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The Klickitat County Agriculturist, Goldendale, WA., May 22, 1909, page 4

BINGEN
(Observer)

Bingen on the Columbia, is being known from the fact that is the Entrance Gate to the Famous White Salmon Valley and the more stories and prevaricating stories that are spread to injure it, the faster it will grow. The fact that influence has been brought to bear on the railroad officials to ignore and misname it; the fact that strangers are told that it is a malaria, fever-stricken place; the fact the Post Office Department has been made to believe it is a cross corner way station, the fact that passengers traveling by river are told that it is nothing but a mud flat, will erelong redound to its benefit.
When a stranger who has been told these things take time to investigate for himself, he is dumbfounded. He finds one of the most beautiful town sites on the Columbia river, or elsewhere for that matter, that can be imagined. Sheltered on the north, and the east by the high bluffs, and on the west by a growth of timber while the south is open to the river, making a season almost summer, when within a mile 500 feet above it, the sun glitters on the snow. It has a gentle slope from the bluffs to the river, making natural drainage, and where stagnant pools of water cannot stand, making it impossible for malaria to exist.
The country tributary to Bingen is fast being cut up into five and ten acre lots and planted to fruit trees, hundreds of acres having been set out this spring. This means that five years our population will more than doubled, and our products for export will be simply immense.
For those seeking homes the country tributary to Bingen offers many advantages, and most any one will find a location to suit his particular ideal of a home. A short synopsis of the country is here given.
Camas Prairie is a large mountain meadow, about 24 miles north of Bingen, at the foot of Mount Adams, situated at an altitude of about 1900 feet. The meadow will average about three miles wide by ten miles long. The uplands surrounding it are very rich and partly irrigated. A large irrigating ditch is now under construction which will put many acres of rich upland into irrigation. Dairying, cattle and haying are the main products. There is one co-operative creamery and several individual ones. The butter and cheese of this valley is the choicest of its kind and find a ready market. The beef cattle are fattened on the mountain ranges in the forest reserves. The mountains and hills surrounding the valley are covered with the choicest fir and pine. Glenwood, the trading point, has two stores, a hotel and sawmill. Fulda and Laurel are smaller places, and Bingen is the main shipping point for the valley.
That Trout Lake valley, about 25 miles north of here, at the confluence of Trout Lake creek and the White Salmon river, is at an altitude of about 2000 feet. The valley is mostly under irrigation, and the rich soil produces immense crops of red clover and nearly all other farm products. There is one a co-operative creamery, producing the choicest butter and cheese. Cream is also shipped to Portland. Trout Lake a pretty body of water near Guler, and also the well known summer resort, and not far distant are the famous ice and lava caves, a natural wonder. The hills and mountains surrounding, are covered by an untouched forest of the fir and pine.
Gilmer Valley, Rattlesnake Valley and Husum are all in the White Salmon River Valley, at an altitude of from 500 to 1500 feet will assuredly be the garden spot of the state of Washington. The country is rolling, with deep soil, composed mostly of volcanic ashes, producing the famous Spitzenberg apples which were awarded the grand prize at the Spokane Fruit exhibit in 1908, and which are sought after by the leading fruit dealers in the country to ship to the eastern markets as far as Chicago and New York.
At Husum is located the Husum Electric light and Power Company whose plant is rapidly nearing completion and will be in operation soon, furnishing light and power for Bingen and the intervening towns. The climate in this section is unsurpassed.
The settlers of Snowden, Bristol and Pine Flat on the plateau of the mountain range between White Salmon river and Klickitat River at an altitude of about 1500 to 1800 feet, is well adapted to diversified farming, also produces the finest merchantable apples, and large apple orchards have been planted.
The climate of this garden spot of the state is pleasant and healthful. The sudden changes from hot to cold, or dry to wet so conductive to sickness in the eastern states is unknown here. Rarely does the temperature get above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in summer or 20 in winter. The mean average temperature in the month of January is 30 degrees and in July, 78. A case of sunstroke or prostration by heat has never been known. But little dew gathers at night and camping or sleeping in the open is attended by no danger. Thunder and lightning are rare, and cyclones, blizzards, floods and drought are unknown. The mountain air blows from the forests of fir and pine, and it is a specific for malaria and bronchial afflictions. There is an abundance of pure water which comes from springs having have their origin in the snow clad tops of the Cascades and Mt. Adams, and after filtering through a volcanic and gravel formation, comes forth pure, soft and cool, entirely free from alkali and harmful mineral substances.
Such is a short synopsis of the country that is tributary to Bingen. In regard to schools, in which every newcomer is vitally interested, we can only say that the school system of the State of Washington is not surpassed by any state in the union. The smallest school district in the county offers the same advantages as the more populace cities, according to grade. In this respect Bingen is forging ahead. The work of building a fine school building to cost $6000 is progressing, which will be fitted up with all of the modern ideas and necessary appliances for the carrying on of school work.
Men with capital who were looking for a location to start an industry or for a mercantile pursuit, or for families who want a home, in town or country, will look a long way before they will find a better location then in Bingen or Western Klickitat.
The slogan, "all roads lead to Bingen" is literally true. Just as the transportation facilities, -- the rail and water - make Bingen the Entrance Gate to the Famous Fruit Belt, the White Salmon Valley, so do all the roads from the valley lead to the town. This is a natural sequence that must be carried out. It will always be a distributing point for Western Klickitat. If any industries are to be established in the future in this section, no business man or man of capital are going to locate away from transportation facilities unless for some of extraordinary reason, or that their manufactured product is of purely local demand. It may be said that all the roads at the present time are not in excellent condition, but they are being made as fast as time and money can do it but they can all be traveled and heavy loads are being hauled over them every day.
The Fourth of July is stated to arrive this year as usual, only it falls on Sunday. How will Bingen celebrate, and on what date? We must make some kind of a noise to recognize the anniversary of our nation's birth.
J.A. Henderson of this place, made the first shipment of strawberries to Portland on Monday, this season. This was followed on Tuesday by others by parties whose name we did not learn. The berries are were fine ones, but every day will market an improvement.
James Christenson of Camas Prairie, was in town on Wednesday, bringing several hundred pounds of butter which he shipped to The Dalles.
Charles Moore, of Trout Lake came into town Wednesday, with eight hundred pounds of butter which he shipped to Portland.
John Workman was here this week to look into the proposition of getting in a planer and box factory. His time was limited, but expressed himself as being satisfied with the location, and will return in a couple of weeks and make a definite proposition.