THE OREGON
MIST
vol. xxvur. ' " -j
r ST. IlELEKOllEGOy, FRIDAY, BEPTEMBEIl 10, 1909. NO. 42.
-r-
COLUMBIA COUNTY, OREGON
An Undeveloped Region Abounding in Natural Wealth-Good Homes
for Homesters and Good Wages for Competent Men
bplendtd Opportunities for Capital
A county possessing a river! and Portland,
a t.'istaneo of 30
froi.tagon Ui touiii. ,i r over hnil.., being 25 and f,o cent ,
wv-Mty;flv miles, with railroad- between l'ortlan.l A,i Ast Ha I
paralellii.g the fiver for tlm en- distance of 100 mile ,t,mit ! r.,?
ro distance .with te .lull..... feet Farmer, will at one, umlmtan 1
of me nesi aiainiing i.mocr in
the world, with excellent iron
(,rc in unlimited , quantity,
with riml, marl, Ami other
mineral, ami pottery elay, and
with a xoil ami climate unit
able to tlm nhumlaiit production
of the vegetable ami fruit of the
temperate one, ami with all these
resource practically undevelop
ed, border within seventeen mile,
of the site of the city of Portland,
and invite the attention of tlm
thousand of homo seeker and
capitalist who are daily passing
through it gate. Tho climat of
this favored region ia mild and
equable, tho death rate, milling
accident excepted, lieing leu
tlniii four to tha thousand; and
ii. i npot on earth i morn desirable
f..r one who deainu to combine
prosperity and longevity. Noth
ing m gamed in an article of tlm
rharaetrr ly exaggeration. ta
object h to secure Iniliiigratioii of
the heller cla and to attract the
attention of thoKU who have it in
their (tower to develop uur imlu
tnm by establishing new indilrt-
trie and thereby increasing the
opportunities for tin employment
of labor, elearing away our fur-
ami making n possible or
worthy ainl industrious people to
make huiiicn upon the denuded
litM.li. Thin I a heavily timbered
remit ry, Jet throughout it length
and breath there are favored spoU
where small eleariligH ean he eas
ily made and home ctahlihcd.
The writer ha in mind many in
l Jin. in of men who eaiue here in
the early day and have Kteadily
luck to the ami. They have stif-fr-d
deprivation of omc of the
luxuries of wealth ami what
Illicit be thought hv aome a
higher eivjlialion, but they have
r.mel ami ediieated their families
and in their old ag they are pos-n-iie
I of good homes, surrounded
With school house, churches,
p.'t offices, tele.huiie ami tele
graph line, rural mail routes, and
all tin' neei'twnrie of eomfort and
culture, and they have enough of
tin Mull. I 'a goods to keep them
the balance of their liven and
leave something to their children.
Tlu-y have done well-better, in
nil probability than they could
have done in the F.astcrn or Euro
pean home. Hut the difficulties
they have encountered and over
come do not confront the home
builder of today, and the man who
Ric into tho woods to clear up a
iiiriu out of the attimp will not
have tu wait o loi.g for hia re-
ward ai hnd the sturdy pioneer
wliii came here hv ox team when
tlie sliiles of Illiiiom and Indiana
w.re but thinly settled ami he
fore the dnv of the transcontinen
tal railroad, A the deeemling
Miowhull grow with ever greater
proportionate rapidity o it de
scends, until it overcome every
thing in it path, so it i with the
inarch of progress in thin western
land. .Momentum ha hcen attain
ed and from now on progress will
l' made at ho rapid a rate as to
bring the quickest return for
every investment of lalmr or capi
ll. The tiino ha i"mo when the
Katcway of tho Orient will receive
'' attention of capital. Our lum
ber, our coal, iron, fruit, dairy
product, mid all tho Article of
'"'d and manufacture ean he rai
K made, and ahipped from hero
to better advantage and with
Jtrcfttep profit to tho producer than
'"mi any other portion of tho
enmpeting world. Wo offer you
'"clip land, river and rail trans
portation, an unlimited market,
"d a climato unexcelled in all tho
World. It will eoat you but very
"ttl to investigate, and every
where you will find men upon
whose word yon enn rely.
