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