USA > Washington > Walla Walla County > An illustrated history of Walla Walla County, state of Washington > Part 19
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"Mining has not yet been made a feature of the state industries, but gold, silver and lead mines are being developed rapidly. Copper is found in very large quantities, and tin has been discovered. Lime is of the finest quality, and good pottery clay is found in several counties. Apart from the advantages of warmth and moisture which cause grass, flowers and various kinds of vegetation to grow the winter through, and justify the application of the name of Ever- green state as a distinctive description, the climate of the state of Washington is of vast importance in the consideration of personal comfort. The equability of temperature is due to the fact that the prevalent winds are from the Pacific ocean. Very rarely, during two months of the year, the wind blows from the north, for two or three days at a time, but the winters are made mild and warm and the sum- mers cool and no less mild. through the action of the wind passing over the pathway of the Japan current. This breeze, coming from the westerly and southwesterly points, is called the Chinook wind, and its effect is that every in- dustry can be followed with comfort through- out the entire year.
".\ state possessing this great natural temp- tation to those who have suffered from the ex- treme heat and extreme cold of other parts of the country, accompanied as it is by such mar- velous resources, cannot fail to become one of
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the wealthiest in the Union. To the settler the state offers great virgin forests, made up of trees two and three hundred feet high. some of them running over one hundred and fifty feet to the first limb: a soil which makes a farm of twenty to forty acres equal to one of eighty or one hundred and sixty in the middle or western states ; orchards bearing fruit of the value of two dollars and three dollars to the tree : homesteads each of which will raise enough in variety to maintain a family within its own limits ; vast resources of mineral wealth : opportunities for every kind of industry grow- ing out of all this abundance : a ready response to the efforts of the industrious and a rich harvest for intelligently directed capital."
The general features thus belonging to the state as a whole find some of their most perfect developments in the vast area known as the "Inland Empire."
THE INLAND EMPIRE.
The city of Walla Walla is recognized as representing the garden spot of the immense territory fittingly designated as the Inland Em- pire, and the old and historic county of similar name, Walla Walla, lays just claim to as mani- fold attractions and as distinct a plethora of productive utilities as any section of the Pacific northwest.
The Inland Empire is the vast and mar- velous region of country between the Rockies and the Cascade range of mountains, compris- ing all of eastern Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana, northeastern Oregon and southern portions of British Columbia. It has an area of more than one hundred and twenty thousand square miles,-three times as large as the great Empire state, and with a popula- tion exceeding half a million people and rapidly
increasing. It is a region with hardly a rival in enchanting scenery and picturesque sublimity and varying forms of beauty. In it are found all the inspiring phenomena that any aspiring lover of nature can desire. He can find broad and rolling prairies stretching in all direc- tions, verdure-clad plateaus, bordered by hills crowned with sturdy pines ; and in the distance lofty and rugged mountains, rising higher and higher, pile on pile. the towering, majestic peaks wrapped in eternal snow. The moun- tains, fixed and inflexible as the granite of the Everlasting Will,-they "hurl oppression back : they keep the boon of liberty." Here one may witness with wondering awe the results of the awful upheavals of primeval days, when the earth was twisted and tossed into a shapeless mass. He can look into the yawning, abysmal canyons and deep gorges worn out by rushing and foaming and ceaseless torrents for ages unknown; or upon the massive glaciers whose origin history fails to record. The lover of nature can revel in the enjoyment of an ever changing landscape. amid scenes which the Al- mighty alone could design and frame. It is be- yond the potentiality of human hands to paint them, and words fail to describe their dazzling beauty. It is a region of plains and prairies, of fertile valleys and of thick forests. The grandeur of the ensemble is accentuated by wide contrasts. There are lakes and streams in great variety. Portions of it have been designated as the "paradise of the sportsman." In the streams and lakes the fish are sufficiently plentiful to gratify the devotee of the rod and line, and the expert shot can scarcely fail to drop a curlew or chicken on the prairie, a grouse in the woods, a duck or goose on the lakes, and a deer or bear in the distant ravines or isolated valleys. This region is not only wonderful on account of its untold stores of
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the rare and beautiful, where nature has spread her "banquets of health and beauty," but iş also one hardly paralleled in diverse resources, which are almost limitless, and sufficient to maintain a population of many millions. There are rich agricultural sections, millions of acres in extent, such as the far famed Walla Walla valley, with the fine foot-hill farmns of the Blue mountains, the Palouse country and the Big Bend,-each producing thousands of busli- els of wheat and other cereals annually. The prospector has already unearthed hidden min- eral wealth and treasures priceless to science and the uses of man. Wonderful discoveries have been made and are being made, and those yet to be made are inconceivable in the human mind. It is not within the province of this work to describe the mining districts of the Inland Empire,-they are almost too numerous to mention, and to adequately describe them a volume would be required. But consistency demands that reference be made to this im- portant branch of industrial activity which has had so important a bearing upon the develop- ment of all sections of the great Inland Ein- pire, of which Walla Walla county is an in- tegral part and a glowing gem in its diadem.
