February, 1879.
THE WEST SHORE.
57
ALDER CREEK) W. T.
Mrs. R. M. Graham, in a letter to us
of recent date, says :
"Alder creek is a new country, or at
least lately settled, but immigrants are
coining in rapidly now, and we expect
to see the population of this part of
Klickitat county more than double the
coming summer. There are now thirty -tivc
voters in our precinct, owning
about 16,000 sheep, 6,000 cattle, and
about 500 head of horses, where six
years ago the noble red man roamed
undisturbed."
WhidBY Island, VV. T., raises the
best potatoes on the coast. A lot of
five hundred bushels of "the White
Kidney" variety, recently sold at eighty
cents per bushel at Seattle.
Cokn can be raised profitably in
Washington Territory, although it is
not what might be called n corn coun
try. The Vancouver Ind$pfiidctit re
cently received a cornstalk twelve feet
high, and one of the curs is a foot in
length and three inches in diameter
good sound corn,
iiiimks von tiik HOMELE8B.
With the establishment of reliable
communication between Astoria and
Tillamook bav, Shoalwaler bay, Oruy's
harbor, Clichalis, etc., a section of coun
try which may be classed among the
most fertile and boundless regionsollhc
u est, in opened up to settlement From
all that can be I limed respecting the
1 oast colonics f Oregon and Washing
Ion territory, no portion of the world
present more favorable statistics as to
health, ami the productiveness of the
soil, Thii AiwJa would arrest the
attention of those in search of homes,
Mld show to (hem that there is a para
dise awaiting development. A large
tract of fertile country, well watered,
and with a fair portion of timber and
open lands, may be found in the eastern
portions of Clatsop, and western portion
of Columbia counties also, and in con
versation with a resident of that section
a few days ago, Mr. Win. M. Macoon,
we are informed that a number of per
sons hav'c recently taken claim there,
and all have good prospects for the fu
ture. Astorian.
I.OON LAKE COUNTRY".
A NKW LOCALITY JUSTOrSN TO SKTTLKMKMTB,
ttllKHK A KtW IfOMKLKIS CAN WW I .AMD
lo 1 ill IK TAKING.
I.oon lake in situated about six mile
due south of Scottshurg, on a direct
line in section 12 and it, township 23
south, range 10 west. It I about the
shape of the letter Z, two and a half
mile long, and varying In width from
a few rods to n quarte : of a mile. IU
outlet is Mill creek, which flows
through a deep canyon and empties in
the Urnpqua river a few miles below
Scottshurg. This lake isannuallv grow
ing less, and in n few centuries will ex
ist only m name. It was made thous
ands of years ago by a very large land
slide tilling up the bed of the creek
many hundred, if not thousands of feet
above its former channel. This slide is
about one and a half miles long, and so
perfect were it impediments that the
waters, with all their powers, have
made but little progress in its removal
since, and as it ia principally of stone,
it will forever exist. The lake win, at
the ttme of its origin, many miles in ex
tent, but the debris, has been collecting
from the main creek and iu tributaries
and forming valleys until it is reduced
to its present size. The head of Lake
creek can be reached at a distance of
seven miles trom the Umpuua riv
from Jesse Clayton's place below Cole's
valley, at which place is it about S" feet
wide, with an average depth of one foot
ol water. 1 his point is near the south
east corner of section t,6, township z.
south, range 0 west. The bottom lands
here are nearly a quarter of a mile wide,
with a rich, alluvial soil. There are
a couple of falls Insectioll 6, the Mi st of
which are about eigbl or ten feel, and the
lower one is twenty feet high The
vallev above the falls is of various
widths, and will, with its tributaries,
furnish homes for trom 20 to JO fami
lies. The lower bottom is w ider, but
not so long, and will furnish homes for
about half the number of the upper hot
torn. These lands are all to he cleared
and are very productive, as is fully
verified by the nice crops raised hy the
few settler located there.
The timber is as line lor building
purposes 4s can be loimd in any coun
try, while the very best of saw timbers
for lumber can be found in most localities,
and the finest ol' maple and myrtle for
cabinet work grow in abundance in the
lower bottom. Water powers soli
cient for mill purposes may be found in
any section. At the present time the
forests abound with elk, deer and ! -ear,
and the creeks are full of the finest of
fish. There is a trail entering the up
per bottom from Mr. Clayton's place;
another to the lake from Mr. Walker's,
near Elkton, and the third from Scotts
burg. Neither of these trails are very
distinct r well located, but are passably
good. A good grade for a wagon ro.nl
might be had from either oral! of these
points, and a considerable distance
saved by a little investigation. This
section of country we eapect toon to
tec occupied by a thriving community
of energetic settlers. PlalmUahr.
-An
oWrvimr man has discovered 8
similarity between a young ladies' tern
raary and a sugar factory, both refine
what is tlready sweet.
Tilt: GROWTH or PORTLAXD.
There is no city in America, of its
size, that can show the same number
of elegant business buildings as Port
land. Smaller than either San osc or
Sacramento, she has more tine edifices
for mercantile and manufacturing pur
poses than both of them together. On
a recent visit to that city we noticed a
great improvement going on along
Front street, which is fust becoming, iu
the elegance and substantial character
'of its buildings, a formidable rival for
Market street iu San Francisco.
In 1S70 the first rise in real estate
came, and subsequent improvement of
business property, took place in that
city. That was purely speculative, and
hud its origin iu Hen llolladuy's rail
road ventures. This was followed by a
sad reaction, iu which some very wor
thy men went to the wall. The pres
ent rise in values does not seem to he
based upon speculation, for no one man
has thrown into circulation any great
amount of money. On the contrary,
it is a legitimate consequence of the
gradual growth and increasing wauls
of the vast expanse of territory of
which Portland is the commercial and
financial emporium,
Many asc ribe this nrogrtrtaivi move,
men! I" the great development of agri
culture in I he broad iloinnui lying east
of the Cascade, but this is hardlv war
rantable to believe. During the past
season of grain shipments, fully one
hall the Walla Walla grain was shipped
direct from the Cascades to Asloiin,
w here it was loaded for the I anted
Kingdom) ifurl Portland had na baud
in its shipment, HOI iccciwd profit from
it in any way whatever, Vet in sp.ic
of all this los of n trade long accorded
to her, Portkmd grew and throve iu
1878 as she had never done before.
One of the principal causes of Ibis
remarkable gYowth of Ihe city is Ibis :
In IbtflMI nc.iis, when banks were lew
and two concern) held the fiiiantM
destiny of the city between them, It
was customary to allow interest at the
rate of six er cent, on time deitosit.
The old fogies, who were content to
cam small profits on their capital, left
their money in the banks and let the
city go ahead as U'si she might. The
increase of the banks to seven in num
ber has rendered this no longer practi
cable, and, finding the old channel of
profit shut off, the depositors withdrew
their money and liegan Investing Iu
real estate. Not les than thirteen
millions of dollars have been thrown
into general circulation during the past
year, and the result thereof are plainly
perceptible in the greatly improved
condition of the northwestern me-fropuli.---
Tm Mtrry In Ike Inland
Umpire,
'I'm breath of trandal is beyond the
control of cardamoii .1 ,.