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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1883)
April, 1883. THE WEST SHORE. 73 plenty of rain, and Southern Oregon promises a good crop. ' Jacksonville merchants are now rw iving goods by the Crescent City route, four days from San Francisco. Times are lively in Coos county this spring in both coal and lumber industries. Three logging roads with steel rails will be constructed this sea son. The woolen mills at Ashland are running dny and night with thirty hands, and ship large quan tities of goods to Portland and San Francisco. The prosperity of Ashland is remarkable for a town shut off from railroad communication, and vith the completion of the road now being ex tended to it a large increase in business and pop ulation ought to follow. WASHINGTON. EASTERN WASHINGTON. Ponieroy is growing rapidly. Prescott was laid out on the Touchet but year ago, and is now building a school house to cost $3,500. me crops 01 eastern Washington present a magnificent appearance, and nothing but an un foreseen calamity can prevent a splendid harvest and the blessings that follow in its train. During the month of March 144 pre-emption tilings were made at the Colfax land office, cover ing 23,040 acres; homestead entries, 87 ; acres, 13,9201 timber culture entries, 73 ; acres, 1 1,680; cash entries, 3,353 acres; final homestead proof, 3,632 acres; total acres, 54,625. Hon. Philip Ritz has set out 20,000 maple, walnut, ash, box elder and poplar trees on his place near Rittville this spring. Trees planted by him last season are in good condition. The land in that vicinity it being rapidly settled upon now, though the general opinion until last fall was that it was of little value for agriculture. Mr. Ritt and a few others have practically demonstrated that the idea was erroneous. The rush to the. Big Bend country continues unabated. The advance agents of a colony of alxnit a hundred Welsh families have recently made selections of land. They are called the Pacific Coast Cambrian Colonisation Co., and will lay out a town this summer in township 26, range 31, east of Willamette meridian. The roads leading into the Big Bend region are dotted with emigrant wagons. The new town in the Colville country has ex changed its name of Belmont for Colville, to make the removal of the county seat easier of accom plishment. Several new buildings have len erected and a number of old ones have been moved over from Fort Colville. The war de partment will rebuild and garrison the old fort this summer, as it it becoming a point of military importance. WESTERN WASHINGTON. At Port Townsend a fine saw mill is doing a large business. An addition 160x170 feet is be ing made to the Union wharf, which will make it a large a any on the Sound. There are about I $0 people on Wbollochctt, or Cutthroat bay, ten miles west of New Tacoma. They are engaged in logging and general farming, and aic iuUuducuig hop culture. Orcas island is the largest In Puget sound, and contains about sixty settlements. About twenty good claims are yet unoccupied, and offer superior inducements to families desiring to make a home. The rush to Whatcom county still continues. There are now four town sites on Bellini-ham bay, where Is excted at some future time to be located the terminus of a branch line from the Canadian Pacific. The town of Whatcom has now a paper called the Wrr. The citizens of Vancouver have undertaken to fit up the old school building as a temporary shelter for immigrant families while thry are selecting suitable locations upon whl(h to settle. Such action as this will be of great assistance in drawing people to the fertile acres of Clarke county. Snohomith county it receiving many settlers this spring. A farming colony of 250 Germans from Colorado has just settled on a selected loca tion near the Snohomith river, and will form the nucleus of a populous community. Snohomith City is a thriving town. A two-story hotel, aware house and two residences have just been com pleted, and a livery stable, several business blocks and a dor.cn dwelling houses will be erected this season. Many people are Milling along the Chehalis and its tributaries in Chehalis and Mason counties, The soil is on an average five feet deep and Is well adapted to the growth of oats, potatoes, hops and fruit. Cattle and sheep thrive on the abund ant wild grass. Surveyors are at work north of Hoquiam, and several excellent townships will soon be thrown open. A wharf will soon be built at Montesano, and then the Gtnttat blilti will run to lh.it town. At present it goes no further up the river than Cosmofiolis. The liny ber of that region is unexcelled, and when it hoi been cleared from the land the