The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., March 24, 1911, page 1

GLENWOOD BOOSTER DAY
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Want Short Road Made Connecting with North Yakima for Scenic Auto Highway --
Banquet and Speech Making in Evening

     Saturday was Booster Day at Glenwood. The Club held an afternoon session for the consideration of matters affecting of the prairie and the town. In the evening a banquet was held at the Glenwood hotel, a chicken feast, to which about twenty-five sat down, including J. L. Sutherland of White Salmon and the publisher of the Enterprise.

THE BANQUET

     At the proper time Toastmaster A.P. Gordon flourished his napkin, made a neat little speech about the newly organized Club, after which he felicitously called on different ones for remarks. J.L. Sutherland, the "White Salmon Spirit;" F.G. Dunnicliff, "The Press in Publicity Work;" Capt. Mitchell, "Camas Scenery;" Wm. Kuhnhausen, "Pioneering;" Mrs. McAllister, "Glenwood Ladies' Auxiliary." Others who responded were Messers. McAllister, Timmerman, Rev. Haynes, F. Sorenson. Mr. Kuhnhausen made a very significant statement, saying that some of the Glenwood people were too inclined to believe that White Salmon was knocking the country, and believed the stories about this adverse criticism were not based on fact, that quite the reverse is nearer the fact. The remarks of the Glenwood speakers were witty, right to the point and indicated an enthusiasm for development. Following of the banquet a public meeting was held at the hall, where addresses were made by the men from White Salmon, both along lines of further development.

AUTO ROAD

     Some of the things that the Glenwood Club have in mind are; Saturday half holidays, when games will be played, picnics held, and other stunts pulled off; a district fair; the opening of ten miles of road north of Glenwood to connect with the road to North Yakima, the intention of being to make a continuous auto road from that city to White Salmon. It is a good scheme, for it would, indeed, afford motorists a delightful drive through some of the finest scenery in the Northwest.
     Glenwood is a little village at the north end of Camas prairie and is about thirty miles from White Salmon. The drive to that place is a delightful one in summer, taking you up in the valley proper, through Husum, around Oakridge, through immense fir trees of the Mt. Adams property, dropping into the pretty Gilmer Valley, from which you climb to the summit, dropping from there by easy stages, till you emerge from the timber and stretching out before you is Camas prairie, a flat tract of land about ten miles long and four wide. Enclosing it are fir and pine-covered hills, Mt. Adams pushing its granite white dome upwards from the timber to the height of 12,400 feet. It appears to be only a mile or two away, but it is 20 miles to the snow line. Sweeping around to the north are the Simcoes, between which and Glenwood is the Klickitat River and great the belts of valuable timber. All around the prairie are ranch homes built in the timber, their meadows extending into the flat, for the chief yield is timothy and wild hay with some of the acreage in wheat and oats. Dairying is quite and industry and some of the farmers have fine herds of cattle. About sixty families are tributary to Glenwood, most of whom are in comfortable circumstances, several of them rich.
     At the present writing the prairie is an underwater, appearing like a vast lake with rail fences tracing the boundary lines of the various holdings. A movement for the drainage of the flats, or Conboy Lake proper, in the upper end, has resulted in an order by the court for drainage. Certain of the ranchers have held that drainage will damage them to a certain extent and this week a jury is considering the claims for damage, and assessing the benefits of drainage. Commissioners Murray, Bertschi and Skelley and a large number of the renters are in attendance. With drainage a lot more of the rich black loam will be made productive.

IRRIGABLE TRACT

     To the left of the prairie, from Laurel up, is a timbered bench of several thousand acres of sandy loam susceptible of irrigation, for within a stone's throw, apparently, are the great glaciers of Mt. Adams melting away into various streams, one of which is Hell Roaring Canyon, able to furnish all the water that this tract would require. Some of the farmers own the water site, but have been given W.R. King, of the Klickitat Development Co., now operating at "Camp Mysterious," four miles north of Glenwood, a ten-days option. It is only a question of time before capitalists will see the possibilities of this irrigable tract and get busy. This, with the coming of a railway, the North Coast having a survey along the west of the prairie, and an electric line contemplated from the White Salmon end -- will make this end of Klickitat County one of the best in the state.
     Glenwood has two stores, bank, two hotels, sawmill, church, creamery, lodges, blacksmith shop, liverery, and is an outfitting point for the sheep herders of Eastern Oregon and Washington on the long trail to and from the Forest Reserve. It Development League has been recently organized, H.R. Murray, president and A.P. Gordon, secretary, and F.R. Sorrenson, treasurer.

FULDA AND LAUREL

     At the southeast corner of the prairie is Fulda postoffice, where they also have a booster club, of which Mr. Skelley is secretary. One of the requirements of membership in this Club is naming the ranch and posting the same. A cheese factory is located near here. At the lower west corner is Laurel, 24 miles from White Salmon. Here A.E. Peek has about 1800 acres of land, most of most of which is heavy, merchantable timber, part of a belt stretching it clear to Mt. Adams. A town site has been platted, the foundation laid for a sawmill, a creamery company organized and an imported Belgian purchased at a cost of over $2000 for the improvement of horses. This, too, is an enchantingly pretty spot. Mr. Peek says they are not worrying about the railway, for it is bound to come. The booster club at this place is having the Enterprise office get them out 5,000 16-page booklets for advertising purposes. Mr. Peek is playing an important part in the development of Camas prairie, and impresses a person as a man not given to undertaking anything he does not intend to see through to a successful finish.
     The ranchers of Camas are justified in the pride which they take in their beautiful and productive little valley so new uniquely set in the midst of the mountains. Here is where the painters brush would have ample scope, where the poet would revel, the story teller find rich material for a book, the dairyman a bonanza, and the railway substantial revenue.

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©  Jeffrey L. Elmer