THE LEGEND OF THE WALLA WALLA VALLEY.
In an attractive and valuable special edition of the Walla Walla Daily Statesman, issued under date of March 4, 1899, appears thie fol- lowing romantic old-time story of how the county became the most beautiful and fertile section of the state,-incomparable for the raising of cereals, fruit, grasses and live stock :
sponsive to the wooing of the winds. Above its shining surface circled the eagles and from out its wooded shores the swarthy savage pushed his bark canoe. About it, held close by strong encircling arms, stood the mountains, stern, unyielding, eternal.
"Long had the lake been captive here. Vainly had it beat against the rock for liberty, now in anger, now in soft entreaty. The moun- tain heard in stony silence the pleading at his feet.
"For many years the lake in patience waited. The sun kissed it, the winds caressed it, yet always did it long for freedom. One day thie mountain's vigilance relaxed, a tiny rift ap- peared within the rock and silently the lake crept through ; all the night so softly did it flee, the mountain did not know, but kept watch in peace until dawn revealed his desolation.
"Great was the lamentation; seamed and seared with grief, the mountain gazed upon the naked valley upon whose bosom so late the lake had slept. Slowly great rivulets of tears rolled down the rugged face. One by one in pitying silence the valley gathered them upon its bosom, until the time should be the mountain might forget his grief and find comfort in its beauty.
"As the years went on the valley grew so fair with the shining waters, worn like jewels on its breast, that day by day in the heart of the mountain the memory of the past grew dimn. until at last the image of the lake was lost. Gladness spread over the face of the mountain, joy reigned in the heart of the valley. Then was the land of many waters fair as the day to look upon.
"Once, long years ago, when the world was "The above is a legend of the beautiful Walla Walla valley, about whose wealth and resources so much has already been written ; young and Dame Nature still in her 'teens, there was a beautiful lake. Brightly its blue waters gleamed in the sunlight, or moved re- about whose marvelous development so much
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more will be written as the coming years un- fold the tale.
"There are many wonderful valleys in the world .- valleys so famous for one thing and another, the name of them is known the world over. It is not the purpose of this article to invite comparisons with the Old World, but i: is not too much to assert, that no where in these United States will a valley be found which exceeds this Walla Walla country in all that goes to make up natural beauty and nat- ural wealth. It is an empire in itself. Its pos- sibilities are practically illimitable. Every aid which nature could give is here bestowed with a hand so generous, so lavish, that one is lost in wonder at so rich an endowment.
"The approach to this valley from the west is not prepossessing. Great fields of sand, like those which line the ocean beach, lead the way to it. AA desert. the effect of which is to dampen the ardor of even the most enthused traveler. But not for long.
"When the miles of sand stretch away be- hind, and he sees before him the promise of things more fair. all the enthusiasms come thronging back, and he enters the valley only t. find his spirits mount higher and higher as the beauty and fertility of the country unfold before him.