"iiai an immense advantage thin
give ii over interior eountiea,
where there in no river competi
lion and tho railroad tax tho pro
ducer moro than doublo our
rate, 'fhi natural advantage
cannot be taken from u no long
u the gravity of the earth canae
water to run down hill.
Portland, the inetropoli of the
Northweat, with a population of
two hundred thousand, in but
thirty mile from St. Helena, the
county aeat of Columbia county,
and afford a market for our pro
duct all the year, and also up
pliea a large portion of the mer
ehamlise lined by our merchant
Bud farmer. It i a city with a
year by year tho demand for it
for that purpose increase. Many
oven twelve feet in diameter, but
of the tree measure eight, ten and
they are not ho desirable for saw
ing purpose a those of more
moderate ai.e. Tho cedar fur
nishes timber for finishing and for
furniture maker. Tho cedar is
also used in vast quuntitiea for
shingles, which aro manufactured
by a large number of exclusively
shingle mill am shipped to east
ern market to supply a growing
demand.
The dairy industry is confined
mainly to the bottom land of the
Columbia river district, although
dairy produce is marketed from
the valley of the interior, and
especially of late years this in
dustry ha assumed largo propor
tion in the Nehujcm valley. Sev
eral dairies along tho river front!
of tho county. Those are the ce
lebrated Columbia river Chinook
salmon, considered to be tho best
of tho salmon tribe. After being
cuught at different points they
aro collected by el.ictric launches
and taken to the canneries on the
lower river or to the immense cold
storage plants, wnere they are
canned or frozen, and thence
transported to the markets of the
world. So important is this in
dustry considered that a great
portion of the time of the Oregon
legislature is taken up in passing
fish legislation, a great deal of
which is worse than useless. Fish
ing in an attractive occupation, as
a good outfit ean be purchased for
about $400, and the returns are
sometimes quite large, though not
infrequently the season proves a
disappointment, and the man who
has invested his small means and
his labor, finds at the end of the
season that he has very little to
show.
"Work at good wages is plenti
ful in Columbia county, and the
young man who comes here with afPeen
fixed purpose to succeed and
bends his energies to the accom
plishment of that purpose, never
fails, and we can point to numbers
of men who came here fifteen or
twenty years ago penniless, who
are now among our oubstatial citi
zens; but the great need of the
cate his children without constant
worry regarding the cost: when
he is made to understand that all
these advantages are within the
compass of his individual energy
and intelligent effort, the honest,
sober, indastrious citizen will hes
itate no longer regarding the ad
visability of a permanent settle
ment in the country where nature
is so kindly to those who know
how to compel her best product."
If you wish to come to Columbia
county to investigate after you ar-
rive at 1'ortland, yon wul find the
trip a pleasant one and it will cost
but very little. Take the Colum
bia River It. R. to any town on
the river front, or, if your hurry
is not too great, take one of the
numerous river steamers sand en
joy a ride down the great Colum
bia to your destination. There in
vestigate for yourself. There are
plenty of reliable citizens who
will give you correct information,
but they could do that by
letter, and you should come to
see for yourself all that is to be
From a recent publication we re
produce the following:
The Climate.
The Columbia is a river of the
north, and the lines of latitude
from this region touch the ex
treme north of Maine, yet here
Topography and SoiL
This is not a mountainous coun
ty; there are no mountain peaks
and the general elevation is but a
few hundred feet above the river.
Along the river are some tide-
lands, a little level higher up, then
a line of abrupt hills facing the
river, and back of these low roll
ing hills, with brooks and basins
sloping hillsides and rounded hill
tops, all easily traversed and very
picturesque, and here and there
some fine little valleys. In the
interior is one extensive valley,
the Nehalem, but the country, as
a whole, is made up of hill slopes
and low ridges, rarely too steep
for cultivation, and providing
from a thousand points a charm
ing landscape.
