. St.-
INDEPEND
MONITOR
ENCE
VOL. 1
INDEPENDENCE, POLK COUNTY, OREGON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1912
NO. 5
RAILROAD IS NOW BUILDING OUT FROM INDEPENDENCE
New Line Started This Week Will Tap Rich Hop Section About Six Miles From Here. Graders,
Plows, Fresnos, Etc., At Starting Point
Eighteen Mule Teams and All Men Available Are Rushing Grading Work In Order To Have Line In Operation By Close Of This
Hop Picking Season
RAISE CLOVER
Fine Returns Reported in
Glover Seed
Returns are Mare than $38
to the Acre in Seed Alone
No crop of the present day
pays better returns on the invest
ment than the raising of closer;
as a soil enriching crop it can't be
improved upon, while as a money
producing crop it leads.
For several days W. F. Camp
bell has been busy with his ma
chine thrashing clover seed.
Harry IlifF furnished the huller
and Campbell the engine. They
did about nine acres for Mr. Mc
Kee. Thrashed 55 acres, getting
100 sacks for George Dickinson,
and started the first of the week
on a 30-acre tract for Harry Iliff .
In estimating the returns 100
sacks thrashed for Dickinson av
erages about 170 pounds or 17,
000 pounds in all. The market
now is very low, about twelve
and a half cents per pound, but
this would mean a return of $2,
125 for the seed alone or about
$33.53 per acre for the land in
clover. This profit does not con
sider the pasturage value, the
hay after thrashing and the ben
efit done the land by putting in
this class of crop.
contour of the whole country sur
veyed, its streams, towns, height
in feet, etc. The maps are col
ored, showing in colors sandy
loam, silt loam, clay loam, fine
sand, clay, and many other clas
ses of soil, so a man who wishes
to invest in land may pick up a
map and know what a given farm
may he topographically.
According to our information
the Salem area has been topo
graphically surveyed and in it a
part of Polk county has been sur- ; Ordinance No, 163 was passed
"eyed. Just how much we do by the city council Wednesday
not know, but from our maD we evening vacating Monmouth
would judge a part of the bottom 1 street east of Main street, being
land section mainly has been cov- a strip of land 66 feet wide by
ered. Besides these areas sur-i 76 feet deep, This stub street
veyed a survey was made of a is to revert to the adjacent own-
A NEW BLOCK
Fine Bnilding At Main
And Monmouth
i Street Vacated and Old Shacks
to be Removed
section around Baker and another
in the Klamath reclamation pro
ject area.
Another matter is an industrial
survey, and the Oregon btatis-
tical Bureau in cooperation with
ers which are the Masonic Lodge
of this city and Ross Nelson.
It is understood that the part
ties will erect a building the
full width of the track and prob
ably 100 feet deep. Mr. Nelson
Busy Session of the City
Council Wednesday
the Agricultural college does this ! wil1 Put UP a flne bungalow thea
linp of mrt in anna aoKAna : tre with every modern conven-
Whynotin Polk county? The ience including a men's smok
object of this survey is to deter-; inS room ladies' waiting room,
mine opportunities in different lo- and an office room- The build
calities for new settlers and see i ln& wil' be tal1 enough to take
the difficulties in agricultural de-1 care of scenery for plays and
velopment. Value of lands, j for a balcony when needed.;
stock, machinery, yield of crops, Plans and specifications have
etc., will be ascertained. This is ' not j et been outlined by the Ma- ;
being done in Malheur county at!8uns as to wnat styje 0f building '
t,na pent time oy surveyors ap-; th vvi erect
pointed t j u) the work, as re-;
ported in tha Vale paper last! --
week. Whv not the Polk countv i Eg :s go as far as cash for groc
Actual construction on the new
railroad from Independence to
the Wigrich hop yard began this
week. Eighteen mule team and
all the material necessary for
pushing the work to an early
comletpion is on hand and grad
ing commenced Wednesday.
