THE WEST SHORE.
103
the Government or railrond Lane County has an area
of 2,500,000 aores, of which about one-fourth in loVul
prairie and three-fourths timber and mountain land.
About 1,500,000 aores are surveyed, and 1,000,000 aores
in the timber and mountains, are unsurveyed Only
370,000 acres are now settled by a population of 12,000 or
13,000. Land can be purchased in the hills and in the
little valleys in the mountains at $1.25 to $2.50 and $5
per acre, and choice improved farming land in the valley
at $10 to $30, and near town at $10 and $50, per acre,
according to looation and the value of improvements.
The opportunities for farming, stock raising, lumbering
and manufacturing are groat Splendid water powor for
manufacturing exists along noarly all the streams. Lane
takes the load in Oregon for the culture of hops, of which
thore are numerous fine fields near Eugene City and in
other favorable localities. Lane offers a field for varied
industries, such as wheat raising, gonoral farming, hop
growing, wool growing, fruit culture, stock raising, dairy
ing, lumbering, miscellaneous manufacturing and other
pursuits. Many highly desirable immigrants are annu
ally settling within its limits, either purchasing land in
the valley or entering foothill claims under tho home,
stoad and pre-emption laws. An important soetion is
that lying west of the summit of the Coast Range, a de
scription of which will be found under the head of " Tho
Coast Region."
The chief town and business oontre of the oounty is
Eugone City, the oounty soat, lying on the Willamotto
River and O. & C. Railroad. This is the loading town in
the upper end of the valloy, and has a population of some
1.G00. It possesses the State University, and has a flour
ing mill, fruit cannery, furniture factory, saddle tree
factory and several othor industries. It is favorably
located for steady growth and prosperity. Junction City
contains two warehouses and a population of 400. It is
the Bolocted point of junction between the two linos of
the O. & C. whon the west side line shall have boon ex
tended south from Corvallis. Cottage Qrove is a town of
300 people on the O. A C. road, near the south line of tho
county, and contains two flouring mills and a planing
inilL Latham is a small railroad town containing grist
and saw mills. Irving, Goshen and Creswoll are also
stations on the road, the last namod containing a flouring
railL Springfield, containing a flour and saw mill, Plea,
ant Hill, Willamotte Forks, Lowoll, Long Tom and Sius
law are othor small villages. The O. & C. runs through
the heart of the oounty from north to south, furnishing
shipping facilities for the most thickly settled portion.
denton oourrr.
Benton o:nlraoos an area of 2,000 square miles, ex
tending from the Willamette River to tho Pacific, and
lying between Polk and Tillamook counties on tho north
and Lane on tho soutlu The eastern end lies within the
limits of the Willamette Valley, and include thousands
of acres of the most fertile arable land in Oregon, much
of which has been under cultivation for a third of a cen
tury. This is dividud into three gonoral classes pruirio,
bottom and foothills. The prairie land, extoudin for
miles north and south of Corvallis, the oounty Boat, liea
within tho groat wheat belt of tho valley. This is gen
erally level or slightly wiling, boooming more broken aa
it approaches the base of the mountains. Under careful
cultivation this land produces from twonty-fivo to forty
bushels of winter wheat to the acre, in exceptional cases"
even large fields excelling that limit , The farms are
nearly all well improvod, with oomfortable and pleasant
dwellings, commodious farm buildings and good fences.
Thore are, however, many tracts not yet broken by the
plow, ovor which a few sheep and cattlo grajso. Land will
soon become Uxi valuablo to be used in that manner.
Gtxxl farms can be purchased hero at from $25 to $10
or acre; though tho choice ones, with exceptionally good
improvements, cannot be secure;! at such prices. Com
purativoly unimproved farms can be bought at much
lower rates. A farmer with a little capital cannot do bet
tar in Oregon than to purchase laud of this oharaoter in
Benton County. Many such havo looatod there tho past
two yoars. A few fruit trees are to be found on nearly
every farm, whilo a oonsidornbla numlier of extensive
orchards have been in bearing condition for years. Such
fruit as jwars, apples, plums, cherries, graes, etc., are of
sujwrior quality, and tho trees and vines yield abundantly.
Along tho Willamette thero aro long stretches of lxt
tom land, somo of it overflowed in tho spring timo, which
is extromely valuable. This land was formerly covered
with a denso growth of fir, maple, balm, ash, scrub oak,
hazel, etc, and was olearod with much diflloulty; but it is
now well worth oil tho lalr and oxpensoof Improving it
Timber and brush still standing here and thero give an
indication of tho former condition of nil tho bottom lands.
The higher jNirtions of the bottoms make splendid wheat
land, whilo the lower booomo natural meadows where tho
grass nover fails. Dairying is an important and profit
able industry along tho river; also tho raising of vegeta
bles. This low land is especially adapted to tho culture
of hops. Thero are a numW of hop fields in tho oounty
and plenty of excellent laud upon which to start now
ones.
The foothills lio Iwtween tho prairie land and tho
mountains. Here is considerable land oon to settlement,
much of which is very desirable. In its natural state It
is covered with oak trees and shrulm, Wieath which there
is fine pasturage, where sheep, cattle and hogs can lo
maintained at littlo exjsmso. This submits readily to
cultivation when proxrly situated, giving tho possessor
generally a combination of arablo and pasture land
Much of this land in its nnimprovod state can Iks pur
chased at a nominal sum, whilo land with greater or less
improvemenU is held at from $5 to $25 per aero. Thero
is also considerable Government land, though not so
desirablo as that which is hold for sale. Tho western
end of tho county, including the Alsen section, is treated
of in "Tho Coast Region" diwcription elsewhere.
The seat of justice is Corvallis, situated on tho west
lrnuk of tho Willamette River, and approachable by
stesuiur from Portland This is one of tho oldest and