The drainage is almost perfect,
Nearly a score of small rivers and
creeks intersect the county, all liv
ing streams are of pure, clear wa
ter, fed by unfailing springs. A
better watered region cannot be
found. The larger streams are
subject to the ocean tides and
these is no serious overflow, the
Columbia rarely leaving its banks
and then covering only a few
acres with bank water.
The soil is a clay loam, some
what mixed with sand in places.
sometimes light and porous, and
with a dark clay subsoil. It ab
sorbs moisture well, and does not
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COLUMBIA COUNTY COURT HOUSE.
Location.
Tho location of Columbia conn
Jy m tho most advantageous on
no mnp of Oregon. Tho. Colum
hia river is the Missiasinpi of the
'ifie slopo, and on It bosom
'"mts tlm commnrco of all nations
J" 'rlh, which comn hero largely
',,r the iiroduets that cannot bo
""Pi-lied elsowhero. This great
water eoiirso is parallelled by a
fftilrimd from 0 g0ft oonst t0
'''nlnnd, mid theroforo transpor
rales, through rivor and
" 1 iMpctition, is very reason
8,)U'i Hio faro between St. Ilolens
prosperous present and a magnifi
cent future, being the natural sup
ply point and railroad center of
the treat Northwest. I here are
ten steamers plying daily between
1'oitlaml and Columbia county
points, all touching at St. Helens,
besides the regular train of the
Northern Pacific railroad.
Astoria at the mouth of the Co
lumbia river, a city of 10,001) in
habitants, afford an excellent
market for lumber, hay, butter
and beef produced in the western
part of Columbia county, to which
it is tributary. Thus it will he seen
Hint, for transiHirfatiim facilities
and a choice of markets the pnsi
lion of this county cannot well be
surpassed.
One of the principal causes of
die lurue immigration to l alitor
uia during the pt few years has
been the supposed mildness of tho
climate, and yet it ran bo safely
said that in this respect Columbia
county, Oregon, is far superior to
hiiv iiart of California, lor, wnuo
it may bo a trillo colder in win
ter, the summer heat is not near so
oppressive. Hero tno gras
green throughout tho year and
severe drought is not known.
Our Industries.
Chief among tho industries of
Columbia, county aro sawmuimg,
i .lnipviiiff and fishing. Hi"
count v contains a largo number of
sawmill, varying in rapacity
from 15.000 to 150,000 feet per
daw This industry is yet in its
infancy, and will in time employ
thousand where now ""
deeds aro cnRnKfll. The timber is
I ho very best in the world, con
sist ing of spruce, cedar and fir
tho latter being famous tho wovhl
over lor its size, slrenglh and d ir
aliilitw N' bettor timber than
Oregon fir, says nn eminent wri
ter, was over put into a sh.p, and
are operating with from forty to
eighty cows the year round, and
the product of cream, butter, veal
and hogs finds a ready market in
Portland, with cheap transporta
tion both ways. Dairying is nn
industry that is destined to in
crease rapidly as the country, im
proves and tho soil placed in a
good state of cultivation. Indeed,
it is not disputed that dairying
has, in past yeiuw, been one of our
most profitable industries, and
while other lines of industry have
fluctuated, dairy produce has com
manded a fair price with a steady
market, and it possesses the ad
vantage of enriching instead of
impoverishing tho soil.
Fruit of all kinds, except those
varieties peculiarly adapted to a
tropical climate, is grown iu
abundance here. Particularly is
our soil adapted to apple-raising,
and large quantities of our prunes
find readv sale in the markets of
i he world'. Recently the growing
of English walnuts has attracted
considerable attention, and it has
been fully demonstrated that they
can be made a profitable crop
here, the quality being superior
to tho California English walnut,
which has long been a staple ar
ticle of commerce. Successful ex
periments have also been made
with tho Italian chestnut, and, in
fact, it is being rapidly demon
strated that our soil and climate
n n.innied to the perfect growth
of all tho fruits and vegetables of
tho temperate zono.
