THE WEST SHORE.
238
MARION COUNTY, OREGON.
OUR Willamette valley is one of the ganlon 8xt8 ou
the Burfaoe of the great green earth. The fabled
"Gardon of the Gods" oould have boon planted
here in many plaoes. If the long ooast line
could pas before us iu panorama, so we oould see the
Faoific shores from far Alaska to southernmost Califor
nia, from the northern seas to the southern gulf, from
the glaciers of Stiokeen to soiui-tropio orange groves of
Los Angeles, there is no region in it all to equal, much
loss eclipse, this, in tho beauty and harmony of sur
roundings. Thore are nitiny rivers, hills and plains that
vie with earth's fairest soones, but not one of them can
bear away the palm from the lovoly Willnmotto. It is
no mere spot in miniature; it is as broad as a degree of
longitude, and its waters flow hundreds of miles from
where the fountains rise to where the broad rivor blonds
with the Columbia. Shrinod by mountain rangos whoso
fountains furnish living streams, the rivor gathers from
ciroling hills and rugged heights the streams that vivify
and beautify those hills and valos to swell tho How that
seeks the sea. Multnomah is but the gatoway, and not
the valley; Clackamas, with its woodod hills, guards tho
lower vale; there are broad prairies in "Old Linn," and
Lane is charmingly diversified; west of the life-dealing
river are tho fields of Folk, and the graces and glorin
of Yamhill; but we stand where Howl takes its first view
of cultured valos. Whore the beautiful hills minglo so
doftly with the fruitful plains, is Marion, the quoon of
counties, if not the queen of Oregon. Here all that is
admirable and fruitful and bountiful in tho groat valley
finds expression, for it has hills and valos and forests
and streams which represent the Willamotto at its lioaL
One-half a contury ago the groat rendezvous of tho
mid-continent was Groon rivor. There huutors and
trappers, traders and travolers, mountainmon and plain
men, met at midsummer and canvassed everything of
interest to all. Thoso who came from the far West com
pared tho parched mid-continent, and all tho region oast
of the Cascades the plains where no troo gave shade
and where no rivulets strayed with tho valleys of West
ern Oregon, whore foliage of richest green and densest
shado, bordered streams that were fed by innumemble
fountains. This region, thoy said, knew neither sum.
liter's fervent heat nor winter's Arctic frost Their titles
were carried back and told to the frontiersmen oast of
the Missouri, and made a deep impression. Tho time
came when Americans looked to Oregon for homes, and
these " travelers' tales," more than twice told, beguiled
the winter firesides of those destined to become pioneers
of Oregon. The earliest of thotu, having traversal two
thousand miles of shadeless plains, fragrant with sage
brush and alkali; having crossed the Cascade mountains
as their last endeavor, came to the long-songht-for Wil
lamette valley. They came down out of the trackless
mountains to a land that seemed Eden, to fluids that in
deed were elysian. The meadows and pastures were
rich and luxuriant; they waved before the fresh sea-
winds like billows of emerald. Thore were then no
flocks and herds as wo have them now, but tho " native
races" peopled this wilderness. What we cull savage
trilies ruled nature; planted their lodges by tho streams
and had their canoes on all the rivers; hunted and fished
and lived by simple laws; the wild door and elk, the
black and brown lxar shared dominion with them, and
with tho fish in tho streams gave them their winter's
food. Forty years ago the antlorod oik rnugod free anil
numerous on all thoso valleys, prairies and hill ranges.
Nature was supremo and tho native races, savage and
wild, shared the land among them. It Is related that
as early as 1812 there wero huutors who killed game
along tho river, west of French prairie, to send elk meat
for tho food supply at Astoria. Aged men of the Cali
pooiiis toll how they laid in their winter's moat Their
villages wero along the Willamette, the Hentiam and
Molalln, and also along tho foothill. The day was set
and early in tho morning conch shells were blowu to call
men out for the great hunt of tho year. A great cordon
of hunters reached around what Is now Marion county,
who set fire to the autumn grass, driving all the game
lo fore it to a oommon oenter. When the space was nar
rowed enough the lioat men went in and killed sullleient
game to answer their purpose, being careful not to
weaken tho herds by diminishing their productive ca
pacity. They lived this unfettered life Wore tho white
men came among them. There was at Halem, a winter
village of immemorial usage, called Chemeketa, where
tho Calipooias brought their stores of camas, berries,
cured meats and fish. The measles Waino a Mstilonoe,
half a century ago in this, their " old home," as Che
meketa has meaning. They followed their old way of
sweltering in their sweat houses and then plunging into
tho river, and many times deaths were sudden. From
a prosperous nation these Indians Ixmamo only a few
scores. Chemeketa saw Ihem oomo no more to winter
on the shore where Haleiu now has ossosion. While
one ooplo inhabited this valley there wero many tribes,
and those living on different sides of the Willamette
quarreled at times. When tho old men met ou the river
and talked matters over unsvailiugly, and when diplo
macy win exhausted, they went to war. When tired of
war, the young men turned the matter over again to
their elders and so peace would I mi made. The name of
the river has full significance of this old custom, for the
meaning of tho word Willamette Is " Tho Water of
Peace."
The time oame when ooustant trapping and hunting
lessened tho number of fur-Uaring animals, and the
beaver Iswamo son roe in nil the country west of the
llouky mountains. Tlien it was necessary for the Hud
son's liny Coin p my to make business for its employees.
There were no settlers and only very few missionaries,
but the company made a contract to supply the ttus
siaua of Alaska with bread, and to send timber and lum
lxr to China ami the Kandwich islands. This necessi
tated wheat growing, ami a number of half-breed moun
taineers settled In the valley and became farmers. They