Page:All Over Oregon and Washington.djvu/148

142 Following down the Des Chutes, we cross several creeks coming into it. One of these, Tyghe Creek, falls into this river at a point where the canyon it flows through is more than a thousand feet in depth. From Tyghe Creek it is thirty-five miles to the Columbia. Not far below the entrance of the creek, the road from Dalles to Canyon City crosses the Des Chutes. While here we are almost abreast of Mount Hood, and spread out on every hand is a landscape of wonderful impressiveness and extent.

Dalles is the county-seat of Wasco County. Its population is between 700 and 800, while that of the county is 2,489. The proportion of its urban to its suburban population shows the greater number of people engaged in agriculture and stock-raising; for Wasco County has no towns except Dalles. There are four saw-mills in this county, and one large flouring-mill at Dalles; a woolen-mill—not in operation at present; and extensive machine-shops, as mentioned elsewhere.

A railroad is projected, to begin at a point on the Union Pacific, and following up Ham's Fork of Green River, and along Bear River to the nearest point on the Snake River; to follow the Snake Valley down to the Immigrant-crossing; through the mining counties of Eastern Oregon, and so on to Dalles City, on the Columbia. There are many arguments in favor of this route to the great river thoroughfare of Oregon. Such a road would inevitably be continued to the Wallamet Valley, and form connection with the Northern Pacific to Puget Sound. Cheap transportation is the great want of the whole upper country. High prices for labor and for all the commodities of life must prevail, when $30, coin, is the price of transporting one ton of