Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/225

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224
HISTORY OF OREGON

through the Blue Mountain ridges into the Malheur country. Chief Egan was murdered by Umapine, a Cayuse Indian who, through fear, had espoused the cause of the whites, and the backbone of the uprising was broken. Dividing into smaller bands and following numerous trails the Indians were finally either dispersed or captured. The Piutes, who were the real leaders in the terrific uprising, were mostly captured and removed to the Yakima Indian agency; but they could not be made to accept the ways of civilization, as the Simcoe Indians had done, and after a time were permitted to return to their former home in Northern Nevada.

The Three Climates of Oregon. Oregon possesses nearly every variety of climate found in the Temperate Zone. But it may be said to have three principal climates which vary in moisture and temperature as the regions which they affect rise in altitude or approach the equator and the ocean. These climates are as marked as those of far distant states or of foreign countries; so that men, cattle and horses removed for a sufficient time from one Oregon climate to another are materially affected by the change.

The Coast Climate is that of the region between the Coast Range and the Pacific Ocean. It is the most humid climate in the State. The atmosphere of the Coast Climate is heavily charged with vapor much of which is lost in rainfall before it is carried over the Coast Range. After crossing the Coast Range a vast number of straggling clouds float over the valleys and frequently are resolved into fog. Others expend their substance in dew, rain and snow until they become light enough to sweep over the greater heights of the Cascade Mountains to water the region farther east. Because this region is the upland section of Oregon, we may speak of its climate as the Highland Climate. As the atmosphere between the Coast Range and the Cascades is less humid than that of the Coast Climate, but more humid than