La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959, September 17, 1906, INDUSTRIAL EDITION, Image 1

La Grande evening observer., September 17, 1906, INDUSTRIAL EDITION, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextINDUSTRIAL EDITION Mite u a in LA GRANDE, UNION COUNTY. OREGON. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17. 1906 EXTRA NUMBER IE RESOURCES AND ADVANTAGES 413! Ik Of Picture a beautiful vaiw level as a floor. 3n ml'es in extent fmm lorth to south, and from 12 to 18 miles me, surrounded on all sides hv .! mountains. Arrange to have flow through the center a sparkling, clear river, fed by numerous tributary mountain streams. Provide a soil that knows no crop failures. Build rail roads so as to furnlsli convenient transportation from all parts of this valley. Erect telephone and telegraph lines. Endow this favored spot with well-nigh perfect climate. Supply a law-abiding, Industrous and pros perous population. Dot the valley with attractive towns and villains IBr-.r 7rJ,"r"se"sswp''" ;'.' ,1 ; .".. V . . 1 '. J.''. '-. ' '; T . i u l-LJsMl3!-J PI CITY HALL. LA GRANDE, USED possessing all modern conveniences. When you have pictured these allur ing conditions you have only repro duced what actually exists In the Grande Ronde Valley. Words svem to but meogerly express Jfi unusual good features of this won 'Krfully productive valley, and every distant reader of this article is per sonally urgd io come and see how Nature and man have combined to make of It the "Garden Spot" par ex cellence of the Northwest. The Grande Ronde Valley lies In about the center of Union county, Oregon. Union county Is largely mountainous: in fact only about one half of its area Is capab'e of cultiva tion, but that half Is singularly fer tile. The Grande Ronde Is the larg est of the five valleys of the county, and the most Important from the view point of development. It Is not reclaimed land. In the sense of being arid or non-productive wlth Vent water. While water helps all scropg. there are hundreds of valley farms which produce well without Irrigation. Where water can be ob tained, however, It greatly- Increases productiveness, and with the Irrigation systems already In existence and those soon to be Installed, the bulk of the land can and will be Irrigated. It Is no exaggeration to say that the Grande Ronde Valley draws tri bute from a'l of Union county, and Is destined 10 become one of the most densely populated sections of the state. Union county's population Is Sflflno and of that number fully 16.000 '"llve In the Grand Ronde Valley. Large 1 HuHe Pboto. VIEW OF STEEL THE GRANDE farms are not required In this valley. A f-w acres devoted to Intensive farming yield such heavy returns, that the valley Is certain soon to ha entlre'y cut up into small farms. True this is not as yet the case, but much progress has been made In that di rection. It must be remembered that these sma I farm possibilities have but recently been demonstrated. And the fact must be taken into considera tion that this valley has reeclved but a meager amount " of advertising. Thousands of people have passed by me wonderful opportunities here to locate In sections of far less merit. The first settlers of the valley came a - i t AS COUNTY COURTHOUSE. here In the 60's and the railroad did not reach here until more than twenty years after that. Mest of the Increase In population and deve'opment of resources has oc curred within the past few years. From now on the Grande Ronde Val ley will rapidly acquire the popula tion to which It Is entitled by Its ad vantages. The foundation has been well laid, and the work of building has alreadv begun. The following table gives a conserv ative estimate of the value of the main products of this valley for 1905: Commodity. Value. Wheat $1,000,000 Lumber 640.000 Sugar 265.000 Oats and barleys. 250.000 Ca'tle 260.000 Hogs ' 200.000 Horses and mules 100.000 Hay 120,000 Fruit 150.000 Sugar beets 100.000 Dairy products 75.000 Poultry 50,000 Potatoes $0,000 Wood 20.000 Total $3,150,000 It Is thus very evident that the val ley Is not by any means undeveloped, and viewed In the light of thesefig ures the claim Is not unreasonable thnt It Is one of the most prosperous sections of the United States. Not only are all of the towns of this valley adequately equipped with educational facilities, but In the coun try srhools are maintained st conven ient points. The system of county );t.. RAILROAD BRIDGE ACROSS THE iu 3 i n u ). ,;(.. 