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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1881)
258 THE WEST SHORE. October, 1881.' IX SOUTHERN OREGON. J bosom dotted with comfortable homes Jackson county embrace an urea of aimut j,Koo ,.,,-? mi!e,which m about ihrco time the i.e of the State of Rhode Island, nnd in 18S0 contained 8116 inhabitant. The county com prise valley and mountain, beside a very large area of very truductivelandt lying along Rogue river ami the streams tributary to it. The arable land of the county embrace a variety of toil, from the heavy and never-failing adsht land to the rich, warm loam of tho river lottom, capable of producing the most delicate fruit. The valley land of the county arc peculiarly adapted to the production of wheat, oat, barley, rye, buckwheat, corn, sorghum, potatoc, and all other cscu lent. It ha ltccn demonstrated by the ex H?ricncc of many year that the oil of the low foothill i particularly valuable for vine and fruit culture. Land that only few year ago were hardly thought lit for pasturage arc now pur pie with the most luscious varieties of grape, and it is thought that Vinc-cul-turc will soon be counted one of the most profitable Industrie in Southern Oregon. The peachc of Jackson county can hardly I excelled by the most lusciou production of N'cwjerev and Delaware, and the certainty of im'. mediate railroad connection with Tort laud and citic of Northern Oregon has determined many of the more thrilty of the Jackton county population to large ly increase the acreage of their peach orchard. Plum, prune, nectarine, ar, apple, quinces and in fact even fig are produced in great abundance with but little care and cultivation. Probably not an acre in twenty is in cultivation, a large amount of land Mug jet unimproved, and a ui laige quan tity of the whole area being mountain ous and valuable oidy for grazing or dairy puixc, and for it plcndid timl r with which many of its sections arc overgrown.' The Rogue River Valley, although small, being about foity mile in length and twenty in width, it one ol the most fertile spot on the Pacific Coast, and a perfect surprise in its loclincM to trav elers and touiistt who first Uhuld it fiom the crest of the Siskiyou. Lying in an amphitheatre of hill that gtadu. ally climb up to tike summit of the Cas cade and Siskiyou mountain, it w hole Ifl.wi ki.rMu mltlvntml fields, it is a verv h"V ' picture of peaceful beauty, and those who enjoy its balmy climate and fer tility should indeed be happy in their possession. The climate ol Jackson county is a pleasant and agiccahlc mean between the excessive rains of Northern Oregon and the arid and parching winds that sweep up the Sacramento valley even to the very base of Mount Shasta. Snow rarely falls to the depth of six inches, notwithstanding the fact that the altitude of this beautiful spot is i,6oo feet above sea level, and many winters have been known during which ice was never formed to exceed a quarter of an inch in thickness. Although rains are infrequent during the summer, it is a notable fact that during an occupation of more than twenty-five years, a half crop ha never been known in Rogue River valley, the poor crop being the exception and an over abundance the rule. Owing to the isolation of Rogue River Valley and the lack of a market consequent upon the want of transpor tation, flour is this day selling at all the mills of Jackson county at $15 per thou sand pounds. The most important towns are Jack sonville and Ashland, the former being the county seat, and the oldest mining camp in the State. Jacksonville is situ atcd on Jackson creek, at the extreme southwestern corner of the valley. At one time Iwasting of a population of several thousand, it has now only 839 souls, but who, unlike the ephemera! and changing dwellers who preceded them, are there to stay, and are slowly, year by year, erecting substantial and durable buildings on the site of the un- couth and hastily improved cabins of the early days. Among the handsome buildings of Jacksonville arc th- M,. sonic building, the Orth Rlock, the v. niicu suites Hotel, and the new Pres. hytcrian Church, the latter edifice In-.ng the most beautiful structure of jhc kind in the whole State, and com. biu.ng all the Uautics of modern church architecture. It, erection is chiefly due - ...v ...uniuccncc and liberality of "on. C. C. Ikekman, and it would be an ornament to any city in the State not excepting the metropolis on the Vullamcuc. Thee are two other churches in Jacksonville, i),.. i,u-.i; . .ndCathohc, and the latter denominj. tion have a school for young ladies which has well merited the liberal patronage it enjwys. The former is the pioneer church of Southern Ore-' gon, the denomination to whom it be. longs being notably the pioneers who hew the path in order that others may more easily follow. A steam flouring mill has lately been erected in Jackson ville, which has the capacity of all the other mills in the county, besides filling a want experienced for the last twenty years. But the grandest institution in this little mountain town is its free pub lic school, with an attendance of over 200 scholars, under the able supervision of Prof. J. W. Merritt, who, by his power of control is fast eliminating hoodlumism nnd youthful indolence. The building in Jacksonville the least worthy of mention is the Court House, and the least said about it the better. Near the upper end of the valley on the stream of the same name, is Ash land, one of the most beautiful and picturesque places in the whole State, and lying at the very outpost between Oregon and California, its thrift and genuine appearance of comfort must impress strangers visiting Oregon with a vision of the State's grand future that will surely be seen by the present gen eration. Ashland is remarkable for the taste and beauty of its private residences, surrounded with the rarest flowers and fruit and shade trees of every descrip tion, and is built along side of a large and never failing stream that comes tum bling down from the everlasting snows of the Siskiyou range. The water power enjoyed by the people of Ash land has been a most potent factor in their progress, it being used to drive tho machinery of a large woolen fac tory, gristmill, planing mill, and that of numerous other industries. We pre dict that it will yet be the South Bend of Oregon in good time. The Woolen F actory, owned by Messrs. Atkinson, Thornton & Co., is one of the most pros perous institutions in the whole State; its fabrics being in such demand that its owners have heretofore found them selves totally unable to fill their orders, and are at present doubling their manu facturing capacity, nnd will soon be able to keep up with their orders. The public buildings of Ashland are the Masonic nnd Odd Fellows Halls, the Methodist and Presbyterian churches, and the College Building, the latter under the management of the M. E.