The Oregonian, Portland, OR., June 8, 1913, section 5, page 8

SCENERY AND FERTILE SOIL MAKE GARDEN SPOT FOR TROUT LAKE FOLK
Chris Guler, Retired Upbuilder of District and Typical Type of Residents of Wealthy Region Guarded by Mount Adams, Expounds Country to Visitors -- Camas Prairie Does Not Lag in Progress

HOOD RIVER, Or. -- (Special) -- Twenty-five years ago a Swiss immigrant was lured by the promise of opportunities to be had in the vast North Coast country of America to the state of Washington. "A longing filled my breast for the mountains of my native land," says Chris Guler, the name of the youth ______ from the little Alpine state, "but the guardian angel must have been guiding me, for I was led straight to the Trout Lake Valley, where the hoary ______ of old Mount Adams and the natural meadows of the little valley, so like those of Switzerland, over which I had roamed, captivated me, and I knew that I had reached the end of my journeys." Chris Guler with his meager savings purchased a tract of land from E.L. Smith, who had discovered this district in Northwestern Klickitat County during his early exploration trips. Mr. Smith and his family in the early days of the Mid-Columbia region were accustomed to pass weeks of each summer in the cabin he had erected there. The roads were poor then and the land was sold cheaply, Mr. Guler paying down a small part of the purchase price and immediately beginning the task of earning the balance from tilling the soil.

MAN BECOMES WEALTHY

The country whereabouts is fertile, and a short time ago Mr. Guler disposed of his holdings for approximately $20,000, after having made a snug fortune from the mountain hotel which he erected on the banks of the beautiful Trout Creek, with Trout Lake but a quarter of a mile away. No district of the scenic Northwest bears a greater charm to those who have chanced to penetrate the Souther nWashington country than does the little valley of Trout Lake, and every year persons who have beheld the shimmering peak of Mount Adams reflected in the glassy waters of the lake make pilgrimages to the hostelry, and Chris Guler has become known throughout all the Northwestern cities. Though he has retired with a snug income and is now a patron of the hotel of which he was formerly landlord, he is never happier than when escorting some old friend over the scenic country that he has come to know like the pages of a favorite book.

RELATIVES SWISS GUIDES

Mr. Guler comes from a family of Alpine guides, and one of his brothers now wears decorations from the Swiss Alpine Club for feats of mountaineering performed on the Matterhorn and other noted peaks of the Swiss Alps, and when one first visits Trout Lake a pleasant part of the journey will have been missed if he fails to witness the wonderful ice caves and lava flumes and the charming nooks in the vicinity in the company of the picturesque pioneer. "Some day we folks over here will begin to raise apples," Mr. Guler will tell a visitor while looking at the entrance to the "Butter" cave, one of the caverns where great icicles form the year round and where in the days of one of the valley's early ceremonies the product was placed in storage, "and we will have it all over those fellows from Hood River and Yakima. We won't have to build cold storage warehouses, but can place our fruit in our endless caves. If the market is not good, we can let it remain until the prices mount, and then sell."

CAVES NATURAL STORAGE VAULTS

The many caves seem to form perfect natural storage. Stories are told of a rancher, Charles Pierson, who placed several bags of potatoes in one of the caverns. The tubers were forgotten and two Summers and two winters were allowed to pass before they were discovered. One bag of them was eaten by the different families, who declare that they were as good as new potatoes. Another was planted, and a prolific crop was harvested. A maze of these grottoes is found in the region. Scientists who have visited the district, after investigations, have declared that all the bottom of the valley, now fertile and productive, once was a mass of seething molten lava from an early volcano. Huge bubbles formed in the hot liquid and as the mass cooled, formed the caves. One of the most inspiring of the natural wonders of the Trout Lake district is the "Sleeping Beauty." Off to the West of the valley is a clear-cut profile and bust of a woman reclining, her head pillowed among the garlands of wild flowers in Summer or on the white down of the deep snow in the Winter months. The profile is formed by a jagged cliff that rises abruptly from the surrounding country, while the bust is made by a range of the hills, four miles West.

