326
THE WEST SHORE.
November, 187$
WASHINGTON COUNTY AND ITS
TOWNS.
II V W. i. I.YMAN.
While the "Argonauts of forty-nine "
were upheaving the crust of California
to And what "golden fleeces" nature
might have already dipped and hid
away, a few stragglers along the north
cm edge of the host of emigration had
reversed the process, planting their
gold in the fertile soil of the Willam
ette valley ; and then waiting in pa
tience for nature with her stihtlc alchemy
of sun and rain to draw a hundred fold
yield of the yellowest gold up the
wheat stalks and through the apple
twigs.
The old Orcgonians wisely concluded
that nature's lingers were surer than a
miner's pick -ax. They observed that
if 1 hey were going to draw any very
regular instalment! from the Hank of
the Karth, they must make some prc
parntoiy deposits. Among the old
diggers, were unbridled hopes, fierce
hut acilliitiug energies, and then, in
most canes, hitler disappointment.
Though some few would break into a
grotto where a whole family of nugncts
might lie hiding, yet many more would
be simply scooping out a lied for them
selves where all the golden fleeces of
the Sierras could not warm them. On
the other hand, among the more slug
gish founders of the Webltiol state, the
principle of serene, systematic work
has always prevailed. The feverish
uev, which has devastated most parts
of this coast, has never raged on the
plains of the Tualitim.
V iishiugton county, licing nearest
the sca-Umrd of any of the important
grain-raising counties of the State, can
claim some of ils oldest settlements.
Nearly forty years have elapsed since
the first daring explorers penetrated
the jungles westward of the Willam
ette, and set their stakes on the un
plowcd gardens which lie along the
four tributaries of the Tualitan. For
years, the towns were scarcely more
than post offices and blacksmith sho.
Until ten or twelve years ago, this
county picK'tiletl the curious phenom
enon of an old and staid community
which yet had hardly a single native
citiacn of adult age. Remote from the
great conflicts of time and place, it
jogged upon its " godly race, nor ere
had changed nor wished to change its
jvacc."
Ittit the period of daily mails and
then of railroads and then of telegraphs,
and then a new population from the
hustling interior, has waked the slum
bering energies of our plains and forests.
The locomotives that arc now snort
ing a little further south each day, can
see the wheat sacks crawling down
from the hills where a few years ago
enterprising forests of oaks were start
ing colonics, and can sec the onions,
and beets, and potatoes popping up out
of ancient duck swamps.
The traveler from Portland will not
find the Western Oregon trains to move
so fast that he can not observe the
woods which lie between Portland and
Heavcrton. Here is the first of Wash
ington county's cities. A fragrance
more powerful, though perhaps not
more entrancing, than all the perfumes
of A ruby, meets the visitor from afar.
Onions I Perhaps the beavers of other
generations did not realise to what use
their patient labors were going to be
put. Let us hope that they did not.
Yet they did their work right royally.
A strip of land several miles long, sev
eral Limbed yards in width, and, at
some points, t jnty or more feet thick,
is their monument. A more beneficent
one than that of the Pharaohs, since
this is bequeathed to the needs, that
simply to the wonder of men. This
soil is so lieh that grain can not be kept
upright, and hence is almost always
wasted. Hut for vegetables, it can not
be surpassed. Heavcrton lies just be
tween this bcaverdam and a pine for
est. The cold stiff soil of the latter has
not encouraged clearing to much ex
tent, and the town, which has a popu
lation of a hundred or more, depends
for its prosperity almost entirely upon
the product of the former.
Rut our train has got through gass
ing at Heavcrton )ost office, and so we
may rest while trundling through the
woods to Rcedvillc. This place may
lc described as a kind of figure-head to
the fine farm which adjoins it. This
may Ik called a capital farm. As re
gards stock it is superior to any in the
county. The thanks of the county are
certainly due to Mr. Reed and his en
ergctic managers for their introduction
here of really first-class stock. It has
I stimulated to a great degree the ambi
j tion of the owners of the clumsy, spav
lined Cayuscs which have infested this
county, to go and do likewise. The
town of Reedvill nriA ......
-- ex
tended description. It is partially con
cealed from view by piles of wood.
Woods again ! There really is more
timber here than seems necessary. Yet
children are no doubt now living who
will sec scarcely a tree on all this plain.
Hillsboro next claims our attention.
The county-seat, the residence of the
sole newspaper of the county, the scat
of an oat-meal mill, whose name and
fame have overleaped the boundaries
of this State and have even meliorated
the condition of our coarse-crainrd
neighbors of adjoining territories.
Hillsboro is visible from the railroad.
Indeed the same remark may be ex
tended to almost all the towns of the
county. In accordance with the enlight
ened policy which controlled the loca
tion of depots, the old towns of the
county were not intended to be imme
diately visible, but to occupy the back
ground of the scene. Hillsboro is, how
ever, slowly crawling down toward the
depot, and the jungle that adjoins the
latter is rapidly disappearing. The
sources of Hillsboro's importance are
visible in the plowings and harrowing
of spring, audible in the buzzing thresh
ers of summer, and calculable in the
warehouses of fall. The neat court
house in the western end of the town
can lie seen from all directions on the
flat plain which surrounds the town.
Three miles westward across this
plain, broken midway by the muddy
flow of Dairy creek, brings us to Cor
nelius. This place, occupying a site
originally designed for a wheat field,
finds itself engaged in a hard battle
against destiny. The trains stop here
a length of time, apparently in inverse
ratio to the importance of the place
However, there is a very large ware
house at this place and the cleaning ap
paratus lately introduced by the propri
etors has secured an unusual amount of
storage.
The beautiful plain of Gales creek
now expands before us and on its west
ern verge a white steeple may he seen,
cut against the dark tint of the en
croaching evergreens. Beside the spire
a white line indicates the presence of
flag-staff", from which a flag is nver
known to float. North and south awl
in front of the spire, white cottage min
gle with the growth of native oak.
Such is the pleasant sight of Forest