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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1882)
September, 1882, THE WEST SHORE. THE INLAND EMPIRE. The country along the entire line of the North ern Pacific Railroad from Lake Superior to Purel Sound is much better than that traversed by any oiner lrHiisLuiumcimu line i ncre is noiasquaic mile 01 ansoiuieiy wasie iana me entire distance. .... 11 r . - tt the valley 01 me . euowstone Irom eight to twelve miles in width is good agricultural land. and there is an ample supply ol water for all the needs of irrigation. In the upper portion of the valley irrigation is necessary to produce good crops. For loo miles west of Glendive, irrigation is not required. We found ranches scattered along the entire valley, and new settlers are coin? t J 1 -PL. 1 . I . ' o lurwaiu hi gicm iiuuiucib. me uplands are val uable grazing lands, and are now attracting the attention of the owners of large herds in Colorado and Wyoming. MONTANA IS REALLY AN EMPIRE IN ITSELF. The country from Bozeman to Missoula has been well settled up for many years, and the val levs. although narrow, are extremely fertile nnd it is claimed, produce an average of forty bushels, of wheat per acre and seventy bushels of oats. The upland and mountain ranges are covered to tneir summits with luxuriant bunch grass, and along Clark's Fork in Western Montana the heav ily timbered valleys and mountain sides have a rich undergrowth of wild clover. Taken as a whole, Montnna is the finest grazing area in the United States, and its capacity for stock raising is much greater than that of either Colorado or New Mexico. In some localities, like the Deer Lodge valley,' there are large numbers o( sheep, and the raising of horses is carried on to a consid erable extent. In tastern Washington 1 erritoty and Northeastern Oregon north of the Itlue Mountains, is what is called the Creat Hasin ol the Columbia river there is, probably THE FINEST STRETCH OF WHEAT LAND In the world. This region is as vet somewhat sparsely settled, but in Ihe older settled portions around walla Walla wheat larming has been car ried on for seventeen years without a single fail ure in the crop. The average yield of wheat per acre in this locality is civtn bv reliable farmers al thirty-five to forty bushels per acre, and of oats from seventy to eighty bushels per acre. Crops 01 ioo bushels or oals per acre are not unusual. Very supeiior apples and peaches are also raised in this region. This belt of wheat country is about 200 miles long and from So to loo miles wide, and some of the best informed people in Oregon estimate that it is capable of producing 100,000,000 bushels of wheat per annum. The country is an upland rolling plateau of from one inousand live hundred to three thousand leet ele vation, and the deep soil is decomposed basalt, extremely fertile, and covered with a very heavy growth of bunch grass. I rode for ninety mile over a portion of this region in a wagon, and it is unquestionably the finest body ol wheat land l ever saw. As yet it is only sparsely settled, be cause of the expense and difficulty of reaching it. There is, however, a more active demand for the purchase of land for farming in this region than in any other portion of the Pacific slope, and so soon as the Northern Pacific railroad is completed and immigrants can be carried into it at reasonable rates, this region will be very speedily seltlcd up. Will the trade of Montana and the wheat pro ducts of Eastern Washington Territory come eastward to St. Paul and Minneapolis when the Northern Pacific is completed ? The trade of Montana will certainly come over the Northern Pacific road as toon as it reaches Bozeman and Helena, and this trade is of very o nsiderable magnitude at present, and will here after increase largely. Bozeman is a well-built town of i.oco people, with a fine agricultural country around it, and Helena, the commercial center of the Territory, is a larger, better built, richer and more prosperous city, before any rail road has reached it, than Denver, Colorado, was ten years ago, afler it had secured two lines ol railroad from the East. Missoula, Deer Lodge and Butte are all prosperous towns. The dis tance from Helena, Bozeman or Butie to Chicago by the Northern Pacific railroad will be nearly 400 miles shorter than by the Utah Northern and , TTi .:!. '. " ... . jT , 1 7" c r"a"s. lHe the distance to Minne apolis and St. Paul will ,e NIaARI.Y 8(0 M1I.ES SHORTER. The Northern Pacific road runs directly across Montana for too miles, and the more productive portion ol the Te.rilory lies along this line and noitlnwud of u, When thai country is opened ly the completion of the railway, SI. Paul and Minneapolis should certainly be greatly benefited if they make proper efforts to maintain and hold the Montana trade. Il seems to me quite probable that the wheat product of Ihe great wheal belt of tastern .Washington Territory can be brntighi to this point and lo Ihe lakes nt Dublin, as I un derstand the Southern Pacific railroad Is now carrying large quantities of wheat from San Fran Cisco to Galveston and New Orleans for ship ment to Europe. This is n greater distance by rail than from Washington Territory lo Duhilh. "It is thought by some people thai Ihe North ern Pacific railroad will have greater difficulties from snows in winter than Ihe oilier transconti nental lines. Does this agree with your impres sions ?" I think this is' entirely a mistake. The highest elevation reached by the Northern Pacific rond at any point between the lokes and the Parific coast is al Ihe ciossing of the Hell Range of Ihe Rocky Mountains. This point is about 5,500 feet above Ihe sea, nnd is 500 feel lower than Cheyenne, and more than 2,500 feel lower than Ihe highest point readied by the Union Pacific road. Helena, M. T., is 1,200 ft el lower than Denver, Col. There is less than 250 miles of the entire line of Ihe Northern Pacific railroad that exceeds 4,010 feel in altitude. Slock run out the entire yenr in Mon tana, and the snow