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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1887)
THE DALLES AND WASCO COUNTY. 813 come the residents of the county to at tend court and transact official business. The Dalles is the most substantially built of all the cities of Oregon, except Portland. This is fully shown by the engraving of Second street, on page 85L It has twenty-five brick and stone busi ness buildings and six brick residences. The court house is a handsome brick structure, erected in 1882, at a cost of 25,000.00. An engraving of the court house is given on page 8-42; also of the St Mary's academy. The latter is a handsome brick building, with a chap el adjoining. Here the sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary main tain an excellent school for young ladies, which has an attendance of about one hundred. The buildings cost S25.000.00. On page 852 are given views of the Was co Independent Academy, an education al institution of great merit, having four instructors and seventy pupils, and the public 6chooL The latter occupies one brick and two wooden buildings. It is a thoroughly graded school, urdor the charge of a principal and eight assist ants, and has an attendance of about five hundred pupils. The Young Men's Christian Association has a library and free reading room. There is also a good library for the employes of the O. It k N. Co., the gift of Mr. Henry Yillard when he was president of the company. Among the educational features may bo classed the two most excellent newspa pers, the Timcs-Mounlainccr and the Wasco County Sun, They are recog nized as among the leading papers of Oregon, closely following the metropol itan papers in influence. The Mcth odist, Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal and Congregational denominations all have church edifices, those of the first three being quite ornamental, and the last is about to erect a new building. Of se cret and benevolent societies, there are several, such as the Masons, Odd Fel lows, Knights of Pythias, Workmen, Good Templars, Grand Army of the Re public, Brotherhood of Locomotive En gineers,Brotherhood of Locomotive Fire men, and Knights of Labor. The population of The Dalles is about four thousand, an incrcaao of nearly twenty-five per cent since the census of 1880. The city was originally incorpo rated in 1855, its last charter being granted in 1880. The corporate limits aro nearly one mile square. Its location is most picturesque, being iho apparent center of a vast amphitheatre, whoso walls aro mountain heights. On clear days, the white crest of Mt Hood towers above the mountains to the southwest The older portion of the city (sco page 811) occupies a plateau, elevated above the river and gradually rising to the basaltic bluffs, which hem it in on thrco sides. During the past few years, tho city's growth has carriod it over the bluffs on the south, and many nico resi dences have boon erected there. Tho streets aro laid out at right angles, and are well lined with thrifty shade trees, while the greater number of residences have ample grounds, planted with fruit and ornamental trees, shrubbery and flowers. The line of the O. It. A N. Co. passes along Front street, nearest tho river. Tho company has no regular dejwt, but trains land passengers in front of tho Umatilla House, in which its ticket of fice is located, and where meals are served Tho business men havo organ ized a board of trad which does much to further tho city's interest in all di rections. It has taken a prominent part in the movement to open tho Colombia to continuous navigation, Recognizing the fact that an open river would result in a material lowering of tho rates of freight, and thus, by giving tho produc er greater returns for his product, great ly magnify tho production and shipment