"The fame of this valley as an agricultural center is abroad in the land, and justly so. Its record of the production of wheat and other cereals is unparalleled anywhere in the United States. Even the great wheat-growing state of Dakota must take second place in a com- parison of the yiekl per acre. Millions of bush- ds of grain are raised here yearly of as fine a quality as can be found anywhere in the world. The yield is astonishing. When the average is placed at twenty-five bushels to the acre it is a very modest figure indeed. It might
be put twenty bushels higher and still be within the limits of truth.
"The other cereals grow equally well. Bar- ley, oats, rye and buckwheat all yield immense crops of the best grade. In fact there is nothing the soil of this valley will not grow in abund- ance, barring, of course, the tropical products and corn. The climate of Washington is not adapted to the successful culture of corn. The nights are too cool. Many of the farmers do raise it, and some of the finest varieties of sweet corn are grown successfully, but among the great products of this valley corn really has no place.
"Grasses of all kinds are raised with ad- mirable success : alfalfa yielding the most per acre, and there are two, three and often four crops each year. Clover grows abundantly and timothy yields anywhere from one to three tons per acre. The native grasses run riot. The farmer who raises stock as well as wheat has no need to worry about feed.
"It is a great country for stock of all kinds. cows, sheep. horses, hogs, and the market is sure. Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver and all the cities of western Washington must get their supplies in large measure from the valleys across the mountains. The difficulty thus far has been, not in finding a market for stock or their products, but in filling the orders which flood the market. Thousands of dol- lars go out of the state annually for butter, eggs, cheese, etc .. which ought to remain at home. The valley of Walla Walla alone is wide enough and rich enough to supply all these thing's in abundance. It is not too much to believe that some day it will be so.
"The Walla Walla valley is a great fruit country. It would be a matter of difficulty to find anywhere in this country finer fruit than is grown in this valley. In point of size, color-
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ing, flavor and general all-round perfection of development there is no question but the Walla Walla fruits rank among the first. The cast- ern farmer, especially the man from Minnesota or the Dakotas, is familiar with grain fields. He knows all about the possibilities of wheat culture, the care of stock. the raising of poultry. But when he comes to Washington and takes a good look at the famous orchards of the Walla Walla valley it is then that he marvels. He knows nothing like them. There is nothing like them even further east, where famous orchards do exist. This valley leads the world almost in the wealth and quality of its fruits.
"Apples, surely the best all-round fruit which the Maker of the universe gave to man. are grown here in such abundance and in such perfection as to challenge the world to pro- duce their equal.
"There is just enough of real cold in the chmate of this section of Washington to de- velop and retain the fine flavor. which is notice- ably absent in the Sound country apples. Pears also reach the highest possible state of perfec- tion, and prunes of all varieties, and plums. There is no state in the Union which grows finer fruit of this variety than are found in the Walla Walla valley.
" All of the smaller fruits grow in the great- est profusion. Strawberries are an immense crop : certainly none of finer flavor or of greater size are grown anywhere in the world. They are superb, and cherries, they are perfect. large. luscious, finely colored, deliciously flavored. From the time the trees are in bloom until the last cherry is gone they are a source of pleas- ure. satisfaction and profit.
".Is to grapes, the soil of this valley is per- fectly adapted to their culture. Western Wash- ington has no grapes practically. the climate
is too cool to ripen them. But in the Walla W'alla valley the vines groan with their weight of perfect fruit. Grapes from this valley rival the California product in all'the eastern mar- kets.
"This is true of all the fruits except the purely tropical kinds. Whether it is pears or apples, plums or prunes, or any of the smaller berries, the soil fairly abandons itself to the growth of fruit, and the result is a perfection of development rarely excelled.
"Vegetables of all kinds may be said to run riot. They mature early : lettuce. radishes. asparagus, cauliflower and all of the green grocer's stock of edibles, which charm the eye and tempt the appetite, are marketable very early in the season. They seem to grow all the year round, for the markets are never without this supply of home grown green things. Mar- ket gardening pays well. There is always a ready sale for fine vegetables and prices rule generally higher than in eastern markets.
