The West Shobe.
VOL. 7 No. 5.
I L. Sutnri, PuhlUhw,
I I Wwlti(taa It,
Portland, Oregon, May, 1881.
ft . I MmW mtw
OUR WATERING PLACES.
A the warm season approaches, the
dressmaker is in demand in most of our
wealthier families and the sound of the
sewing machine keeps time to the low
humming voice of the average seam
stress, of whom the minstrel poet wrote:
"Mm work4 m ih nine ftpd nine u ) works.
mnM tar bmIiImvw a tinier."
The silks and satins of last winter
.are laid aside, to give pluce to lawns
and peicalcs for the heated term. Of
course, either the mountains or the sea
invite those, who. arc weary of life
among bricks and mortar. ,
Ilwaco was growing rapidly in favor
with our people until the unfortunate
affair which ended with the death of
Miss Burbank, and is really a pretty a
seaside resort as could be asked for.
On the Oregon side of the gateway we
find the Grimes House, always popular
with those of our citizens who study
comfort rather than display; and the
Seaside House, more fashionable, and
still flavored with a spice of the mom
vtau richt air of Ben Holliday' regime.
And there is the beautiful city of Olym
pia, with its lovely woodland drives
and boat rides on the placid bay but
there is not a good hotel in the town,
which, with all its beauty, is quietly
perishing for want of enterprise.
And as for mineral springs, Oregon
is one of the most remarkable states in
the Union. But her loveliest springs
are too often inaccessible to the great
highways of travel. The two. finest
drinking springs are those chiilybcates
of iron found on the road from Ashland
to Llnkville, Southern Oregon, and
also in Grant coun'y, on the road from
Canyon city to Fort Harney. The
best drinking spring aliout here is the
Wilhoit spring, situated about twenty
miles from Oregon city. Its waters are
superior to either of those just men
tioned for diuretic purposes, but Infe
rior to them in case of dyspepsia.
The bathing springs are more nu
mcrous, the most ascessible being those
in Yoncalla valley, at Snowden st'
tion. Then, there is the Belknap
spring, on the head-waters of the Mc
Kensie river, where the best trout fish'
ing in Oregon it to be had. And when
the Grande Ronde branch of the O. R.
& N. system is completed, the celebra
ted w Hot Lake," near Uuion, will be
visited more extensively than any other
in the state. And up the John Day
river, under the shadows of Strawberry
Butte, lies a healing fountain fully euul
to Paso Roblcs, and far more beauti
fully surrounded. It barely pays its
owners a living, but located a hundred
nearer Portland, there would tie a for
tune in it.
Whenever there is a continuous line
of railroad hence to Spokane falls, it is
our belief that the pleasure traffic will
be revolutionized; that new places of
resort will be opened up, and that tome
of those now prominent will Npse into
utter insignificance. But, as Father
Ritchie used to tay, u we will tee whit
we shall see."
OUR FAVOkKD LAND.
The telegrams that went out of thlt
state in December and January, as to
the severity of what will long be known
hereafter as "the hard winter," set
many people to thinking that Oregon
and Washington Territory were not
what newspapers and corresponding
tourists haJ claimed for them t and old
wiseacres shook their heads at they re
peated the wholesome adage that u to
go further is to fare worse." And, in
deed, with the raging floods of the up
per Willamette valley, and the cold snap
in Yakima and Wasco, which swept
away millions of dollars' worth of cattle
and sheep, the outlook was not encour
aging for the old plodding fellows who
had made up their mind to stand by the
"Old Dominion of the Pacific" for
few years longer.
But spring opened at last, and such
spring for Oregon. Every orchard a
bower of blossoms, while the grass
spread its emerald carpet earlier than
ever known before, bediscned with a
sheen of daisies alid buttercup that no
art of the Gobelin weaver could hope
to rival. Above our head the bluett
sky that evercharmed the artist' vision ;
around us the balmiest atmosphere,
bearing hygiene in the blessed breath
of our eternal pines; beside us, the crys
Ul brook gurgling with nature'
laughter, at they bear seaward the
tnowt of Hood, Adamt and Jefferson;
and lust, not least, the fat toil beneath
our feet, yearning to yield up it gold
en treasures ot grain at the summons of
the plow. Search In vain for Oregon'
superior. Her merit has not yet met
with deserved recognition.
Late In April and even in early May
it wat our turn to read telegram of
havoc and devastation by ice and flood.
Just see what the upper Missouri and
its tributuriet have been doing. Our
losses n January and February are not
at dime to the dollar that have been
daily wrecked in the valley of the Mis-
touri, and, worse than that, com the
loss of life and the. cry of misery from
ruined home. All these sadden the
heart for the time being, but the reflec
tion that our winter is gone anJ the
new year i upon u lull of life and hope,
is, indeed, a pleasing one, The slant
ing shadows of our vast mountains fold
down the curtain of twilight upon a
happy and prosperous people, and
Venus trim her evening lamp to look
down upon a picture to fair at to realise
a restoration of the world' old Area
dian dream. ;
Let us thank the bounteous Giver of
all for the fair line of peace and com
fort that encircle our home; and if our
lot be not a proaperout at tome of our
neighbors, let us tee if ourtelve art
not a little too blame. And while the
idle and the vicious gussle bad whisky
in fetid groceries and complain of "hard
time In Oregon," the earnest thinkers
and Industrious workers In our midst
are quietly getting rich.
Paosritaous. In spite of the dull
season, small crops and smaller prices,
scarcity of coin, and dull timet gener
ally, of which we have heard to much,
Weston teem in a very prosperous
condition. Substantial improvements
are being constantly made, merchants
are daily receiving large supplies of
goods, mechanic are all busy, new
business enterprises are Increasing and
all reel sanguine a to our future.
LtaJtr.
The best thing ia corsets fl woman
The candle wick k up to tnufl.