Ono of tho prominent industries
which furnishes remunerative em
ployment for a large number of
men during the season is salmon
f!.,i.;, The nriee raid tho fish
ermen this year is five cents for
fish under twenty-fivo pounds and
six cents per pound for all over
iilf ;,n This industry is carriod
on along tho entiro water front
county is capital. AVe want men the grass grows green all the year
ot large and ot moderate means. ' and roses bloom in the open until
Great projects are awaitiug devel
opment. Ihe waste and destruc
tion of the Russo Japanese war
will make a market for vast
amounts of structural iron, rails
and timber, and the manufactur
ers who establish themselve in Co
lumbia county, Oregon, will have
a great advantage in competing
for tho Oriental trade over their
less favored competitors else
where, for here they will have the
advantage of raw material at
their door, a decreased distance
over a peaceful ocean, cheap fuel,
abundant waterpower for the gen
eration of electricity, and a cli
mate that never interposess the
delay and hindrances of a rigor
ous winter,
As Others See Us.
Tho San Francisco Bulletin con
tained the following regarding the
Oregon climate and soil: "There
are thousands of American citi
zens wearing their hands to the
bone upon the stony fields of New
England or the clay benches of
the Alleghenies endeavoring to
feed their babies and keep a shin
gle between their little heads and
the storm, who, with the same
capital, with less labor and with
far pleasanter surroundings as to
climato, scenery and markets,
would readily accumulate a com
petency in western Oregon. When
tho homeseeker has satisfied him
self that the soil and climate of
western Oregon aro superior to
thot of any other with which he
has been hitherto familiar; when
ho has ascertained that tho crops
aro larger and the profits surer;
when ho finds that it is easier to
procure the luxuries in this land
than to lay hold of tho necessities
in other regions ; when it is proved
to him that he will be able to edu-
the Christmas holidays. The se
cret is hidden either with the
Japan current which carries a
warm river 400 miles wide
through the Pacific ocean, or the
southwest wind which blow from
the far off region of perpetual
warmth. Experts refer tho win
terless climate nowadays to the
winds, and because they brought
warmth into the heart of the win
ter calendar, and blew over a
camp of Chinook Indians near the
mouth of tho Columbia, these
southwest winds were early call
ed "Chinook" and today mean
molting snow and comfort even in
Idaho.
These soft southwest winds are
the great feature of the Pacific
northwest, and if with them come
rainy days, the rain means green
meadows, pasture all the year,
and unfailing crops. The rain
fall is not excessive and in amount
does not exeeed that of the gulf
coast of Mississippi and Louisi
ana, and is not so great as several
other states in the union. There
are a good many rainy days, but
the ram does not "pour.'
One of the villages in this coun
ty is called "Mist" and the Ore
gon rain is often called mist, so
gently does it come. Fields are
not washed; hillsides not gulled;
land is not washed by erosion, and
work is not stopped by the rain
fall. Early summer may have
showers, but harvest time is with
out rain or clouds. During Sep
tember of the present year there
were but two rainy days. The
people themselves are the best evi
dences of the healthfulness of the
climato, and in Oregon the sea
son freest from physical ills is the
ramy" season. The death rate
of Oregon is the lowest of any
state in tho union, t-Mi, ,
dry out in summer, insuring per
fect development of crops and full
harvests. Along the streams lands
show rich deposits of alluvium, and
everywhere there is produced an
excellent quality of natural grass,
and under cultivation heavy crops
of grain, fruit, and vegetables. It
is rich in plant food, centuries of
forest waste being mixed with it
I lie great lorest ot tui region
testify to the quality of the sou,
REUBEN AND GOBLE
Are practically one community
with two post offices. At the lat
ter is the plant of the Warren
Cold btorage company, an ex
tensive institution where fish are
frozen for transportation to the
eastern markets. Here, also is
found the immense ferry of the
Northern Pacific railroad, which
conveys the trains across from the
Washington side of the river.
Goble has its full share of busi
ness houses and is quite a live
and prosperous community. . It
has considerable land in the
neighborhood that is especially
adapted to fruit culture, and the
Yellow Bellflower apple does par
ticularly well there, the fruit be
ing smooth, free from Mooches
and of excellent flavor.
SAUVIES ISLAND.