FORMATION BEAUTIFUL SIGHT

One can look at the "Sleeping Beauty" by the hour and never tire, and a vivid imagination can build wonderful dreams as to possible legends of the gigantic formation. The "Sleeping Beauty' is a maid of the mists when clouds sweep around her head, while in Winter, Boreas woos her and wraps and tucks the mantle of deep snow more closely around her. In the Springtime, the blossoming shrubs, the wild phlox and the bright red of the Indian paint brush make bouquets for Nature's Titan monument, while in the Autumn, the frosts fall on the leaves and help to weave another garment of the most vivid hues. On clear days, Trout Lake's surface, when unruffled by any breeze, becomes a mirror and reflects the surrounding mountains, the giant pines and firs and every bush that borders its edge. The little inland body of water is formed by the flow of Trout Creek spreading over a low level stretch of the country. The water is not deep at any place, rushes and water lilies grow in profusion far out from the banks. Experts agree that in all the Northwest there is no place more suited for trout breeding, and the thousands of fish that one may see making the surface boil, like a bubbling spring on a late evening, is a confirmation of the declaration.

DISTRICT IS PRODUCTIVE

Yet the district is not all mere scenery; for no region is more productive, and one is impressed by the note of prosperity in the atmosphere. Big barns are on every hand. The trees have been cleared away from the central portion of the valley, and the fields wave with clover, alfalfa and barley, and big herds of dairy cows graze over the pasture land. A co-operative creamery is kept busy daily turning the cream from about 500 cows into butter. Last year ranchers there received an average of 34 cents a pound for butter fat. Many hogs are also raised. The abundance of water is one of the elements that make the district so desirable for dairying. Two irrigation systems furnish free water to the ranchers. No assessment is raised, but each rancher donates a few days' work each year toward the maintenance of the ditches. No expensive flumes are needed because of the level character of the district and the gentle slope. One of the most recent settlers of the district is B.R. Richter, who formerly was manager of a big wholesale mercantile company in Chippewa Falls, Wis. Mr. Richter purchased 365 acres of the best farming land there last year and is devoting his energies to scientific dairying. He recently imported 24 thoroughbred Holstein cows from Elgin, Ill. His home lacks no modern convenience, for a spring in a little canyon above his residence furnishes running water for house and barn and drives a dynamo, which generates light for every building and motive power for all farm machinery.

CAMAS PRAIRIE PROGRESSING

Sixteen miles east of Trout Lake another district, Camas Prairie, bears evidence of progress during the past several years. Here the citizens have formed a drainage district and dug a huge canal to carry away the waters of Conboy Lake that formerly covered the most fertile land during a greater part of the year. As in Trout Lake, the Camas Prairie ranchers reap the greatest return from dairying. They established a co-operative creamery last Fall. The company is manufacturing butter from more than 400 cows, and this number will be increased as fast as new herds can be procured by the ranchers. Charles R. Spencer, a banker of White Salmon, who has a branch of his institution at the last named place at Glenwood, the largest settlement of the Camas country, is aiding in the work of creating an interest in dairying, and during the past year has imported several carloads of registered animals which were sold to the farmers on easy payments. No stranger is allowed to leave the Trout Lake or Camas Prairie regions without being impressed with the desire of the residents there to have a railroad system penetrate their fertile fields. A branch line from White Salmon has been talked of for several years. However, because of the cost of constructing such a line through the rugged ranges that lie between, it is more likely that a line will be extended at an earlier date from one of the Eastern Washington districts. One often finds many of the older settlers content with life as they now find it. Although transportation facilities to and from railroad stations are not the best, the roads are constantly are being made better and automobile stages make the distances comparatively short. Trout Lake is 28 miles from White Salmon, while Glenwood is a little more than 32 miles from the city. A number of oldtimers protest against the coming of the railroad, and declare that the invasion of the lines of steel rails will spoil their rustic charm and quiet contentment. Indeed peace and plenty reigns in the wonderlands as they are today.

This article also includes photographs of:

Mount Adams from Trout Lake Valley
Guler Hotel in Trout Lake Valley
Mount Adams from Trout Lake
Lava Cave in Trout Lake Valley
Drainage Canal in Camas Prairie
The "Sleeping Beauty" & West End of Trout Lake Valley
A Thoroughbred Dairy Herd
Ice Cave southwest of Mount Adams
New home in Camas Prairie

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©  Jeffrey L. Elmer