Mr. Hirschberg states thathe will
have the road built in time to
taKe care ot the nop bhijping
from this section this fall and
regular train service will be given
from that section to Indepen
dence. There is but three miles
of road necessary to build but it
reported that the line may be
ultimately extended to Buena
Vista and if it works out as
planned we have no doubt but
this line will be takeu up the
valley on this side of the river as
far as Albany.
This railroad will be a big help
xo Independence as it will open
up another rich section to close
communication to Independence I
and give a closer trading oppor
tunity to a territory long in need
of transporation.
people get together and work out
a line along this plan?
There should be a cooperative
movement between all the towns
for development. There is no
room for petty jealousies. There
is only room for growth and de
velopment. A bigger, better and
more prosperous Polk county is a
necessity if w.j have a bigger In-
eries at Fluke & Johnsons.
joint track of the llarriman and
Hill people in through the Mal
heur canyon." This statement
coupled with the following report
from Eugene would indicate an
east and west line through Ore-
As announced a few weeks ago' eon connecting with the Oregon
this is but one of several new ! Electric:
Drancnes mat will be extended "Eugene, Oregon, Aug. 21,
out from Indepenpence in the ' Special. -Between 20 and 30 sur
next year making tin s thei veyors in the Hill i uterests, are
best railroad center in this part' at work at Clear Lake, near the
of the whole Willamette valley, j summit of the Cascades, accord
The original survey was chang- i ing to George T. Hall Sr., who
ed in order to avoid the Scott i returned yesterday from that
ranch and the new survey goes I part of the country. Packers are
through several dif feret places, j busy bringing in supplies for the
IS HILIJOMING
Report That Road Will
Build From Weiser
P. & I. N. from Weiser and
Through Malheur Canyon
The following taken from the
Malheur Enterpri-at Vale, is
of interest to the people of Inde
pendence and the Willamette val
ley: "Now comes the report
that the Hill people are extend
ing the Pin road out of the
Meadows and that shortly that
road is to be extended West from j
Weiser over the Oead Ox Flat,
eight miles north of Onteno, to twoen Harriman and Hill and it
Vale in order to pass' over thei...K..i n;n u:., ,:k
is something like this. Col. C.
E. S. Wood, Bill Hanley, William
Jones and J. W .McCulloch start
ed to get right of way for what
was known as the Boise & West
ern railroad. They bought right
of way by purchasing some
ranches, laid N. P. script over
some government land, purchased
right of way strips in other sec
tions and through the purchase
of the road lands by the Oregon
and Western Colonization com
pany, of which Lewis Hill was a
stock holder, they received rights
of way through the road lands
and then later condemned such
tracts as they could not other
wise secure, After doing this
and securing a right of way
through they announced this to
be a Hill company. Then later
an agreement was reached be
ELECTRIC LINE
Main Line Through Here
By Way Of Salem
Publicity Manager M. Wood
ruff Explains Plans
The city council had a busy
session Wednesday evening. The
light, water and street franchise I dependence, Dallas or Falls City
ordinances were carried over un-
Former Independence Boy Likes Oregon Best
by
M.
til the next regular meeting.
The full council was present, in
cluding mayor. John Feagles
was elected night watch. W.W.
Gaines and Davis & Son granted
licenses to run pool hall for a
period of one year. A remonst
rance was filed against the hall
being opened by Mr. Gains, At
tourney Brown of Dallas repres
enting the remonstranc e, but the
council stated it being a privat
matter between individuals they
did not think it their duty to
consider it. City war ran ts
were drawn for the interest on
the sewer and paving bonds
Matter of a petition for a side
walk on F Street between fifth
and sixth was referred to the
street committee. The matter of
an official city paper was voted
down.
Send your news or telephone i
the Monitor we will appreciate J
such items for this paper. :
NEW MEAT MARKET!
A, Nelson in New Quarters this
Week on C Street
COUNTY UNITY
Matters Of General Inter
est Often Arise
Cooperation Necessary in Such
Matters
There are several important
matters that are of county wide
importance and should be taken
up collectively by the people of
the whole county. One of these
is the matter of a soil survey by
the Government This is being
done in several sections of the
country and reports we have in
this office give detailed informa
tion along these lines. The soil
survey of the Marshfield area,
Oregon, was published in 1911,
the soil survey being made in
1S09, and it shows by map the!
