The west shore., January 01, 1885, Page 23, Image 23

THE WEST SHORE.
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exceedingly well, consequently there are many large and
productive oichards. The inhabitants are all well-to-do.
The late S. (i. .French, who was for many years a resi
dent of the Cove, and one of Union County's most enor
getio citizens, in his will provided for the establishing of
a girls' school upon his placo, which he bequeathed to
Bishop Morris, in trusty for that purpose. This school,
under the management of a competent lady teachor, has
recently been opened, and is meeting with much favor
among the people. Mr. French also gave an endowment
of $5,000 to the beautiful little church which hejwd his
friends had caused to be built in the Cove.
Summerville is situated in the north end of Orando
Eonde Valley, in the centre of the largest farming com
munity in the valley, sixteen milos from Union and thir
teen from Island City. The population is botweeu 250
and 300. It has two flouring mills, a planing mill, sov-
eral good stores, shops, etc', lodges of Masons and Odd
Fellows, and' an excellent public school. Its location
Guarantees it a prosperous future.
The Jungle UreeK Mountains lie east of Qrando Rondo
Valley. They are very rugged, and valuable only for
timber and grazing, so far as their surface is concerned;
but they are known to contain gold, silver and copper
quartz lodges, which have yot to be sufficiently dovolopod
to ascertain their true value. It is expected that oortain
capitalists will undertake the development of somo of
these lodges ere long.
A section of the county as yet but thinly settled, and
ottering free homes to thousauds, is the beautiful Wal
lowa Valley, the former home of Chief Joseph and his
Nez Forces. The valley proper is some forty miles long
and about twenty wido, including the arable foothills.
It is occupied chiefly by stockmon, and is for tho most
part unfonced, though there are a number of fine farms,
gardens and orchards. In civilization this is the nowost
country in Eastern Oregon, having boon almost entirely
settled and occupied during the last twelve years. In
general it is a high, rolling country, with a colder climate
than any other portion of Uuion County, excepting, of
course, the mountainous regions. It is an excellent stock
country, and the inhabitants are largely occupied in stock
raising. The hardiest vegetables are grown, and various
kinds of grain in most localities mature and ripen, but
often more or loss injurod by frosts. ' Although the coun
try has been settling up very rapidly during the last
three years, the population is yot very sparse, and there
is room for many thousand emigrants. This region, like
Union County in general, is woll watered Tho Wallowa
River is a clear, rapid stream, which finds its source in a
beautiful lake at the southern end of tho valley. This
lake is about four milos long and one and one-half wide.
In the lake are several varieties of fish in largo quanti
ties, and it is the home of the celebratod "rod fislj."
Already many people resort to this lake in the summer
time, and eventually it will become a famous wuturing
place. Another locality worthy of special mention is the
great Imnaha Canyon. It is best described as a huge
crack in the surface of the earth. IU sides are masses of
cliff rock. The bed of the canyon is about 1,500 feet
lower than the Wallowa Valley and the table lands, which
lie on either sido of it A cloar stream of water runs
swiftly through this ennyon, and in many places there
are small tracts of very fertile soil. The climate in this
canyon is semi-tropical, and tho cactus which only
grows in vory warm climates is found hoie growing
plentifully. Sovoral families have taken up their homes
here, and have found the soil and climate woll adapted to
tho culture of gras, peaches and many other varieties
of touder fruits. Buow seldom falls in this canyon, and
stock fatten upon tho groeu bunch grass which comes and
maturos before the snow !b fairly off of tho high lands
adjnoont The Imnnha will, in tho near future, be noted
for its delicious fruit and early vegetables. To the oast
ami north of Wallowa Valley lies a belt of open, rolling
hills similar to tho celebrated whoat lands at tho western
base of the Bluo Mountains. This belt is forty miles
long and about twolve wide, fully one-third being good
arable land.
In tho Wallowa Valley there ara several small towns,
ouch consisting of olio or two stores, a post olllce, perhaps
a blacksmith shop, and a few dwellings. Homo of them
will, doubtless, in tho futuro, be of considerable import
ance, as they are all growing iu business and Mpulntion
with tho settlement of tho surrounding country. Joseph,
Lostino nnd Alder are tho threo leading ones, ouch advan
tageously situated as regards tributary country.
Thoro aro several small valleys iu tho county, fertile
and productive One of these, Indian Valley, situated
north of Orando Hondo Valley, is quite thickly settled,
and is a rich grain producing section. Pino Valley is a
vory beautiful placo, nestling high up in tho roughest
part of tho Eagle Creek Mountains, very much isolated,
but containing at present about 100 families. Kaglo Val
ley and Lower Powder Ilivor, in the southeastern part of
the county, are places occupied by but a few people, who
are engaged iu gold mining and stock raising. North
Powder is a now place, whioli. promises to become an
imiortant railroad depot. It is supported by a largo
farming oommunity which has settled along tho valleys
of .Wolf Creek, North Powder Ilivor and Clover Creek.
Thoro is room in this vicinity for many families to find
good homos. Tho Big Creek country, in which is the
little community of Jamestown, is also a growing one, and
offers good opxrtuuities for settlement
Bunch grass ranges border tho valleys on all sides,
making tho oouuty ono of tho best stock regions ou the
Coast More than one-half of the farming lauds aro yet
open to settlement under tho homestead and pre-emption
laws. Saw mills to out the heavy timW of tho moun
tains, ami grist mills to grind the wheat of tho valleys,
already exist, and their number annually increases. Tho
Bakor City Branch of the O. II k N. Co. passes through
Orando Hondo Valley, and this county is on a direct
route to the East by way of the Oregon Bhort Line.
Stock, grain, butter, cheese, etc, can now be shipped to
markets either cast or west From the above description
no one can fail to see that this oouuty in one of tho