settler has left 1 soil of great richness. New Tacoma is as energetic as ever. A three story wooden hotel and a four-story brick one are going up, as well as many business structures and residences. Main street is being thoroughly graveled. The stlgtr has begun issuing a daily that is full of news, and reflects the prosperity of the city. The risejn real estate values has been wonderful both in city lots and suburban property. Many additions lo the town site have been maile and much property contiguous lo the cily has been purchased at high prices with a view of making further additions to accommodate the giowth of the city. A school house lo coat about $25,000 will soon I erected, also a sulnlintial Catholic church. The great coal bunkers upon which so much work has been plsced, are com pleted, and the business of shipping coal has be come a very extensive one. Seattle is a buiy city. The hotels are unable to accommodate the crowds that land from every steamer. Marked improvement it shown in the number and character of the residences and business buildings in procesa of erection. Four large saw mills in the city and its suburbs and an extensive wagon and agricultural machine factory are now under way. The real estate market it till active, the sab in March acgregallnf $474, 748. Many additions lo I be town sits have been made, and all suburban profwrty Is considered valuable. The elty has a fine ichool luWmg, but will erect another this season at an expense of $30,000, and still another In 1884, when il will have school facilities unexcelled by any city of its site on the coast. Work has begun upon a new system of water works thai will supply 500,000 gallons per hour. An Immigration and Informa tion bureau haa been incorporated and Is doing good work. The coal shipments in March reach ed a total of 15,305 toes. A correspondent of the Port Townsend Aryn thus seaks of the Qullleute country, on the ex treme northwest ocean coast 1 "It is estimated thai there are 1. 000 claims vacant In the Oulllcute vi'.ley thai are good farm, ing lands, betides thousands of acres of the best limlier land in Western Washington. The west end of Clallam county Is the best part of the country. It has the best sgtlcultuial land, and the most of It. (Julllcute Is bound lo be the most populous and wealthy part of the county. The claims that have been taken are most all prairie, mack vegelalile mold from two to lour feel deep, with a yellow clay subsoil. Most al Ihe farming lands hat been taken up, but there are four streams which form the Quillcute liver, all of which have rich bottom lands, dial are as good as any rivet bottom land In Western Washington. One of the newcomers has a river claim, and wilt put In ten acres of hops in the spring. Home other part lee will engage in ihe same business. The lumtierlnt; interests here will be Immense, and Ihe company that grtt ihe first foot hold will get a fortune. The coal fields when on will add wealth lo Ihe country already rich in agricultural resources. Our cattle are running in the timber and are doing wen." IDAHO. On the plain between Boise and Snake river la a vast area of splendid agricultural land which Ii favorably situated for irrigation. The Upper Boise Klver Canal and I.and Improvement Co. has commenced Ihe construction of a main canal which, with lateral branches necessary lo develop this region, will cost $750,000. The revolution thai a completion of this enterprise will effect III lie wonderful. In Jsnusry ihe (own of Shoshone, which had existed a number of years under Ihe name of Naples, contained a population of alxnit 200, About the first of March the (. S, L. was com pleted lo that place, it was made temporary terminus, and I In permanent Junction of Ihe Wood river branch, ami It now a thriving town of tome 2,000 people. Il it but another essmple of ihe rapid rise of railroad towns. A weekly paper, the A'mlltr, bos already been established. The llailry land district wot established by ex ecutive order dated January 24. iMj, with the land office al 1 alley. The Iwindaries are at fol lows 1 Commencing at a point on ihe right bank of Ihe Snake river at ihe Intersection of ihe range line between ranges 9 and 10 east of Ihe Boise meridian thence north along said range line lo the left bank of Salmon river thence easterly up the left bank of Salmon liver lo the western boundary of Lemhi county thence north along Ihe said western boundary of said county lo the boundary tine between IiUho and Montana ; thence southeasterly along said boundary line lo the intersection with Ihe range line between range 29 and jo east from Boise meridian thence south along said range line lo Ihe right bank of Snake river thence we.Uiljr,dow the right bank