A. Nelson started moving in
to his new meat market Wednes
day morning. He has secured
new fixtures throughout, having
a fine plate glass counter, new
steel racks, a large refrigerator
room, and is located in the new
brick and cement building re
cently built for him by J. S.
Cooper. The building has a ce
ment floor, and good plate glass
front, is 11 feet wide and 60 feet
deep. The refrigerator room is
10 by 12 feet, and a complete
ammonia plant will be put into
the place as soon as they can get
the materials and machinery here
to place it. .
Mr. Nelson, in a conversation
with the editor said, "I intend to
have as good a plant in Indepen
dence as there is in the valley
and am fixing up the place in
first class shape so the meat can
be Kept in perfect condition. I
will run coil piping into the coun
ter and thus keep all meats in the
front of the house perfectly cold,
and the place will be scrupulously
clean and perfectly sanitary. I
buy my meats mainly from the
Portland Stock Yards and have
my own slaughter houses, where
I supply both the market in Inde
pendence and the one in Mon
mouth. "
The Monitor is pleased to be
able to announce an improvement
ike the above, and thinks Inde
pendence-is amply able to sup
port two good markets.
The following are excerpts from a letter received
Mewin this week and are self explanatory:
U. S Navy Hospital, Yokahama, Japan,
August 10, 1912.
Dear Friend:
I will try and write you a short letter to let you know
that I am still in the Navy and am at present at Yokaha
ma, Japan, but I am thinking of coming back to the good
old United States soon. I will have twelve years in at
the end of this cruise and it is more educational than a
young man would think for you see all the foreign coun
tries you go to, as a ship stays in port for at least a week
and if one cannot see all there is to see in that time he
had better stay away from them. Thi3 is the only service.
' You get good pay and all that but you must do what is
right or you are all wrong.
One thing I want to ask of you is, can I get some
land near Independence, and how much will I have to pay
for it per acre. I want to get some land in Oregon some
where. I don't care much where just so it is in Oregon.
I am for Oregon strong and always will be. It is going
to be my first start in farming so I am going to be a new
hand at it, but I am almost sure that I can do it, if some
one else can.
I saw a big piece in the Oregonian about Indepen
dence and it sure did look good to me.
I don't suppose I will know anybody around there
now as it is over thirteen years since I was there and
then for only one night, that was the 4th of July, 1899, I
think. I am at present in the hospital corps as hospital
steward and I like the duty very well. I have been on the
Asiatic Station for nine years and expect to stay a year
and a half more.
I remain your friend,
John E. McDaniel.
X
X
i
t
X
t
X
X
i
Independence Hotel Open
The Independence hotel on the
corner of C. and Railroad streets
was reopened this week by Mr.
Walker. Jack House is in charge
and the building is kept full of
roomers all the time. The place
was opened on Saturday. Dur
ing hop picking rooms will be at
a premium and Mr. Walker plans
on giving a3 much accommoda
tions as th town mi crivo
Building New Bungalow
Contractor Bise got the fever
and started to build a fine new
residence this week. He pur
chased a lot of Charley Smith,
back of the George Graves prop
erty, and started Monday to iaj
the foundation for his new build
ing. He stated he might build
several residences in the city dur
innr tVio aiimirvior anH foil
engineers' camp both from Mc
Kenzie bridge and from P'ish
Lake, at the head of the Santi
am, and it is understood they
are to keep at their task until
snow flies. Gauging the flow of
the lake will be the principal bus
iness of the engineers for the
winter."
