CHAPTER V 



ARID WASHINGTON AND OREGON 



To speak of Washington and Oregon as belonging to 

 the arid region is to challenge popular belief, which re- 

 gards these as lands of extensive rainfall. Even in the 

 Far West it is customary to speak of Oregonians as 

 " Webfeet," on account of the dampness of their cli- 

 mate. The fact is that there is rain enough in Oregon, 

 as there is wealth enough in New York, but that it is 

 not well distributed. 



The annual precipitation along the coast of these 

 States ranges from sixty to one hundred and twenty 

 inches, and is the heaviest in the United States. In 

 the Pngct Sound region, which is cut off from the coast- 

 line by a range of mountains, the rainfall is less, but 

 still so heavy as to make the climate distinctly humid. 

 The bulk of settlement has been in the extreme west, 

 and this fact accounts for the reputation of the country 

 as one of excessive rainfall. Nevertheless, about two- 

 thirds of these great States belong indisputably to the 

 arid region, and can only sustain a dense population 

 with the aid of irrigation. The singular contrast pre- 

 sented by such marked climatic differences is due to the 

 Cascade mountains, which form a barrier running north 

 and south, intercepting the moisture from the Pacific 



