The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1921-12-24
WHERE
ROLLS THE
OREGON
The Fertility and the
Grandeur of
Washington

Announcement that the United
States Geographic Board has de-
cided to name a peak in Mount
Rainier National Park for the late
Franklin X. Lane iends interest to
. communication written by the
former secretary of the interior
concerning the physical features
OF Washington State to the Ma
tional Geographic society, of
which he was a trustee.
This extract, from an article "a
Mind's-Eye Map Of America"
which was among the last publish
ed writing of Mr. Lane, follows:
"You come on down the coast
to the State of Washington. There
we have at one point the largest
rainfall of any point in the United
State5-150 inches. And on the
other side Of the State is or was
great desert. Land that | could
have bought for the $1.25 an
acre is today selling for $1,000
an acre. Why? Because a little
money has been invested in turn
ing waters upon that land and
planting apples. One of the apples
planted here comes from the Hud-
son river. The people of New
York state did not care for and
love this fruit as those people did
out there. They have taken the
delicious apple as you know il,
pruned it, watered it, sorted il,
cared for it, until now it makes
that land worth $1,000 to $4,000
an acre.
"The dominant feature is the
landscape in the State of Wash
ington is Mount Rainier | like
the name Tacoma because it is an
Indian name. Rainier was the
name of an admiral who saw this
splendid place. Tacoma was the
Indian name and means The
feeding breast; and when you see
the mountain you will realize
where the Indians got that name,
because from every side come
down rivers which make for the
strength, the beauty, and the
wealth of the country.
"Here is one of our great parks:
and | have stood therein with the
snow of the glacier in one hand,
and touched with the other the
blossoming wild flowers.
"That state is rich in mines,
rich in agricultural land, rich in
power possibilities. 1t has hun
dreds of thousands of acres OF
land. that are practically desert
and that can be reclaimed and
brought into usefulness by use OF
the water of the Columbia River.
"And yet the most significant
thing in that state is the State
University. saw Seattle when il
was a frontier town, and there
was little thought then of its pos
scssing a great university; buc
there are 5000 students in the
University of Washington today,
and that state is only 30 years
old. This fact indicates better
than anything else can the trend I
of American life. America has IN
her mind the purpose to do thing
that make for a richer county
not only materially but also intel I
lcctually.
"You come down from Wash
ington to Oregon, with its long
line of mountains its majestic
river, its vast forest. There i
is one outstanding scenic feature
of novelty, Crater Lake. The top
was blown off a volcano, and IN
the center of that crater we find
the most exquisite bit of water
IA thing without parallel in color n
this country, perhaps in the worlI. |
"And there is abundant land /
yet to be had where rolls the Ore
gon.' We have recently brougtt |
back to the United States a strip |
of land ten miles wide and 300
miles long which was granted 20
the Oregon and California railroad
and that land has been thrown
open to homeateaders."