Many people of this section are
not acquainted with the history
of the Hill and Harriman joint
right of way through '
of way to Harriman, conditioned
that Harriman would build a road
immediately, wide enough for a
double track service through the
canyon to the central Oregon ter
ritory. This is being done by
the Harriman interests and just
how Hill would reach the terri
tory has been a much discussed
question. The V.& I. Nr. road is
supposed to be a Hill line and is
a branch extending from Weiser
northeast towards the Salmon
rivr country and to which ex
tensions have been made in the
last few years, looking as if the
Hill people were planning to close
the gap; if this is done then Hill
will have a direct line to the coast
The importance of this line for
Independence is worth consider
ation because it means a connec
tion direct from East Indopen
dence to the Eastern Oregon' and
Idaho territory thro igh the Hill
service the same as we will have
direct connections through Inde
pendence to the same territory
over the Harriman system when
the road is completed. It will
mean an audeu market tor our
flour mills and creamery industry
as they will be able to go into
that territory for grain and but
ter fat, and will sell in thatcoun
try butter and flour. Other in
dustries will find a market from
here in that section and the pro
ducing power of this country will
be taxed to a greater extent as
the market expands.
Sloper Brothers, Walker Broth
ers, ana &. t,. Irvine started
picking hops Wednesday. Bur
tons and Matoma started their
yards today and Cook Brothers
and Homer Hill begin Friday.
The large yards wil! p;-1 ably be
gin about Monday morning.
Died: On Sunday evening,
Aug. 25th, at the home of Mr.
Shafer in Highlands. Gertrude
Iantha, infant daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Walter ivizer. Funer
al services were held at the home
of Mr. Shafer in Highland on
Monday, Aug. 2G, by Dr. H.
Cha3. Dunsmore, pastor of Cal
vary Presbyterian Church of In
dependence, Interment i n
the Oddfellow cemttary.
M. Woodruff, publiciay mana
ger of the Portland, Eugene and
Eastern Electrtc line, the new
company to operate in place of
Southern Pacific system in the
Willametue valley made a pleas
ant visit at the Monitor this
week. Mr. Woodruff stated
"We are going to work in con
junction with the people for the
development of this country and
will give you people a fine elec
tric service. The main line of
the Portland, Eugene 'and East
ern will be from Eugene through
Monroe to Corvullis, from there
to Independence over the present
West side route, then from Inde
pendence a direct line will run to
Salem along the west side of the
river crossing at Salem and
from tt'ere the service will be di
rect to Portlond. That will give
Independence three lines of trav
el to Portland by this etectric
system. The Salem route will
make a saving of 30 minutes over
any service in the state to Port
land. The present Corvallis
Portland route through Forest
Grove will be electrified and the
route now known as the Yamhill
division will also be electrified
and trains will go from Indepen
dence over all of these lines.
Above Independence a line will
be run to Albany and electric
cars will run from that junction
to Albany connecting with the
trains going through Indepen
dence." -Mr. Wood ru IT stated that the
Portland, Corvallis and Eastern
people were anxious to meet the
people of the different communi
ties and would take up any local
matters that eooked feasable.
Work is being rushed on the
electrification Jpf these lines and
the construction of the Salem In
dependence branch will be taken
up as soon as the main line from
Corvallis to Portland now being
overhauled can be completsd
far enough to justify this work.
CI
At The M. E. Church
Sunday School at 10 A.M.
asHeh for all.
Theme: A Christian in
the Wi on" l'l'-ice.
Epwortli League at 7 P. M.
Topic The Nobility of
Youthful Enthusiasm.
Kci'iung worship at HP. M.
Prof. F. U. Franklin of Al
bany College will preac.ti on
'Education." Everyone cor
dially welcomed.
Frank andifur,
Work is going forward towards
the electrifying of the line from
Eugene to Portland by the way
of Independence every day.
The latest news to come to this
office is the fact that the South
ern Pacific is distributing poles
along the line to carry their elec
tric wire. Several months ago
rails were laid along the side of
the main track and now the poles
are being put along ready to be
set. They have these now com
pletely distributed up to about
St. Joe from Portland and will
probably continue the work right
along until they reach Corvallis.
As soon as the connecting link is
made between Eugene and Cor
vallis this line will become the
main electric line to Portland.
Notice Correspondents
We received several letters from
parties who have agreed to fur
nish us with news in their local
ities and owing to the rush of
brinting during hop pickiuf sea
son we are unable to get mater
ial for our correspondents but
hope to be able to reach you all
with a letter th's week and
will appreciate all such news
matter that you will send in the