1 1. m IBS) I j . M t J RONDE VALLEY schools Is comprehensive and satis factory. ' The telephone, te'egraph and mail facilities of the Grande Ronde Valley are all that could be wished. Two telephone companies, the Pacific States and the Vergere, operate up-to-date systems. The latter reaches com prehensively through the farming dis tricts, and is an independent company. The former has most of the cly busl-! ness and affords long-distance con nections to all points on the Pacific Coast. There are six rural free delivery routes In the valley, . and three star routes, so that the mall service reaches every part of this Immediate section. Twu li. F. it. routes leave La Grande, and one each leaves from Allcel, Summervltle, Elgin and North Powder. There are star routes from Union to the Cove, Union to Cornu copia, and Hllgard to Starkey,' Transportation facilities are unusu ally complete. (See article on Rail roads). Crops are heavy and certain. (See article on Farming and on Fruit Growing). Irrigation systems are In operation and about to be put In. (See article on Irrigation). Lands are not held at an exhorbl tant figure. Considering the proven net value of crops here, lands are very low priced and it Is certain they will steadily Increase In value. Labor Is. fairly plentiful and well paid. Union county, of which this valley Is a part, ranks third In the state In point of number of men em ployed, and most of them are at work In ths valley. Social advantages are equal to those of the middle western states. No modern convenience there enjoyed is absent here. The people of the valley are decided ly law-abiding. There Is practically no crime, and the little that occurs Is promptly punished by the duly con stituted authorities. Climatic conditions are superb. The summers are quite long, but at no time Is the heat excessive. In winter snow falls and Ice forms! but sero weather Is Infrequent and always of short duration. The air Is extraordinarily pure and healthful, and sunshine Is 'he rule. Cyclones and extremely violent storms are unknown. The mountains surrounding the val ey are heavily timbered, and from them come many cold, clear streams. The valley seems to be endowed by Nature with every possible advantage that can be utilized by man. ""he various towns of the valley In clude: La Grants Union, Elgin. Cove. Is'and City, Imbler. Allcel. Nib ley. North Powder. Summervllle, Perry id Hllgard. They are one and all prosperous, and most of them afford desirable lo cations for various mercantile and In dustrial enterprises. La Grands. La Grande, the largest, with a popu lation of about5.000. is the county seat of Unl.m county. Here was made the first settlement In the valley, and here will always be the most Important cltj The citizenship Is alert and pro gressive. Imbued with faith In the city's future, and po'iessed of that spirit tt enterprise that mear. growth and development. GRANDE RONDE RIVER. l , ( J din ! I ' r - ae Hulse Photo. J .a Grande I division estss O. R. A N, a fact of vital Interest o manufacturing enterprises seeking a location. It Is surrounded by fertile farms and orchards, and is the trad ing center for a populous territory. The business section Is well-built (see street scenes) and the many rr trcan tlle houses are heavily stocked with excellent goods. There are numerous maiiufajturlng plants, the urlnclDal ones being the sugar blet factory which pays out $30,000 monthly when In operation each fall; the George M. Palmer Lumber company, whose mlU will be In operation by next March with a pay roll of $10,000 meanly; s brewery, a creamtry. a foundery and machine shops, and a large brick yard. Of course there are numerous smaller manufacturing enterprises, Including a bottling works, steam laundry, several clgnr factories, monu n?ntul works, wood and Iron work ing shops, etc. The extensive railroad shops, round house, yards, etc., have a payroll of $20,000 a month The United States Land Office for this district Is located here. There re- mains a great deal of government land i:i Union, Wallowa and Baker nun- ties, and all filings and proofs mrit be made In La Grande. The beautiful residence sect'on Is ever a source of commendation and approval on the part of v'sltors. Lirge, well-k"pt lawns and attractive shade trees are the rule. Many of the residences would be creditable in a olty of much larger slse. The streets are well graded and carefully looked after. Sprinkling wagons lay the dust, and all rubbish Is collected and removed. A fine sys tem of electric lights Is furnished by the Grande Ronde Electric conipanv. The city owns Its own water svst n. Hclunlng a pumping plant. This Is about to bo augmented, or rsther re placed, by a gravity system which