From Camp Lewis, Tacoma, Wash.
ton to Camp Kearney, San Diego, Cali.
fornia, a distance Of approximately
1000 miles is trip of ever changing
aspects. One is treated and familiar
lied with almost everything that
mother earth adores with produce
mountains, valleys, Gold, silver and
cement mines, vast wheat fields. fruit
trees OF almost every variety. In fact
the state Of California affords ANYTHING
mat man desires, be his taste for
the grotesque in nature or the en-.
cnantment OF flowers and palm trees,
IN the course of military maneuver.
ing and for the efticience, of the same
the authorities in charge saw fit to
transfer considerable number of men
from Camp Lewis to Kearney. The
writer happened to be one Of those
designated to make this change to
note the scenes as alluded to above.
We entrained on the morning of
the 18th inst. and arrived at our des.
tlnatlon on the 22nd after three DAYS
and three nights Of steady travel over
the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe rail.
roads.
The southern part CT the state of
Washington as observed from the train
appeared to be practically a forest,
numbering being the chief industry
with mills everywhere in evidence.
Vancouver was the principal city that
we went thru in this state. Here
the government has a spruce division
camp. Quite a few boys from Kandi.
yohi county are located here.
Oregon is state much similar to
that Of southern Washington with
heavy forest, but in the valleys apples
and cherries are grown. The small
| boys along stations that we made
stops at Accommodated US by selling
cherries at a very reasonable price.
They were fresh q mean the cherries)
and tasted fine.
Portland was the largest city that
we went thru in Oregon and I believe
| it is the largest in that state as we'll.
1t has a population of about 375,OOO
inhabitants and is beautifully located
on the Columbia river and with Mt
Hood in the distance presents an
artistic view. Portland has as many
| as eight ship yards. Large ships un-
der construction could be seen from
the train.
The SiskiyOn mountains are within
the border of the state close to the
California line. 1t required four en-
gines to pull one train thru those
mountains. The mountain was circ-
led three times ere the summit was
reached; at times the track could be
seen in three different places but
each at high elevation. The engin.
eering of the road in the mountains
surely is marvellous and a credit to
the dexterity of railroad construction.
California is an exceedingly long
state and as varied as it is long, char.
alternatingly with the former dominat-
ing. Irrigation seems to be necess.
airy in most places.
Mount Shasta, which is over $4,000
feet high, is the most interesting sight
ern part of the state. This mountain
with its sncw capped peak is visible
OF the tourist as he journeys by train
for fully half day and is viewed
from all angles and sides as the train
| winds around and about the mount
aims. AS l gazed at this phenomena
of wonder could but think how thou
sands of travellers had looked and
| looked again at this mountain for
years and how this spectacle of nature
always stands in defiance and chal-
longing remains pointing it's summit
to the eternal. In this mountain
range, we passed thru the Sacramento
Canyon, a picturesque sight indeed,
where the sparkling Shasta waters,
said to be real soda water, charged
with natural carbonic gas, rushes on
close to the track. Castle Crag in this
canyon are great granite rocks rising
to the height Of 400 feet, their vertical
strata splintered- in parapets, makes
beautiful scene.
Central California is very level and
of apparently fertile soil. Here grain
raising is the chief industry. AS far as
your eyes could see it was all vast
field of grain. When we went thru
they were harvesting and threshing
at the same time, all being done by
the ingenuity of modern machinery
constructed into one piece of mocha.
ism.
Californians seem to take great
pride in having neat and beautiful
cities. Smaller cities of four CT five
thousand populations have paved
streets and fine business blocks and
attractive looking residences, most OF
the cottage style, embellished with
the enchanting palm tree and flowers
At Bakersfield we saw enumerable
numbers of oil towers. This oil field
is but couple of miles cut of the city
l was told this is the largest oil field
in the states. That there was plenty
of oil in the vicinity was evident every
where at this place. Here and many
other places in the west the locomo
tives have oil burners.
A short distance out of Bakersfield
are the Sierra Nevada mountain range
| These mountains are about seventy
miles thru. We went thru nothing
less than seventeen tunnels ere the tor
was reached. On the summit of these
mountains is cement mine owned by
the City of Los Angeles. The cement
substance is taken out from the base
of the mountain thru tunnel from
the interior somewhere.
Just beyond these mountains we
encountered the real desert of the TRIP
known as the Mojava desert. This
was surely barren and fcrlorn piece
of earth. Nothing grows here except
sage brush and certain kind of cactus
and one place for several miles II
was void of all vegetation and per
fectly smooth making an ideal drilling
or baseball field if moved to habit
able place. Our road went thru ove1
a hundred miles of this desert. Thu
heat was intense here.
Kearney is a camp of about 10000