102
THE WEST SHORE.
Lund are for sale at all prioes, ranging from highly im-
proved farms noar 8ulom for tr0 and even $100 por acre,
to the undisturbed briiHh and forest lands in the foothills
and mountlinn at 1160 er acre to purchasers, or a free
gift to homosload settlors.
Salem, the county scat, ia the capital of Oregon, and
disputes with Astoria the honor of being the second city
Sn him in the State. It contains the cnpitol building, the
Willamette University, tho county buildings, two large
flouring mills, oil works, foundry and machine shops, fur
niture factory, and many fine public, business and resi
dence buildings. The water owor at Salem is very
extensive and valuable.
The other principal business centres are Silverton,
Stayton, Jefferson, Onrvais and Aurora. The county is
well supplied with shipping facilities. The O. & C
crosses it from north to south near tho river, while a nar
row gauge division of the 0. II & N. traverses its entire
width from northwest to southeast The Willamette fur
nishes an iudeiMindent waterway tho entire year to Tort-
laud and the Columbia River towns. Tho advantages of
securing laud in old and well established communities
are leading many to purchase improved farms in Marion
County, while many more are settling upon the Govern
innnt and railroad lands in the foothills.
LINN COUNTY.
Linn County extends from the Willamette River to
the summit of the Cascade Mountains, and lies between
Marion and Lane counties on the north and south, hav.
ing Rcuton for its neighbor west of the river. In its
area of altout 2,400 square miles it embraces bottom
lands, high prairies, foothills and mountains, having the
m t extensive prairies in tho Willamette Valley. The
Iswt agricultural jtart of the county is a strip or belt
Wdering on the Willamette River, an oen, fertile
prairie region, thickly settled with thrifty farmers. This
Mi is from twelve to tweuty-five miles wide, and is on
of the finest wheat and oat growing regions in the State.
East of litis is a lwIt from ten to twenty miles wide, which
is hilly and undulating, diversified with small valleys, in
which are many quiet, pleasant homes. Tho uncultivated
lands in this section are for the most part covered with
brush ami timlx-r, such as oak, fir, ash and maple. The
next belt, comprising tho remainder of the county, and
extending to the summit of the Caacado Mountains, is
mountainous region, almost wholly unsettled, aud, in
fact, geuerally unfit for settlement It is covered with
large forests of fine timW, which iu time will become
extremely valuable. The entire county is finely watered
by large streams, of which the principal ones are the
W illamette River, North Kautiam and South Santiatn.
Resides these there are numerous small streams, all rising
in the Cascade Mountains mid emptying into the Willam
ette or its tributaries The water in those streams is
clear and pure, and furnishes abundant water power for
manufacturing purpose. The Oregou & California Rail
road enters Linu County on th north, about six miles
tut of the WillamstU Rivar, and runs about tea miles
southwest to Albany, and thence south and southwest
about thirty-two miles to Harrisburg, a mile above which
point it crosses the WillamelU and pub on iuuU
through Lane County, xnere is a uruuuu iu,uu
Albany east to Lebanon, a distance of fifteen miles, where
it connects with the narrow gauge road running west of,
and parallel to, the 0. & C. These roads, witn tne Will
amette River, afford transportation facilities both by rail
and boat .
As in other counties in the valley, the vacant Uovorn
mont land is confined almost exclusively to the foothills
.l mnin.tjiins. Imnrovod lands in the valley section
can be purchased at prices varying from $15 to $40 per
acre, though many farms would, n sola at ail, command
a higher figure. The desirable land in the foothills and
in sections more removed from market and transportation
can be purchased at from $5 to $25 per acre. Ihere is
considerable land well adapted to hop culture, and that
industry has already taken strong hold upon the county.
The county seat and chief business centre is Albany,
a live town of 2,800 people, lying on the west bank of the
Willamette. It possesses good water power, which is
utilized by flouring mills, saw mills, sash and door fac
tories, chair factory and a number of other industries.
It lies on the line of the 0. & C. R. R., and is reached by
boats on the river at all seasons of the year. Other
towns Bre Brownsville, where is a woolen mill which is
one of the leading manufacturing industries in the State;
Lebanon, which contains a flouring mill, sash and door
factory and grain elevator; Harrisburg, containing a saw
mill and flouring mill; Scio, possessing a flouring mill;
Hnlsey, Shedd, Crawfordsville, Tangent, Peoria and
Waterloo.
LANE COUNTY. .
Lane Countv. with its nrea of 4.500 snuare miles, much
of it fine agricultural land, is the largest one with any
portion of its surface lying within the valley, and is one
of the most productive in the State. The central portion
oi tne county occupies the upper end of the Willamette
Valley and the mountains that bound it on the south,
i i . i ..... .
wiino ine remainder extends to the summit of the Cas
cades on the east, and crosses the Coast Range to the
Pacifio on the west The valley portion is composed
mainiy oi level or slightly rolling, fertile prairie, bordered
noxt to the mountains with low foothills, covered with
grass and scattering oak, pine, fir, maple, alder and other
varieties of timber. Each river and creek flowing thronch
the valley is fringed with a narrow strip of timber, con-
swung oi nr, mBpio, balm, ash, alder, cedar, etc. The
mountain ranges on the south, west and east are heavily
Umbered with forests of fir, pine, cedar, hemlock, sprace
and other varieties of giant growth. Besides the valley
land, which never fails to produce abundant crops of
wheat, oaU, barley, rye and other cereals, as well as vege
tables and fruit of nearlw
i j - j (inioiiji unci v to a gwu
deal or splendid farming land along the rivers and smaller
WttAMnntaM 1 At.- .....
v...m, , uie mountains, and in the foothills are
many thousands of acres of valuable land belonging to