Located in Columbia county,
but not having its proper recog
nition as an integral part thereof,
is what is known as Sauvies Is
land, a wonderfully rich tract of
land lying between the Willam
ette slough and Columbia river,
and extending the entire length
of the slough. It is a veritable
garden spot, capable of producing
vegetable wonders to astound the
the eyes of our visitors. The chief
industry is running milk ranches
or dairies, and a great portion of
the cream and milk used in Port
land comes from the Columbia
county ranches on Sauvies Island.
It would seem from the nature of
the soil, that more attention would
be paid to market gardening and
fruit raising, and especially tha
cultivation of asparagus, which,
grows there to perfection,
and in the canning of which,
a great industry could be
established. The island has
many fine homes and a pros
perous and industrious people. It
is one of the most important sec
tions of Columbia county. .
MAYGER.
Mayger is a bustling and very
prosperous little town of Colum
bia county, situated on the Co
lumbia river, near the center of
the north line of the county, and
on the line of the Astoria and Co
lumbia River railway, and is about
equally distant from Portland and
Astoria. The town is the shipping
center for a large scope of terri
tory, generally designated as
"Mayger," and contains the post
office, railway station, boatland
ing, business houses and head
quarters generally of all the busi
ness enterprises of that section.
The town and postoffice are called
after Charles Mayger, its oldest
settler and founder of the chief
business enterprises of the place.
me county surrounding and
tributary to Mayger has many na
tural advantages that make for
the prosperity of a community,
among which the chief is, the
dense growth of (valuable fir and
cedar timber, which onginally
reached to the margin of the Co
lumbia river. Since this part was
settled, however, vast quantitiea
of this timber, in the shape of
lumber, logs, shingles, telegraph
poles, piling and cordwood, have
been taken from a strip of this
territory along the river, varying
in width from two to three miles,
the preparation for which has
given for more than thirty years
remunerative employment to hun
dreds of men, and, judging from
the showing made, there is timbev
enough tributary to this place to
iurnish employment for genera
tions to come. Timber products
will -doubtless, therefore, remain
the chief source of revenue for
Mayger 's population for some
time, at least.
Bnt Tamable as this resource
may be, it is only the foundation
for a more permanent source of
income, for this district is rapidly
being transformed into a thriving;
agricultural district, and although.
it is conceded that nature s crop
is the most valuable single crop
this land will ever produce, it has
been demonstrated that this land,
when cleared of its crop of tim
ber, will produce anything raised
in the temperate zone, and it is
proving itself much more valua
ble for farming purposes than it
ever was for timber. Large tracts
have already been cleared and put
under cultivation by the enter
prising residents, and here one
can see, as in a dissolving view
apparatus, the wilderness chang
ing to cultivated fields that give
promise of permanent homes and!
revenues, both for the present and
for future generations. Some of
the cleared lands have been set
out in orchards and small fruits.
and the fruits, etc., raised thereon
are not excelled by any on the
Pacific coast.
Being on the Columbia river,
the salmon fisheries also furnish
a source of revenue for a goodly
portion of the population, and
adds considerably to the resources
of the place, as does also the rock
quarries nearby, from which a
large proportion of the rock used!
in the jetty at the mouth of the
river is taken.
The peole of Mayger and sur
rounding country are, as a class,
very good citizens. Industrious,
honest and energetic, who appear
to have no misgivings as to the
future of their part of the coun
try, and are proving their faith by
their works. They maintain good!
schools for the rising generations,
and now rejoice in the ownership
of a neat little church, built and
equipped by themselves, which
now has a large membership, and
the services in which are well at
tended. Fraternalism is represented atj
Mayger by a tent of the Knights
of the Maccabees, which is in at
flourishing condition, and is prov
ing itself a power for good in the
land.
Mayger and vicinity offer splen
did opportunities to those seeking
homes, and wul ever ?emain as rot
the past one of the heaviest con
tributors to the prosperity, of the
county and state.
Columbia county has ten billion
feet of the best standing timber.
in the world.
Columbia county has seventy-
five miles of frontage on the Co
lumbia river. ' j