uly.
THE WEST SHORE.
199
tralia, South America, New York and
Liverpool, direct from Portland and
Astoria. Farmers, as a rule, dispose of
their crops to the mills located in their
own neighborhoods, or to dealers In
Portland who ship to foreign markets
on their own account.
The price of most farm products in
the Willamette Valley is regulated by
the condition of the foreign markets.
Those markets, however, are numerous,
embracing all the seaport towns in all
the countries bordering on the Pacific
Ocean, so that notwithstanding wheat
may be low in Liverpool, it might be
high in China; or, if low in both these,
it still may be high in South America.
The outlet of the sea enjoyed bv the
region of country drained by the Co
lumbia and its tributaries, gives it an
advantage in this respect over the sec
tions in the interior of a continent.
PRICK Or K ARM INT. LANDS.
In Western Oregon, lands sell ac
cording to its location, and surround
ing circumstances. Laud well drained,
lying contiguous to a city or village, is
always in demand, and bears all the
way from 30 to 50 dollars per acre.
There is plenty of land that can be
bought far below these figures, its value
(as before stated) depending upon its
location. Much of the hill land can
be bought for a light figure above its
price of entry.
COVEKSMKNT LANDS.
In Eastern Oregon the amount of
government land still vacant is very
large. The section of country known
as the Klamath Lake region, in the
southwestern corner of Eastern Oregon,
is as large as the state of Rhode Island.
About half of it is the finest kind of
arable prairie land, the remainder good
grazing and timber lands, all well wa
tered. Th's entire section of country
contains but few inhabitants. In the
northern part of Eastern Oregon, is a
strip of high, rolling prairie land, ten
or fifteen miles wide, skirting the north
ern base of the Blue Mountains, and
extending from the Cascade Mountains
to the eastern line of the State, a dll
tance of one hundred and fifty miles.
It is reasonably well watered; timber
convenient 011 the adjacent mountains,
and well adapted to grain-growing,
grazing and dairying purposes Its
present number of settlers is very small.
Vacant lands are still to be obtained in
Grande Ronde, John Day's, Harney
Lake, and Des Schutes Valleys, in ad
dition to which there are hundreds of
small valleys distributed throughout the
vast territory known as Eastern Ore
gon, containing bottom laud of the
finest quality for farming, nod hill and
table land unsurpassed (or stock-raising
purposes.
STOCK KAISINU.
Much attention is given to the breed
ing of thoroughbred and good-blood
stock in Oregon horses, sheep, cattle
and hogs; and in the eastern division of
the State, to the breeding of tine mules
ulso. Noted sires and dams have been
brought from Kentucky and other
States to improve the already good na
tive stock of horses, and from these
have sprung splendid racers, fast trot
ters and roadsters, and carriage and
draught and work horses of inch quilt
tv as to command the highest prices in
the horse markets of California and
Nevada. Durham and other famous
breeds of cattle have been brought
from Illinois, New York and New
Jersey; at-u the best breeds of Spanish
and Trench Merino, Cuts wold, South
down ami other celebrated or lavorite
sheep from Vermont, New York, Eng
land and Australia, for wool and mut
ton both; and Chester White Essex
ami Berkshire hogs ore to he found
throughout the State, imported direct
from England or the East.
MINERAL RESOl'RCF.S.
The first gold mines were discovered
in Oregon in 1S50, in Jackson and
Josephine counties, in the southern part
of the State. At the present time
these placers, although skimmed over
and stripped by the labors of more than
half a generation of their surface
wealth, still form no insignificant part
of the natural resources of the State.
Gold mines were discovered in Grant
and Baker counties, in Eastern Oregon,
in 1S61, and have been worked con
tinuously every year since then. Like
the mines of Southern Oregon, they
are mostly placers located on the bars,
banks and in the beds of streams, and
depend on heavy snows in the moun
tains ami an abundance of water for
successful working. They furnish con
stant employment to something like
two thousand men. There can be no
doubt that the cream of the placer
mines has been taken. Rich strikes,
once common in all the mining districts,
arc now of a very rare occurrence. Big
fortunes arc not made in a day in the
mines any more than they arc any
where else; but still, laboring men find
profitable employment in them; indus
try and economy are all that arc neces
sary in mining, as well as other avoca
tions, to acquire substantial competence.
