The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-08-04

While the motorist crossing Central
Oregon and visiting Bend fer only a
day or two can get an eyeful Of thrills
and feast on vast eXpanse any way he
turns, this empire of natural resource
and scenic attraction deserves a more
leisureIv visit. The mere. brief stay
whets ones appetite for return.
The Dalles-Californi Highway pro-
ceeds from Bend over logged off land,
left in the wake of crews of the
Brooks Scanlon and Shevlin Hixon
Lumber companies, on into the virgin
forest, yet untouched by the axe. to
La Pine. For so miles the way is
through these great trees. Tie under
brush is scant, and the traveller can
imagine he is riding through a park.
Since a visit of Steven 7. Mather,
chief of the national parks department
of the government three years ago,
Bend citizens and civic bodies have
been working toward the preservation
of a strip of pines the full length of
the highway. County Judge Robert
W. Sawyer, editor of the Bend Bulle-
tin. has been accomplishing gratifying
results, and the Brooks-Scanl0n Lum-
ber Co. has agreed to leave strip of
timber 300 feet wide on each side of
the highway. Judge Sawyer is a keen
good roads enthusiast, an arch-booster
for Bend and Deschutes county and
sincerely imbued with the preservation
of the regions scenic assets. He is
watching with interest a bill that has
been introduced in Congress by Repre-
sentative Sinnott. providing for the
transfer, in part payment to the gov
ernment for ripe timber in the national
forest, of ogged-of land. The bill
contemplates the inclusion OF portions
of the logged-otf area in the national
forest and its reforestation.
The Shevln-Hixon Company has a
tract of timber approximately 60 miles
long and an average width of II miles,
enough to run their big mill, which has
a capacity of 300, 600 feet daily, for the
next 40 years. The Brooks-Scanlon
Company has sufficient timber to oper-
ate a like period. The latter mill,
however, has capacity so per cent
smaller than the first named company.
A large tract of pine, privately owned
by another large syndicate. lies off to
the northwest of Bend. Huge areas
of timber in the national forest will
ripen and be available by the time the
Bend companies have cut their last
stumpage. Thus Bend can look to at
least a half century of activity as one
of the nations largest lumber centers.
While agricultural activity in the
immediate vicinity of Bend is neglig-
ible, because of topographic conditions,
the center of irrigation activity FOR the
country to the north, because of these
same topographic conditions, must re-
main around Bend. The water has to
be diverted from the Deschutes to the
south of Bend. Already two large
systems are supplying life-giving water
and turning the desert into productive
fields of alfalfa, grain and potatoes.
The region has gained wide fame the
past few years for its potatoes, which
grow to perfection in the vicinity of
Redmond and Bend. Growers are APP
plying rigid inspection of seed and be-
cause of the freeness from disease of
their tubers, they have created Pa
cific COastwide demand for their out
put for seed purposes. The potatoes
of this section being a premium on the
market over those of most other Sec
tions.
The irrigation concerns of this sec
tion cover areas of l00,0 900 acres, fig
ures gigantic in comparison with the
water systems of the Hood River val
ley, the largest Of which supplies only
l3,0 600 acres. A system larger than
any already in operation is reaching
the point where actual construction on
a huge dam seems imminent. This is
known as the Benham Falls project.
1t will water the country around Mad
ras.
The sheep industry in the immediate
of Bend reaches no small pro-
portions, and the traveller is impressed
by the great numbers of herds grazing
in the district. The impression is not
a favorable one when he has to travel
binding dust cloud raised by
the woOllies. The cattle industry
thrives in the sections off to the north
Of Bend, and the o. W. r. a. N. Co.
recently began its annual Sunday
schedule, moving out trainloads of fat
steers to Portland.
The motorist in the Bend country
where all Of the cinders, used
in surfacing many roads are obtained.
They appear identical with those
drawn from the ash pit Of locomotive
or cOal-burning boiler. The Deschutes
county road building material, how
ever, is derived from butte to the
south Of the city. The deposit was
made bv process of some volcanic up
heaval. Just south of Bend. too, par
alleling the klamath Falls highway
for short distance, ls wide deep
cleft in the earth's surface. lt is eX-
planned as an earthquake fault. Ii ex-
tends far down toward the California
line. Numerous evidences Of volcanic
action and the flow of lava is observed
in the country, and biologists find OBJ
iects Of interesting study on every
hand. Benham Fal.s ~ the Deschutes.
il is said. resulted when the srteam
was blocked by a flow Of lava across
It's course. A short distance above the
falls Spring river. 0n,u about a mile IN
length. flows into the Dgschutes. This
large stream flows from the earth IN
two or three huge springs, crystal clear
and ice cold.
In pioneer times homtsaekers trav-
aled across the zaEe5rush plains by
wagon train % the present site Of the
,ity Of Bend. This WAS the only point
8t which they could cross the De-
schutes. flowing at aIl other points in a
ieep canyon. They were guided by a
arge butte. arising high above the
plains. and this gminence became
known az Pilot Butte The Deschutes
.urves around tha great butte, and
he homeseekefs. as t.ey left over Nc
Kenzie Pass for the willamette valley
sould look back 50 the east and see the
silver thread of the rivers turn. They
ZANE to call it Farewell Bend. Later
t was called The Bend. and pioneers Of
he section today -o term IT,
The big Bend country Is not merely
Interested in bIg SPECTACULAR things,
but its citizens are displaying a thrift
of a steadily growing
agricultural community. DairyIng has
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