The west shore., April 01, 1885, Page 115, Image 23

THE WEST SHORE.
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timber; and, indeed, the white, or Port Orford, cedar of
; (Ioor is, for finPTiPRs mid excellency for finishing timbtir,
the best we have in Oregon, Tributary to the Coquillo
River alone are millions of feet of that variety of timber
waiting the lumberman's axes and saws; and yearly mill
ions of feet of it are being destroyed by fire." A com
pany has been formed to work the valunble stone and
slate quarries on Coos Bay. The slate is said to be of a
'very superior quality, equal to the best Welsh, and stone
similar to the renowned Caen of Normandy can be had in
almost unlimited quantities. Farms with little improve
ments can be purchased very cheap, while more improved
lands are held at higher figures. One of the advantages
is that a settler can find plenty of work in the logging
camps at from $40 to ICO per month and board, to help
support himself while clearing his farm.
In common with other ooost harbors, the entrance to
Coos Bay is obstructed by a bur. A jetty has been con
structed by the Government, which has securod a dopth
of eighteen feet at extreme low tide. The bay is large
and offers absolute security to vessels lying at anchor. It
is very irregular in shape, giving it an extended shore
line. A large amount of marsh land is found on the
tributary sloughs and creeks, which is susceptible of
being reclaimed and rendorod extremely valuublu. On
the Coos, Millicamas and other streams emptying into
the bay is quite an extensive area of bottom land, known
as "myrtle bottoms," because the prinoipal troe is the
myrtle. Much difficulty is experienced in clearing these
lands, for the myrtle is extremely tenacious of life, and
the old stumps retain their vitality for years, constantly
putting out a rank growth of green shoots, which the
farmer must trim off every year. The cost of clearing
such land is placed at 150 an acre, consequently there is
much of it yet unoleared. Such as have been put under
cultivation have paid their owners well, for the yield of
grain, vegetables and grasses is prolific, and good prices
are obtained for everything. On Coos River aro many
very valuable farms. Empire City, the oounty seat, lies
on the southeast side of the bay, six miles from the bar.
Formerly coal and lumber wero ship)cd in quantities
from that point A United States custom house is located
there. Marshfiold, a town of 800 people, lies further up
the bay. A large saw mill and ship yard is located there.
At North Bend are located another large saw mill and
Bhip yard. Sumner, Coos City, Coalndo, Utter City and
Aaronville, the last having a saw mill, are othor villages
in that region.
In the southern end of tlo oounty is Coqnille River,
which has a large area of myrtle bottom land along it
course, the greater portion of which is yet uncleared.
Lumlwring, sulmon canning and shipbuilding are the
leading industries. Randolph is a town of 100 iuhubi.
tanta, near the mouth of the river, on the north bank, and
Bandon another of about the same size, ou the south
bank. The former has two saw mills and the latter one.
Parkersburg lies on the south bank, a few miles further
up, and contains a salmon canuery, a salmon salting
establishment, two saw mills and a ship yard. Coquille
City is the most populous town on the river, and contains
buW uuJ t(til mi" Fuiliior up Uie bUouiii Hie Norway,
Myrtlo Point, with grist ami saw mills; Hormnnnsvillo,
Dora, Ott, Gravel Ford, Sitkum and Fairviow. There
are several other saw and grist mills located at various
points not designated nbovo.
CDIIBY COUNT!.
The oounty of Curry lies in the extreme southwestern
corner of Oregon, surrounded by Coos, Douglas and Jos.
ephine counties, in this State, and Del Norte County, in
California, and having a ooast line on the Pacific of more
than 100 miles. In its area of 1,500 square miles it em
braces hills, valleys, plains and mountains. Home of the
elevations are oovored with heavy growths of fir, live oak
and cedar, while others are bald, supporting a luxuriant
growth of grass. Rogue Rivor, whose principal tributary
is the Illinois, finds its way to the ocean across the oon
trul portion of Curry County. Tlio other streams of tho
county, all of which How into the ocean, aro Now, Sixes,
Pistol, Chotoo, Winduhuck and Elk rivers,' and Floras,
Brush and Euchre crooks. Ou all these streams are
tracts of rich alluvial bottom lands, while there is much
flno agricultural land iu the valleys scattered here and
there iu the mountains. Tho grassy hills afford splendid
grazing for cattle and sheep. Much land is yet open to
settlement, and desirable locations with improvements
can bo purchased at reasonable rates. The chief products
are gold, grain, hay, butter, cheese, timlxir, cattle, sheep
and fisk Placer mining has boon carried on for years
with good results. Tho timber of this region, OHxolaIly
tho colobratod Port Orford codar, is very siqxirior, ami
lumboring is the leading Industry. Thousands of acres
of timlwr land, advantageously located, can lo purohasod
from tho Government at t'2.50 xr acre, or can lie homo,
steaded. The salmon run in all tho rivers is large, and
finer locations for canneries do not exist A cannery at
Ellenshurg is doing an extensive business, and yet is not
able to use nil the fish offered it Tho shipping points
are Ellonsburg and Port Orford, tho latter needing only
a small breakwater to make it acoessiblo for shipping
purpose to the largest vessels that float Communica
tion is had from these ports with Kan Francisco by means
of sailing vessels, making Curry tributary to that city.
In this respect, and in the matter of iU resource and
industries, it is similar to Coos, iU nearest neighbor on
the north.
Ellonsburg is tho oounty scut and is situated at the
mouth of Rogue River. It contain a salmon canuery,
two saw mills and grist mill. The population is about
1100. Port Orford, some thirty miles np tho ooost has
two saw mills, and is the shipping and receiving point
for the northern end of the oounty. Chotoo, near tho
California line, is the seaport for tho farmers on Chetoo
River and other portions of the southern end jf the
oounty. There are a number of quite extensive individual
dairies in the oounty, several of them milking a hundred
cows each, and many thousand pounds of butter are
shipped annually. ,V