Coal mining is carried on at Coos
Bay to considerable extent. The prin
cipal vein at that point extends along a
ridge bordering the bay, convenient of
access for twelve or fifteen miles, and
is being worked by two companies.
The coal is a good quality of soft or
bituminous coal, and finds ready sale in
San Francisco. Coal of the same qual
ity has been found at several points
along the coast.
Extensive beds of iron ore exist at
several points in the northwestern part
of the Slate. At Oswego, six miles
above Portland, on the banks of the
Willamette River, the Oregon Iron
Company has erected works for reduc
ing the ore of an extensive deposit in
that neighborhood. The works of this
company although of small capacitv,
have supplied the foundries of the
State with pig iron, and shipped con
siderable quantities to the San Fran
cisco market besides. The iron is of
very line compact grain, superior for
most kinds of work to the best Scotch
pig.
Notwithstanding the value to the
State of its gold placers, and the at
tractions they may hav e formed to pre
vious immigrations, there can be no
question now but that the future min
eral wealth of Oregon is in its resour
ces of coal and iron now Hidden in the
mountain ranges. Taken in connection
with the great productiveness of the
soil, the great quantity of timber on
every hand, and other conditions that
adapt the State to general manufactur
ing purposes, this vast supply of min
eral wealth assumes a peculiar impor
tance. MAS I'KACTl KINO I 1 I M i
In the various branches of manufac
turing industry Oregon has barely
made a commencement, notwithstand
ing her great capacities in that line.
1 I Mm KINO KKSOI KCKS.
It has already been stated that the
mountain ranges of Oregon are heavily
timbered. But that term, in the sense
in which it would be used in nearly all
the Eastern States, conveys no ade
quate idea of the immense forests which
clothe the Cascade and Coast ranges of
mountains. The principal lumbering
establishments are located at the city of
Portland; on the Columbia river below
the junction of the Willamette, anil at
various points on the coast, where in
lets, bays and arms of the sea provide
safe anchorage for small craft, and
where the forests are easy of access,
from navigable waters.' In the inte
rior of the State are many small mills
erected for the purpose of supplying
their own immediate neighborhoods.
conducted solely with reference to that
object.
Lumber, like other Oregon products,
finds its principal market at San Fran
cisco and in the southern part of Cali
fornia. The agricultural portions of
the State arc destitute of timber. The
cities and coast valleys, particularly,
relv entirely on the saw-mills of Ore
gon and Washington Territory for
building, fencing, wharf, bridge and
hip timber. Lxtensive lumberimr es
tablishments are now in operation at
the following places on the coast of
Oregon, commencing at the southern
boundary of tlie State, and going north:
Lllen.sbuig at the mouth of Rogue
River; Port Oriordand Randolnh. near
the mouth of the CoqulUej Coos Bay,
the mouth of the Umpqua and Ya
quina river. Coos Bay is the principal
one of these points, partly on account
of its lumber trade, and partly on ac
count of its coal.
FISHERIES.
The salmon is the principal fish of
Oregon waters. It is noted among the
must delicious of its species in any part
of the world, and it is so plentiful in
its season that it has constituted the
principal article of food for the Indian
tribes of the country from time imme
morial. It enters largely into genera!
consumption as an article of diet with
the present population during the
spring and summer. The salmon fish
eries of the Columbia River, of which
we gave a full description with numer
ous illustration in our June number,
arc immense resources of wealth to
this State, and some idea may be form
ed of their importance, when we re
peat a statement made then, that the
export of salmon for the year 1S77, will
reach the handsome sum of 5,oxx),om.
PORTLAND BAD BOYS.
