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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1886)
THE WEST SHORE. 17 On the east side of the Willamette River its line runs up the valley, and through the Umpqua anil Rogue Jtivor valleys to Ashland in the extreme southern end of the State. This is the line which will connect with the Cen tral Pacific and form an all-rail route between this city and San Francisco. The Central Paeifio has now about 110 miles to construct to make this connection. The work is progressing slowly and will be completed in about two years. There will then be a complete line of railway from Seattle, on Pugot Sound, to San Diego, in the extreme southern part of California. On the wost side the 0. & C. also has a line extending up the valley to Corvallis, whore it connects with the Oregon Pacific, a new road running from Corvallis to the coast at Yaquina Hay. Narrow gauge feeders to the O. & C. run up both sides of the valley. The Oregon Railway & Navigation Company owns the line running up the Columbia over which the North ern Pacific and Oregon Short Line reach this city. The main line extends into the great wheat country lying along the northwestern base of the Blue Mountains, passing through The Dalles and reaching Walla Walla and Dayton, and tapping Snake River at Riparia. The road is being extended eastward to the Pataha country. North of Snake River it has a line branching off from the Northern Pacific into the fertile Palouse country, reaching Colfax and Moscow, and is about to extend one arm of this to Palouse City and Farmington. What is known as the Blue Mountain Division of the 0. R. & N. Co. leaves the main line at Umatilla, 187 miles east of Portland, and runs southeast through Pendleton and tho rich grain country south of Walla Walla, across tho Blue Mountains and through La Grande, Union and Baker City to Huntington, near Snuko River, the point of junc tion with tho Oregon Short Lino, 401 miles from this city. The Northern Pacific has a lino running from Portlaud north along tho Willamette and Columbia rivers, crossing the latter by ferry at Kahuna, and continuing north to Tacoina and Seattle, on Pugot Sound. A short narrow gauge road connects Olympia with this road at Tenino. The terminus of the Northern Pacific main line is Wallula, 214 miles east of Portland, where it forms a junction with the 0. R. & N. Co. and reaches this city over the hitter's lino. From a print on its main Hue north of Snake River tho Northern Paeifio has begun tho construction of its Cascades Division directly west ward through tho Yakima and Kittitas valleys and across tho Cascade Mountains to Seattle and Tacoma. This will bo completed in about two years. It will then have a shorter line to Pugot Sound and a completo route over its own roads to this city in caso the O. R & N. line should ever bo closed to it Not only does tho whole railway system of the Northwest centre in Portland, but the steamboat routes on the Columbia and Willamette. Steamers ply from this city up the Willamette as far as Corvullis, up the Columbia to Vancouver and to Tho Dalles (with a portage at the Cascades), and down to Astoria; also up Cowlitz and Lewis rivers. There are regular ocean steamers every five days to San Francisco. About one hundred craft are employed iu rivor trans portation, many of them large and elegant Bteamors. They are constantly coming and going, and tho river in front of tho city is continually crowded with thorn, They lie at the various wharves, four or five deep at times, among them being seen the tall masts of tho grain tleet and tho hugo black hulls of ocean steamers. When the Columbia is opened to navigation above Tho Dalles tho number of steamers and barges bringing the products of the Northwest to Portland will bo largely increased. The chief business streets of Portland nra the first four running parallel with tho river. First comes Front, which is occupied almost exclusively by wholesale and manufacturing firms, the rows of business blocks extend ing from F to A, on North Front, and from A to Mont gomery, on Front, a distanco of twonty-six blocks. Tho next street is First, which is lined with retail stores ex tending from F to a few blocks further south than tho wholesale limits on Front. Many of these stores aro very largo and carry enormous stocks of goods. Tho largest and best buildings in tho city stand on Front and First streets. This section, from Oak south, is well shown in tho sketch from the tower of the Knmiii Block, given on page 11). Along First street, from (1 south to tho gulch, runs a lino of Btreet railway. Second street, from Pine to Taylor, is occupied almost exclusively by Chinose, whose quarters are far moro picturesque than agreeable to either the eye, ear or nose. There aro, how over, at tho corners of the cross streets, a number of large business blocks, two of them just completed, the Mulkey Block and Portland Savings Bank Building. Tho sketch on pago ill shows Second street north of Yamhill, the first one and one-half blocks on tho right and tho first block on tho left being occupied by stores of white merchants. Third street has become an important retail thoroughfaro during the past llvo years, tho stores extending at intervals from A to Yamhill. A lino of street railway runs across the city on Third stroet from Caruthers to 0, and thenco westward on 0 lo Twenty, second, sending n branch down Thirteenth to North Port land. A few stores aro located on Fourth ami Fifth streets. Retail stores extend westward on a number of tho cross streets intersecting Front ami First in tho con tra of tho business Mrtioii. On Washington they extend from Front to Fast Park, on Alder to Fourth, on Morri. son to Sixth, and on Yamhill to Fifth. Street cars run west on Washington to its junction with B, and thenco on B to within a short distanco of City Park. Branches run from tho main lino south on Eleventh to Montgomery, and north on Fifteenth to North Portland. First and Third streets aro lighted by electric lauim, suspended twenty feet from tho ground, at the centre of the inter section of every second cross street, arranged alternately so thai each cross street shall liavo a lamp on either First or Third Tho remainder of tho city is lighted by ordi nary street lamps at every street crossing. Water is supplied tho city by a privato corporation, and is pumod from tho Willamette into distributing reservoirs, whence it flows through tho main by gruvita-