Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1885)
THE WEST SHORE. 113 is some yellow fir which is green near the river, enough to run a large mill for years, and good water power Tr at Laud, immediately at the head of tidewator. There ib . a small bay with nine feet of water at low tide. The county is receiving many settlers, but there is yet much vacant land, where industrious men can make for them Belves good homes. The prairie lands or high plains, stretching up and down the coast for nearly sixty miles and back to the mountains for twelve miles, are the easiest reached, and but for the ferns and brakes that grow in profusion, ab sorbing the moisture and killing off other vegetation, would make the finest farms. As it is, the viue maple bottoms are the most dosirable. With the exoeption of its dairy products, timber and fish, the county has but little to export. Agriculture has made but little progress, owing chiefly to a lack of transportation, but partly to the fact that with a few cattle, a fishing rod and a gun, the settler can live in royal style without the labor that bo companies grain farming. The barley of this region is superior to that of the Willamette Valley, and oats, pota toes, fruits and all kinds of vegetables are prolific. The county needs settlers to clear the land, oultivate it and make homes for their families; and when this is done, the other great need sufficient transportation facilities will surely be provided. One who has money cau buy land at what would anywhere be considered low figures. He should have enough left after buying his land to stock it, and by fair industry he can make money and grow rich. The settler with limited means can find pleuty of oppor tunities to make a home. He can homestead or pre-empt 1G0 acres of land, and from the start can make a living for himself and family. The waters will supply him witli trout; the shores and inlets abound in clams; his rifle should furnish him plenty of fresh meat, and a small garden patch can supply vegetables which need only planting to grow. The lumber industry is being dovol oped, and will in the future be a large one. The moun tains are covered with fir and cedar of gigantic size, and the rivers are in every way suitable for floating logs to mills situated on the bays at their mouths, where vessels can be. loaded. A large mill bos been erected on Tilla mook Bay, and others will surely follow. There is bImo a large salmon cannery on the bay. As to shipping facil ities, they are at present confined to the small stcamors that make periodical visits to the bay; but there is little doubt that a railroad will be run across the mountains, either from the Willamette Valley or branching from the road to be built to Astoria, as soon as the settlements are far enough advanced to make such a road profitabla Tillamook, the county seat, Hobsonville, Hobo and Ore town are the chief towns, none of them as yet advanced beyond the village state. BENTON COCNTY. The western portion of this county see " Willamette Valley " for the eastern end lies along the ooast from Tillamook to Lane. Its characteristics are much similar to those of Tillamook, though for many square miles the timber has boen destroyed by forest fires. Whore this hm occurred a rank i.U of giant ems has spmng up, growing so thickly that at a distenoo their tops sovoral feet from the ground present the appoaranoo of a fine velvoty turf; and with the exception of ranging cattle upon it, which fatten on the wild poa vino growing bo. neath the forns, but little use has yet boon made of this land, except along the rivor bottoms. Yaqnina River flows wostword across the northern end of the county and discharges iuto the bay of the same name. Farming and stock raising are carried on along the rivor and bay, but not ou an extensive scale. Thore exist no broad levels for large fields of grain, and though the range over the hills is very wido, no ono has entered largely into the stock or dairy business. The soil has boeu euriohed by ashos from the burnod forest, and yiolds abundantly in the bottoms, and on the hills when the ferns havo boen oonquerod. Potatoes are exoollont, and largo quantities are exported. Fruit does well, as is attostod by several small orchards and one largo one. Yaquina Day is destined to become quite an impor tant reooiving and shipping point Tho Oregon Pacific road was recently oompletod from tho bay aornss the mountains to Corvallis, where it reaches both the Willam ette River and the 0. A. 0. Railroad. Vessels of sixteen foot draught cau cross the bar, but this depth will bo increased several foot whon tho Government improve, meuts now in progress aro completed, Tli(largflst town on the bay is Nowport, just within tho entrance. It has considerable shipping trade, chlolly with San Francisco, and contains about 200 pooplo. Yaqninn City is an em. bryo town further up tho bay, and is tho terminus of tho railroad, possessing terminal works, oar shops, warehouses and docks. One mile south is Onoatta, the site of a good saw mill. Toledo and Oystervillo are also small com munities on the bay, and Elk City, at the hood of naviga tion on the river. Lumber, oysters and miscellaneous product are the articles now shipod from Yaquiua Ray, but it is the iutention of the railroad to make it ship, ping point for wheat, flour and other product of tho great valley across the mountains. Alsoa River cute through the mountains and outers the Pacific near the southern end of the oounty. Along its oourso is much good bottom land Upjior Aiwa Val loy is ten miles long and from one to three wide, ami has a rich, deep alluvial soil. Gross is excellent the year round, and there in an abundance of pure water. The advantages offered for dairying are obvious. There are now some 350 people in the valley. The rivor from that point descends 1,000 feet in passing through the iuouu taius to Alsea Day, an estuary at it mouth. Flowing into the stream near it mouth aro Five Rivers and Dwnp Creek, along whose fertile banks many settlors have located. Thore is room for many more along the Alsea and it tribuUrie. LAN! COCNTT. That portion of Lane lying along tho ooast is quite mountainous and covered with dense forest. Except
