Dry Wheat Farming

Up above the Columbia River, on the plateaus, are enormous wheat fields. These fields need no irrigation; I think because the basalt rock that they are atop holds moisture. The wheat fields are about 3000' elevation above the river. Back in the early 1900's, there was a tram and sluices by which the wheat would go down chutes to the river below. At the river, men would gather the wheat into large bags and then sew the bags up and load them onto paddle wheel boats.

The plateau feels like big sky country. I often hike several thousand feet to the plateau above the river as a conditioning hike. I look at the lonely farms and wonder how people found this place in the first place. How did they figure out they could farm up there? How is it to live up on a plateau?