fall from (ilendive westwnnl is much less than in Minnesota. I think thai the company will requite very few snow sheds, ami the only serious delays lo llie 0rrnlinn of I lie road from snows that may occur will be in Dakota and Minnesota. Is there likely to be any serious difficulty in crossing the I'lnlliead Kescivnimn r I do not think mere will lie any demy nothing serious nt any rale, ihe Indians are desirous ol having this road built, and there Is really nothing remaining but THE MERE FORMALITIES OF A TREATY To be cone through with. I have no doul.l but that ihe lic.ity will be perfected in ample lime. . , . How far is it thiougli Ihe reservation Only about sixty-live miles. What may lie said of the scenery along your ine, as compared with that of Ihe oilier Pacific roads? , , l lierr is rcallv no comparison, in my estima tion, for that along Ihe route of the Nuithrrn Pa cific is so far superior both In grandeur and pas. toral beauty. Suih magnificent mountains anil such rich leaches of praiiic and fertile vulleys It nowhere else lo be teen. Is there much limlicron any poruon 01 me line 1 When vou eel west of Missoula llieie it a large territory covered with cedar, spruce, pine, fir and inmaiac. and when you get along tlill further there i some good while pine. I here itoncrracli of 2?o miles ol wooded region which it really vtiy goal limber. There i, in fact, tatlciing Umber along nearly Ihe whole line. I hen your trio nas icvmci m ... .. thai the route ol the iNoriiiern r. cine 11 even mi ter than you uped? Yes, for there isn't A F"OT of wains land At you might say, llie entire di.lance. siy mp l- ..nuinrri mat me line me .-vioumi cific it not only the lsi route for ihe conduction and operation oft railroad scroti the continent, but that the road will tun through Ihe it, and prospectively. Ihe richest bell "I lh continent ;e, f ir Missouri river, and when completed it udl soeeddv develop an enormous local name In . I . ,' ....1. ....I n,i,..-ral i.kwIiu-il mil cram, umoer, ww: - ... .' .1 - I- I ...... I fi.rlnurlklt liavr 1110 uill become me " - : between the Atbu.Uc and 1'a- d.c. I wish partie ularly to impress upon ihe 1-u.mw men 01 Minne- apol.t and SL t'aui inai incr 7. '" rialiiiion of the magnilud of the bhiim which is soon to lie diieclly tributary to these cities, and that they will do well toprepaie tocimtinl dado w hich will soon exceed in magnitude that which is given lo any other western city, In fact, the Isrst portion of Ihese United States will, upon Ihe completion of the Northern Pacific, mil its wealth of product and rmlr.CM Into the commercial lap of St, Paul and Minneapolis. CW, Chat A', .am kom in Pi,m(tr-l'rtit. INFLUENCE FOR GOOD. Among Ihe Institutioni of Portland no one Is more creditable to the cily and the Stale than the school for gills, known at St. Helen's Hall. For thirteen yeart it hat been a center of culture nnd refinement, and the Inllucnces which have gone out from it to every part of Oirgnn and Washing ton have been of the veiy best. With all the spirit of a pioneer it overcame Ihe embarrassing necessities of pioneer youth, and (mm cm ly sling, gles and smcccm hat not learned too well Ihe let son of thrift, begun at a Chtistian elfoil in the cause of what it beautiful and lot In human na ture, il contlnuei hue to that cause and earnest In il. How great hat been lit influence for good no man can say, Hut certain it it that wherever they have gone lit daughters are "at the pol ished cornets of the temple," Il it ginlifyiiig to know that this really good school, 111 opening itt doors for the fouilrciilh year, it In licttcr condition every way than t any previous time In lit history. Its staff of tern hers hat been increased and greatly Improved. Thir teen Indies of Ihe highest education, moil of lliem selected from eastern schools of high standing, compose llie corps, while their varied attainments cover Ihe whole range of scholarly and aillsllc ac complishment. St. Helen's Hall It now better , than ever before able lo give thorough Instruction 10 the full extent of ill course. Many older and richer schools In other Slatrt have finer buildings and mine aciout ground, but none in Ihe char- ' acli-r and accomplishment! of ill teachers ifTordt lietler facilities for Ihe cultivation of Ilia minds, Ihe morals and the manners of girls than does St. Helen's Hall, The attendance of boarders and day ptipilt is ' lietlrr Ihit year which commenced on Monday llinn evei before, the foimcr coming from almost eveiy section c f the Stale and Tenllory, Tacnma, Strilacoom, Jacksonville, Union county, Baker county, Wasco county, Clatsop county, Douglas county, San Francisco, Missoula and many other seel ions ate leniesrnted In the Hall laimly Ihlt year. The I loll it located In the high and health ful part of Portland, directly nptiotite Ihe city plain, ami lit (rounds, though limited to the spar ul a single block, are tightly and cheerful. Il of fers the best of educational facilities, the spetlnl advantage of city association and culture and the coinfoili and guardianship of a refined home. Scarcely lest Iniporttnl than this admirable ' mIkxiI for gills, It llie hoy's school, which like il , it under Ihe general management ol Bishop Mor ris Ihe Bishop Scoll Giammar School. Il owned on Monday with an al tend t nee of hoarders larger than for any term within the pasl five years and with the best piotpult lor the )ai. 1 1 is a point which business men may appreciate, that the disbursements In Portland ol ihcse schools last year was above $50,000, Daily Otttmian. Alfalfa, Il is found, grows abundantly In Wasco county, and will ,rura(tet form one of the prolific counly't products. (Jen. T. R. Tannatt ha draught men engaged in nuking plat 61 the new town or Plaififkld, three miles this tide of Colfax, on the tract recently pure heed 1 here l y ihe O.I. Co, There 1 a bcuutiful grove of about fifteen ncre, which the General purpotea to lay off in city nark. On all the town being bid out by him provision are being made for schools, parki and pub lic building.