The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1920-04-09
L00Sod by Ditch and
RaM Wealth Springs
from Okas,09an Soft
sales recorded every day.

paid off In the year 1918 $4,000
was expended in permanent improve
ments This year the expenditure for
permanent improvements will total
$6O, 900, and the program for the COM
pletion of this work will cover four |
years and cost approximately $235,OOO
to be paid for by an issue of forty-year |
bonds. The work consists of cementing |
the bitches and metal lining the |
fumes.
The water supply is more than suffi- |
cient for the needs of the district, and
actually inexhaustible. The district has |
right to four acre feet season, but |
does not use nearly this maximum. In |
addition to the rights on the Similka- |
meen river the district has the shore |
and reservoir rights on Palmer lake, 4
large body of water in the mountains
to the west of the valley, but there is
little likelihood that this resource will
ever be utilized.
The majority of the new settlers are
from the Wenatchee and the Cashmere
valleys, renowned for the value of
their orchard lands, and these people
are planting apple orchards here.
A considerable area is in process Of
| being added to the original district by
means of pumping water from the
main canals to lands above the bitches.
| A development of the past two years
has been the winter feeding of beef
cattle in the valley. Large quantities
of ensilage are grown in the district.
and much of the stock that is ranged
in the hills and mountains to the east
and west of the valley is brought down
to be fattened for market on the irri-
gated farms. This promises to grow in
to business of increasing Importance
with the years.
| Two busy prosperous communities
have grown up within the influence of
this project, Oroville at the northern
end of the district and Tonasket at its
southern extremity. A few years ago
they were unmarked spots upon the
map of Okanogan county. Now, they
are thriving, healthy villages with ex-
cellent schools, churches, Libraries
theaters and all lines of business rep
RESENTED.
Oroville is the larger of the two and
derives some advantage from the fact
that it is the terminus of the two rail-
roads that enter the county. 1t is a
town of about one thousand inhabi-
tants now, and has a commercial club
that has raised over $4,000 cash this
year to promote civic activities Among
the new enterprises already assured for
the year are cannery and flour and
feed mill. The first season the cannery
will pack tomatoes exclusively. AL
for, the acreage assured to grow the
tomatoes and the seeds purchased.
State road No. 10 primary highway
| traverses the Okanogan valley and at
present has it's terminus at the inter-
national boundary, five miles north of
Oroville. There it connects with a
splendid system of highways that lead
through some of the most beautiful
lake and mountain country of British
Columbia. This has borught consid-
cradle automobile tourist travel
through this town in the past few
years. With improvements now
being made on state road No. 10 the
tourist travel promises to be greatly
augmented. In anticipation of this, the
town of OrOville has acquired site of
fifteen acres on shaded point on the
shores of Osoyoos lake, which
stretches from the city limits north in
to Births Columbia twelve miles from
Oroville. This site is to be converted
into tourists camp with ovens.
benches and other conveniences. In
addition the town has park on the
bank of the Okanogan river, close in,
which is also to be prepared for tour
lists and campers. A part of the funds
raised by the Commercial club is be-
ing devoted to these purposes with aid
from the town council.
+, Like so many other prosperous COM
munities of the state, Oroville is suf-
fering from over congestion. Every
house and every primitive shelter is
occupied, and canvas is being pressed
into service to provide protection to
eager home seekers.
Bank deposits here have increased
so per cent in one year and are higher
now than at any previous time.
While prospecting for precious met
ais has been carried on in the noun
tains of Okanogan county almost con-
,tinuously from the time the first white
men found their way into this terri
tory, the net results in the past have
been discOuraging to extensive mining
development. Indications of rich ore
have been found time and again and
hundreds of thousands of dollars ex-
pended in exploring for paying bodies
of ore, but little systematic work was
done in any one district But so long
as tempting indications exist on the
surface men will not cease to explore
for paying bodies of ore and not the
least of the industries that is bring
ing money into this part of the country
at the present time is that of prospect
ing for mineral.
In the mountains to the west of
Oroville a number of properties are
now in process of development with
better promises of producing returns
than ever before. The Copper World
Extension, situated on the sumit of
Palmer mountain, has been prospected