INDUSTRIAL 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''"
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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.
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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.