"The climate of this valley is almost ideal. The rainfall is not heavy. There is some snow for a few weeks, perhaps-and sometimes the mercury drops rather low. but never for long. In the valley it is rarely too cold for comfort. Farmers plough until Christmas time and the crops are all sown in the fall of the year. By March usually, often as early as February. work is again resumed and from then on there is mild. delightful weather with occasional rains. During the summer for a month or two. of perhaps three. the weather is warm and there is no rain. This season, owing to the dry weather, is a bit disagreeable on account of dust. This of course is obviated in the city. but out in the farm districts along the country roads it is so disagreeable as to occasion no little discomfort. But where may be found
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a climate without even one defect? This one is but slight at the most, for the rest of the year the weather is without reproach.
"Historically the valley is interesting. It was once the home of powerful tribes of In- dians whose tepees dotted the green slopes, and whose ponies roamed at will over the beautiful undulating ground. Far and near rode the hunters in search of game, while the patient squaws remained in the valley gathering the fruits which grew almost without culture, dry- ing roots and herbs and herding the vast non- ber of ponies which made up a large part of the Indian's wealth. They were happy here and content.
"But the white man came, as he always does, bringing with him energy and ambition and civilization, attributes which the Indian holds in supreme disdain. For years the few trading companies tried to gain a permanent fcothold among the tribes, but the Indians were wary until the Hudson's Bay Company's men came on, then for the first time a treaty was effected and a permanent trading post es- tablished. This was in 1828. A year or two later the old Fort Walla Walla, whose ruins are yet in evidence, was built.
"Closely following the Hudson's Bay Com- pany came Dr. Whitman, to whom, perhaps, more than to any other single agency belongs the credit of opening up this marvelous valley to civilization. He saw the wonderful natural advantages the valley offered to the home- seeker and it was not long before a tide of im- migation set in which has not yet begun to ebb.
"Fremont also visited the Walla Walla country. His published statements regarding this mountain-girt Eden were widely read, in- teresting thousands and inducing many to find here home and health and wealth.
"So the fame of Walla Walla grew. As the
years have come and gone, the valley has grown fairer and richer and more desirable, and the end is not yet. It already is one of the wealth- iest sections of country of the great Pacific northwest. . With the hands of commerce now reaching out to grasp new fields and to make new gains: with markets constantly opening, the wealth of Walla Walla valley will one day surpass even the dreams of wealth which dazzle the imagination of men. If the state of Wash- ington fufills its manifest destiny, and takes its rightful place among the most important of these United States, certainly ranking fore- most in the Pacific group, a prediction like the alove comes quite within the limits of prob- ability.
"There is no valley in the world which promises more to the home-seeker. Here is beauty, for nothing in nature could be fairer than this valley, stretching away for miles and miles, its green slopes reaching the summits of its mountain wall. its rivers making music as they ripple over the undulating ground.
"On a midsummer day when the fields are bright with their wealth of grain, when the trees hang heavy with fruit, then it is that the valley seems fairly to exult in her beauty, and nature smiles at so rich a harvest. Here also is fertility of soil in a degree almost mar- velous : there seems a magie in the ground, which year after year yields its bounty so free- ly : there are no barren lands. every foot of the millions of acres is productive. So generous has been the hand of nature in this regard that even the slopes of the mountains are available for cultivation. Even here may the farmer sow seed and reap his harvest.
"Here also is a climate than which it were hard to find a better. To the farmer of the east, weary with the heat of many summers, prostrating alike to brain and body, or worn
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with the rigors of succeeding winters, whose Walla valley, and the All-Seeing eye looked bitter, biting cold seems to numb his very vitals, the climate of this valley is the next thing to paradise. It gives him a rarified at- mosphere, which keeps him young. It gives him an equable temperature, which permits him to be comfortable at least for nine months of the year. During the other three, which comprise the few weeks of weather too hot and the few weeks of weather too cold, he may have refuge from the one by flight to the mountains, a few miles distant, where blankets and fire-wood are much in demand. From the other he may have release by the light of his own fireside, from whose warmth and comfort he may view with indifference the snows which briefly fly about its walls, and may listen with complacency to the winds which beat against them.