will bring the pure waters of Reaver creek a distance of 18 ml'es to La Grande, at an esilmntod cost of $160,000. The business section already has a newerage system which Is short)' to bo greatly extended. The City Hall (sen Illustration) Is now owned by La Orando and leased to Union tounty for a term of years a a courthouse. The orTlees i the cliy officers are down town. -r" - ssKlM' ADAMS AVENUE. LA GRANDE. Ln Ciraiuie has a live commvislal club of strong membership whljh has Deen very successful in its efforts to ward civic advancement. The press Is represented by dally and two weekly newspapers, w ,ch lose no opportunity to set fortl the city's advantages. Thsre are four graded schools. churches of all the usual denomina tions and ample lodges ana fraternal societies. Union. Union Is one of the most attrtctlve appearing Grande Ronde Valley towns and its population will exceed 1,500. It has a large woolen n.llt t rnlng out very salable blankets, wh' ih Is an important manufacturing Miter prise. A weM-equlpped creamery is op-rated, tfher Industries Include a lar?e flour mill, and four planing mills. Several ssw ml'ls are soon to be built, and Union's outlook Js very bright. The residence section an- , pears like one vait orchard, io num- ciuub ro me con trees, ata the HARVESTING GRAIN IN THE GRANDE RONDE VALLEY. V HARVESTING GRAIN IN THE GRANDE RONDE VALLEY. .country immediately surronaJ.na the town Is as fertile as Jtny pk.t of the valluy. Catherine and Little creeks which How through the center of in. town, afford ample water fur Irrigat ing a great deal of land. The Eastern Oregon Experiment Station is located at Union, and It haa been and will be of great value to the farmers and stockrulHvrs of this val ley. Union Is located on the Central Railway of Oregon which connects to miles away with the O. R. & N. road, this part of the system having long teen In operation. There Is no resource or advantage common to tho Grande Ronde Valley not enjoyed by thin thriving place. Considerable building Is being done, and the town Is growing. A new bank has Just been orgnnlzed and lis brick and stone building Is In course of con struction. Union has a wide awake commer dat club, and Its cltlst-ns are determin ed to build a city there. Its two weekly newspapers will help. Elgin. Kl iln. located on the Grande Ronde River and Elgin branch of the O. R. & N. company's line, is a hustling, busy, growing town of 4.600 people, second only In commercial Importance to La T i mi A GRANDE RONDE VALLEY SUQAR BEET FIELD. (, , , ' ' J Grande. ' It Is the distributing and shipping ' point for the whole of Wallow county. In the Immediate vicinity sul ' in the town are -many saw mills. Their combined cut haa averaged 25, 000,00 feet annually for the paat five years. A. 60-burrel flour mill la an Import ant Industry. The mercantile houses) ' are numerous and prosperous. Thar Is a well conducted bank with ample) capital. One of the best equipped plaining mills In Eaatem Oregon to 'ocated at Elgin. The city has aa ex cellent water system and la lighted bv electricity. A fertile, farming section finds la . E'gln adequate trade facilities. On farming district, known as Cricket Flat, U considered to be unequalled wheat land. There are numerous or chards. Ceve. The Cove and vicinity has a pPU lotion of about 600, and In the iuds nwnt of many Is the "Garden Spot" of the Grande Ronde Val'ey. The cove) is reany a valley within a valley, and the singular fertility of Its soil, amplo water supply, and equable ollmabs. favor It aa a producer of the highest trades of frul. and vegetables. It wilt soon have railroad facilities, and may ihen oe expected to grow with extra- ordinary speed Into an Important trad ing point. It already haa i. commer clul - club which looks after the beat Interests of Its cltlsens. Cove is la corporated. has Its own city hall, and is well equipped with scnools an4 churches. One of the Important gen erating s atlnns of the Grande Rondo Electric company Is located at Cove. 8ummervile, Sitnimervlllo Is 1 miles north front la Grande, and will shortly be reach ed by the Central Railway of Oregon. It has excellent watPr power. The present population Is about 200. ThO town has several stores,, and la tho site of a pine needle fiber factory. The country Immediately surround Ing the town Is specially adapted t rtnl-ylng. and that InJustry has ready become Important there. Con slderab'e fruit s raised In the vicinity, there being several falr-slied com mercial orchards. In the mountains) and foothills nearby, there Is quite body of tlmljer which Is now beln rapidly cut.