All large cities has bad boys. Port
land doubtless has a full share. Boys
here are oldet than they arc in the
Eastern cities The impulses of man
hood manifest themselves at an earlier
age. While lads in New England keen
in the shadows of their fathers, the Ore
gon boy demonstrates his fitness or un
fitness to go it alone. The consequence
is that the precocious boy picks up ;.
great many bad habits. He conceives
it essential to manhood to become ac
quainted with life in all its phases. The
chances are thai he drinks and smokes
before the signs of manhood appear 011
his upper lip. I le knows a great many
things not written down in school books,
and it is more than possible (hat be sets
greater store upon his stolen know ledge
than upon (hat which he obtains in the
legitimate way. His language would
shock the ear of the sturdy school
teacher, should that guide to youth come
within range of his voice. He is an
adept in the USC of slang, and sometimes
swears glibly. He talks about the
other sex in a shockingly knowing
way. His little round head carries
more knowledge ofa certain kind than
many men, tolerably familiar with the'
world, learn in a lifetime. His brain is j
wonderfully active. He sees every
thing within the range of his vision,
He learns quickly to read human na
ture, and profits by his knowledge.
He probably has not much learning,
but he picks up a great deal of know
ledge. He makes no pretence to vir
tue, but, as an offset, he has a whole
some contempt of hyKcrisy. These
boys, with all their vices, only need
careful management to become men of
which any city would be proud. Their
tendency to fat life is no indication of
a depraved heart. With all these had
habits they may have noble qualities,
which will correct their ways in time.
It is a mistaken notion to suppose that
the best boy is the one who does least
evil. The quiet fellow who rarely in
curs reproof, may be a hypocrite and a
coward. He is not what is called a had
boy because he has no taste for dissipa
tion, or because he does not choose to
spend his money in follies. We com
mend his prudence, but should not in
consequence be unjust to his spendthrift
brother. The careful, prudent, well
behaved boy will find people enough
to publish his virtues. All the excel
lent gentlemen who interest themselves
in the religious Instruction of youth will
tell what a good boy he is. But the
bad boy has few admirers, lie may be
a generous little fellow, ready to share
his last dime with a friend, but it will
be remembered against him that he
smokes cigars, drinks whisky, plays
billiards, gambles for half-dimes, and is
the reverse of choice in his language.
Now, we would have all the bad boys
who read this article understand that
we do not encourage their vices. The
formation of such habits will injure
their after lives, physically and morally.
But we would put in a plea for bad
boys, to the effect that they may not,
by inhuman treatment, be made worse.
SENATOR MORTON'S OI'INION.
The follow ing is what Senatoi Mor
ton says of our beautiful country:
Oregon has vast resources in coal and
iron, and probably in the precious met
als. Its boundless supplies of ex
cellent timber will be of the greatest
value in the markets of the world, and
the importance of it must increase from
year to year. It has millions of acres
itf land susceptible of cultivation, on
Which all the grains produced in the
northern ami middle States, ecept corn,
can be raised in the greatest abundance,
and of the best quality. It is said to be
especially adapted to the production of
that prime article of food for the world,
w heat, in unheard-of quantities to the
acre, and of the best quality
It lias an admirable climate, equally
removed from the extremes of heat anil
cold and from those desolating drouths,
w hich sometimes afflict other sections
of country, making Oregon alike de
sirable as n winter and Miiiumr resi
deuce. And w hen communication has
become cheap and easy, the pleasure
seeker, the wealthy and the invalid in
quest of health will flock to these
shores, to escape the bitter frosts of
Eastern winters, and the enervating
heats of their summers. The livers
abound in the most delicious fish, and
are the chief supply to the tables of
the world, of that unapproachable
dainty, the salmon.
Oregon has been of slow growth.
This is chiefly the result of her great
distance from the settled parts of out
country, the difficulty of access and the
little that is known of the interior of
the country and its resources, Hut it is
of the future of Oregon and Washing
ton Territory that I would speak.
Though looming tq to imporance slow
ly, it is not hard now to perceive what
may hereafter be their great value and
Influence in the Union The first great
necessity, fur their growth and develop
ment, is a communication by rail across
the oontlnent, to connect w ith the sys
tern of railroads already extended west
to the Missouri river.
Thi elegant Music Store of Mr.
Prentice is located on Abler street, im
mediately back of Fished At Knhcrts
Clothing Store. Mr. Prentice in sole
agent for the favorite Wetter and
A Hon pianos and the celebrated Stan
dard Organ. All his instruments arc
warranted and sold on favorable terms.
He aUo dials largely in Sheet Music,
and general musical merchandise.
Mkssh. D.wton & Hai l's Hard
ware store, corner rirt ami Taylor
streets, is now ojen, with a complete
stock of everything USUaU) found in a
fir'- -s establishment.