"It is a significant fact that those who come to the Walla Walla valley to build a home re- main here, and more, they grow rich. This valley is noted for its prosperous farms, its well-to-do people. The whole valley has a look of thrift ; prosperity is written all over its broad acres. To the man of money seeking new fields of investment where profit and sure re- turns are promised, the Walla Walla country offers opportunities unequalled. To the man who seeks a home, to the one whose only cap- ital is his brain or his good right hand. it of- fers a fair chance in the pursuit of all that men find dear. Industry, energy and ambition are alì the capital a man need have : the valley will do the rest."
The following tribute to the "beautiful Walla Walla valley" is reproduced from the edition of the Inland Empire of August, 1900: "When the unerring hand of nature made the fertile hills and beautiful valleys which com- prise the territory now known as the Walla 9
upon them and said they were good. nothing short of infinite wisdom could have made an attempt at telling any thing of the greatness and value to the world which future genera- tions would bring to the seemingly insignificant part of creation. And, even to-day when we look out upon a well developed country, when we see thousands of happy homes and pros- perous farmers and business men, when we behold about us a rising generation of patriotic and energetic young people, and looking toward tlie setting sun we note the opening of a new era of expansion in commerce and new avenues of industry, we have as little real idea of how future years will develop it as had our an- cestors of hundreds of years ago. The past we have seen and heard of, the future is all hidden in mystery and expectation.
"Centuries passed and man in all his wis- dom and enterprising exploration pressed from the banks of Plymouth Rock to the westward across a country peopled by wild men, endur- ing all the hardships of pioneer experience, before the hand of fortune pointed the way to the section of country of which we speak, and almost discouraged with the wilds of the west, the early pioneer could not make up his mind to cast his lot in so lonely a place. But when once he had tested nature and found the fer- tility of the soil. the abundant supply of pure and wholesome water, the balmy climate and beautiful natural surroundings, he changed his mind and remained for a season. Imbued with the fact that he had made no mistake, at the end of the year the sturdy pioneer found him- self more content and the future looked brighter and more promising. Others, of like sturdy natures, came and made friends with him, and -behold the change! Where but yesterday was a vast expanse of hills and valleys, un-
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productive and worthless, to-day were seen the foundations of homes, of firesides and of for- tunes.
"The constant and untiring tread of prog- ress was westward and northward. Yet nature had so set apart from the other portion of the country the little valley that it was not found as readily as some other places, and when found was more isolated and difficult of ap- proach. Surrounded by high mountain ranges, traversed by rivers which, with the means at hand. could not be crossed, the valley was so set apart that its neighbors were beyond the mountains, and must be ever so. Rugged nat- ural conditions made the construction of high- ways and railroads a difficult matter. and at first the progress of the new country was slow and made under great tribulation. But the people came, they saw, they conquered.
"Fifty years ago a band of sturdy soldiers pitched their tents where to-day is the city of Walla Walla. They were sent by the gov- ernment to protect the few white inhabitants from the incursions of the Indians, who abounded in all parts of the valley. The sol- diers were good judges of conditions, and when they found an ideal camping spot there they stopped and waited. The government or- (lered erected a garrison, and soon the busy mechanic was placing together the rough tim- bers which were to constitute the first Fort Walla Walla. The signs of life brought to the place by the new order of things induced men of enterprise and foresight to come and es- tablish themselves in the trade they saw in the new territory. Men came and began to build a city. Year after year they worked, and each recurring twelve-month made great improvements in conditions and in business. The little band of pioneers was strengthened and it grew into a commu-
nity. The community became a village. and the village developed into a town. Then the town became the leading trading place in the whole section of country from which it drew its business, and for hundreds of miles the name of Walla Walla meant the hub of com- merce to the people as fully as New York does to us of this generation.
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