Page:All Over Oregon and Washington.djvu/137

Rh numerous spurs put out in various directions. The best land in Eastern Oregon lies along near the base of this transverse chain of mountains, and in the valleys of the streams flowing from it on either side; the upper portion of these valleys being invariably the best. All the timber of the country—fir, pine, cedar, spruce, and larch—grows on the high mountain ridges, except the mere fringes of cottonwood and willow which border the streams. The Blue Mountains constitute a wall between the Columbia River Basin, to the north, and the Klamath Basin, to the south; hence all the rivers of Eastern Oregon head in these mountains, and flow into the Columbia and Snake rivers, only excepting those in the Klamath Basin, which empty into marshy lakes or sinks. Along these rivers, and about the lakes, there are large tracts of excellent land, suitable for farming. Subtracting from the whole area of Eastern Oregon what may be called the valley lands, the remainder is high, rolling prairie, with a considerable portion of waste, volcanic country in the central and western divisions. The country may be considered well watered throughout, as the streams are numerous, and water is to be found by stock at all seasons of the year. Owing, however, to the elevation of the plains above the beds of the principal streams, irrigation can not be effected, over a large portion of it, unless by artesian wells or by conducting water from the mountains. Such are the general features of that portion of Oregon lying east of the Cascade Mountains.

Attention was first drawn to the fertility of Eastern Oregon, by the population that rushed to the mines in 1861, and the three years immediately following. It became necessary to provide for the consumption of a