38
THE WEST SHORE
At the upper end of the valley lies Baker City, the county
seat And larcrest commercial noint in thnt nortion of Ore
gon lying prist of the Pine Monntnins. Since the town
site wiih laid out in 1SG8 it has received eight additions.
Buker City has always been a thriving and enterprising
i. in 1 i i i
town, as ine supply pome ior a large area ot agricul
tural, mining and grazing country it hns enjoyed great
prosperity, and now tliat it lias received railroad advan.
tniOH. its busiiinss and iiiinortiiiifn nrn innrpnuinir rnnirllv
,J ' i o i j
Regions which formerly found an outlet to railroad lines
in omer directions, now are rendered tributary to this
city, which has become tlie most accessible to them.
Baker City is substantially built, containing many
quite expensive business blocks and private residences.
Its location is irood. and the view across the vnlW In the
timbered sides and snowy summits of the Blue Moun
tains is surpassingly beautiful, especially when the snn
has just sunk to rest behind thorn, and the roseate hues
of the sky and snowy peaks contrast strongly with the
1 II t H 1 . . .
deep blue, indigo and purple oi the lower hills. The
population at present is estimated to excood I.BOn. TIia
.growth of the past few years has been quite marked and
ermaiiont There are fifteen large two-story brick or
stone business blocks. The business iuteresto may be
summarized as lollows: Thore are four largo stores of
general merchandise and ono clothing store, five provi
sion and grocery stores, two bakeries, two drug stores,
throe livery stables, five hotels, one book store, three
blacksmith shops, ono wagon shop, two butcher shops,
two millinery stores, ono hide and fur nb. nn Nrnf.v.,.,i
- VlV'ildl
bank, ono private bank, nine lawyers, five physicians, two
nimuiu hiki Harness snops, three Hardware stores, three
jowollers, throe shoemakers, two planing mills, one saw
mill, ono grist mill, four newspapers, two express offices,
one tailor, three broworioB, one surveyor, fourteen saloons,
b largo number of enrponters and blacksmiths, three
painters, two barber shops, four hardware imploinout
stores, two large Chinese stores, two cigar stores, three
laundrios, two dentists, ono brickmaker, one undertaker,
two furniture stores. There are seven secret societies',
nlso six religious denominations represented, four of
which have good church edifices. Thero is an excellont
publio school, employing throe teachers; also n school
for boyg and one for girls, under the auspices of the
lloman Catholics. ' The lays' school occupies a largo
throo-story brick building, and has four instructors. The
enterprise and intelligence of the city u shown by the
numW and character of it newspapers. The daily &igr
ttrunh is a sprightly little shoot, while tho Bnlrork Dem
ocrat, iiVmfo and TVi'Anne are well conducted and influ
entiid weeklies, giving much attention to home matters
and working for tho interosts of tho county. As the
centre of population, trade and capital of the county
Baker City must thrive and increase in prosperity and
population under tho new order of things inaugurated by
tho construction of the railroad. Ilore must continue to
be the motroHlij of Southeastern Oregon, growing with
the development of the surrounding and tributary country
Below the great Talley, both along the main stream
and the North Powder, is much fine arable land not yet
fully occupied, where settlers can find some most desir
able locations. Burnt River, down which the railroad
runs, and at the mouth of which it crosses Snake River,
is the next important tributary of the latter stream above
the mouth of the Powder. This stream rises in the Blue
Mountains, in the same region which gives birth to the
Powder and John Day, and flows almost due east to
Snake River. Along its course, and on many of its
numerous tributaries, is a strip of fine bottom land, occa
sionally widening out into little valleys. Many settle
ments have been made by men who are prosperously
engaged in farming and raising sheep and cattle. Near
the mouth of the stream is the new town of Huntington,
the point of junction between the Oregon Short Line and
the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company.
The Malheur is the next large stream entering the
Snake south of, or above, Burnt River. Between the
mouths of these two streams the Oregon Short Line fol
lows closoly the courso of Snake River, on the Idaho
side. A few miles above the Malheur it crosses into
Oregon and enters the now town of Ontario, which has
been built as the railroad point for the valley. The town
is situated ou the bank of Snake River, and is destined to
become quite an important commercial point It is sur
rounded by a largo body of good arable land, nnd is the
natural shipping point for the whole Malheur Valley.
By means of a ferry across the Snake, Payette Valley, in
Idaho, will find this a desirable trading point From
Ontario, following up the Malheur, the valley has an
average width of four miles until the canyon is reached,
thirty miles above. Three ditches have been constructed,
which supply all the water needed for irrigating this
tract Until the railroad was built the valloy was com
paratively unsettled, but about a vear aero, when the route
of the Short Line became known, settlements in this
region were quickly made. Grain, vegetables and fruits
produce abundantly, and the olimate of the valley proper,
as distinguished from the surrounding uplands, is ex
tremely mild. Near the centre of the valley is the little
town of Vale, consisting of a store, saloon, feed stable;
blacksmith shop and post office. Below the town Willow
Crook, a stream of considerable size, enters the river.
From its source, fifty miles to the northwoHt. if. fla
through a splendid region. . Willow Creek Valley is oue
of the oldest settlements in the county, and is an excellont
farming country. The farms lie along the stream, which
carries water sufficient for all the needs of the settlers,
and the surrounding hills are covered with bunch gross,
upon which large quantities of stock are grazed Good
roads run through the valley, and several post offices
have been established for the convenience of the people.
Just above Vole, Bully Creek enters the Malheur. With
its tributaries, Cottonwood, Indian, Clover and Dry
creeks, thia stream drains an area of 400 square miles,
which is now ranged bv stockmnn with a n..,;
that portion alorg the creek bottoms occupied by farmers.
This is a newly settled region, but one which a little en
terprwe can oonvert into a veritable garden spot It is