July, 1879.
THE WEST SHORE.
'95
But there are still thousands of acres Universally the soil is richer nlimp the I Three hundred and slxtv-two miles
right around Colfax which will some
ti uic le worked. The soil is a strong,
dark loam, with a clay suhsoil. Hunch
grass and multitudes of flowers cover
the ground in all directions. As we
proceed northward, the country In
comes more desirahle in all respects.
The hills hecome less abrupt, the soil
more loamy, and timber nearer at hand.
In the vicinity of Hangman's and Pine
creeks, is the richest section 1 have
seen. The soil of upland and lowland
alike is a deep, black loam, fully ctial
to the richest bottom lands of Western
Oregon. Forty or fifty bushels of
wheat to the acre is an ordinary thing
Twenty miles northeast of this region
is Coeur D'Alcnc lake, the shores of
which arc covered with a dense forest
of pine, tamarack, lir and cedar. The
hike itself, as blue and clear as the sky
above it, shimmering among the still
bluer hills, is one of the most beautiful
resorts on the Pacific Coast. Walter
Scott would have made it the scene of
numberless romances. American fancy
and enterprise will soon make it the
scene of a big hotel and several small
steamboats. The U. P. R. R. will.no
diiuiit, traverse its shores, and it, as
slopes of the mountains, since there the
leposition of loam has been so much
greater.
Fhc inhabitants of Hangman's l u ck
have evidently been, at some past time,
much larger individually, if not so nu
merous collectively, than they an- evel
likely to be again. Here is the spring
from which were taken those collossal
bones exhibited by Coplen brothers
in Salem nnd Portland during the fall
of 1876. The wonderful perfection of
these remains, their immense size, and
the fact that some of them seem to lie
long to an entirely extinct species of
the elephant family, make the collection
one of the most remarkable and valu
able of which we know. Those al
ready exhumed are temporarily kept
at Pacific University, Forest (irovc.
It is the intention of the discoverers to
pursue the investigation, so that ipM
imens even more extraordinary than
those already found may reward their
search.
The gnat majority of the people in
this country are from some point in the
Willamette valley. This fact well il
lustratcs the restless character of our
people. Though itself not yet fairly
many anticipate, a large city should .turned, the Willamette valley is already
lownward from Almoin to Portland,
ind we shall find ourselves in the land
f trees and sea-breees. The liemen-
lous current of the Upper Columbia i
now in our tavor, anil the stcaninoat
plunges down the while rillles like a
frightened horse. Treeless lull , need
less of basalt, and sandy benches suc
ceed each other in rapid sin 'cession, ami
i' approach Hell (iatc mid The Dalles
no slur on The Dalles intended) much
faster than we went awny from them.
I he nuiiihei l passengers is much less,
and the diameter of the freight entirely
hanircd. Wheat and wool fill the
place made vacant by the unloading o
iiirin machinery ami urv n 1 no
iiiantilv ol wool is so great as to al
most defy the carrying capacity of the
steamer. Hut our stenmei i moored
lo the Portland wharf to await anoihci
load, and our pen may follow suit.
JA( KSON COUNT! RKSOllRt I I
This, the extreme southern county
of Oregon, has now 140,000 acirs of
land enclosed and partly umier cultiva
tion, of which the present prudui I is
about us follow:
Whrat iirixtuoxl MO.OUn lm.1,.1.
(tats ' . "
ItarU; " UUMUW -
B. " MOO "
('in "
rata wi.imi
AiIm tl.u
iv..h.. " MB
I'wi ml I'lUBM ltOM
spring up at Spokane Falls, the lake
would Wome a second Lake George,
its shores dotted with villas and its sur
face white with yachts. Immigration
is now wniting somewhat upon the
movements of the railroad. The gen
eral expectation is that it will touch
Spokane Falls. Real estate is there
fore very active at that plate. At all
events, railroad or no railroad, the Falls
will undoubtedly become an intortant
point. Its water power is immense.
Its timber resources far surpass those
of any other point east of the mount
ains. Although the land in its imme
diate vicinity is not of the best quality.
yet the fertile plains of Hangman's
Creek, Deep Creek, and the Four
Lakes, are near enough to hecome Con
tributory to its growth, in case it In
comes fairly initiated as a manufacturing
center. Emigrants will find vacant
land more readily around the Four
Lakes and on Crab Creek than in the
Coeur D'Alcne country. The climat
of that region i warmer ami Isrtter
adapted to fruit-raising. The soil, how ever,
is more broken, by the protrusion
of the basaltic backbone of the country
beginning to colonize other countries
Hut during the coming ten years, not
Oregon only, but all part of the United
States, will contribute inhabitants to
this favored region. It has capabilities
suliicicnt for a second Illinois. When
thoroughly worked by human hand
and towed with human brains, it will
resnond with most abundant crop of
i
human necessities and luxuries. It is
law that man must sow himself in or
der to rent) his own needs. Therefore
no one need come to this country ex
tiecting hi btCOH '('' without work
There is still land for thousands of good
farms. I would dv ise all persons wish
ing to hunt land to first examine ihot
ought v the maps at the Land Office at
Colfax, where they can ascertain the
beat places to isit
After a week or two spent n the
hurricane deck of a " bucking " Cay use
the change to the elegance of the O. S
N. CVs boat is most refreshing. Not
withstanding thesevcir. nluisni he ;
noon this company hy some who would
not be satisfied by the gift of the vMa
"outfit," there can le but one opinion
to the courtesy of the officer and
ttv comfort of the acrnmmonation
H - IM9J i'""
Woui a.uo i-'is-t.
(IrauM !. "
Mm " ,uu
CIlM. l.w "
Onions ' teO.000
lUnm ....
Ur.l .... NyM "
The amount of mineral lands, con
sisting of gold and placer mines, gold
ami cinnabar quart mines, lying uhhi
the western and southern bonlri of the
1
county, comprises an area 01 anow
fifteen miles in width ami aUnit siu
miles in length, and upm winch there
is ahrudy erected, at great erne,
laigc mining improvements and a grrm
many under construction upon oihi-i
paits of ibis mineral land. I l to
aruhle lands now em-hated, that havr
missed into the hand of individual.,
unit als-ml one half are 1 ulln aird. Th-
at . M. L. a '
amount ol land passed Iroin tne wot
nimu-nt lo individual in thr count) is
alMiut i7S acres, and time fli ,r
mains in live land of the Govrinmrnl
a large amount of land urttlble or
. . . . . 1 . ft .ft"
profltal.le cultivation, Willi me aiu 01
outside market; tieside a very eaten-
ivc range of good gra land HI
cellent timer land, . msiuing of while,
w llow nod u(ai pine, fir. cedar and
other valuable wood, capable i k
nithiug an unlimited amount of tttm
lent lumber. With direct eominunica
lion to the tealxaird a an imlucrmcnl,
th production of Jackson county can
be increased (out -fold.