2l2
THE WEST SHORE.
clas of jwple who brought with them habits of in
tlcutry and ideas of progress that have evidently
Wen applied to good advantage
Tbo Chehalem valley docs not comprise an exten
sive area, Tbo creek which drain it is not even one
of the larger tributaries of the Willamette river.
Htill, tbo basin ii well defined and possesses charac
brUtics which arc peculiar to it, and are more pro
nounce! than thoM possessed by many section? of
the Pacific sloj. Tho past decile, and especially
the latter half of it, has witnessed the Bubjagation of
thii valley and the location here of industrious, pros
jktoui and progressive jple, who bavo established
pleasant homes and provided for the full enjoyment
of tbo results of their lalwrs. Tho valley is about
ten milea aero in an easterly and westerly direction,
and five milea from north to aouth. The Chehalem
mountaini are tho northern boundary, and on the
aouth a ridge of bills divides it from tho Yamhill val
ley. On tho west tho foothills of tho Coast moun
tains interrupt tho gentle undulations of tho surface,
and to the eadward tho dividing lines of relief grad
ually fade away until the Chehalem merges with tho
broad expanse of tho valley of tbo Willamette
Tho supplement accompanying this number of
The WijiT Huonr. gives as comprehensive an idea of
tho general features of the Chehalem valley as an en
graving can preaent Tho rwint from which the view
was taken is on tho Chehalem mountains, five miles
nearly due north of Xcwberg, and at an altitude of
aluut a thousand fwt alwvo tho town. In the left
liars ground is seen tho Cascade range, from which
riso tho snow t of Jefferson and tho Three Sis
ters, tho former seventy.five miles and tho latter
aU)ut a hundred and twenty.fivo milea distant from
the point of olnemtion. To tho right of the center
is Mary's enk, in tho Const mountains, sixty miles
away and aUmt eighty miles from Mount Jefferson.
In the antral part of tho view, on a clear day, may
I vn the smoke ascending from tho city of Salem,
which is tome thirty miles distant Tho most prom!
inent town in the picturo is Newburg. Seven or
eight miles to tho southeast is SL Paul, and still far
ther sway are (Jervais and Hubbard. Champoog is
near tho foot of tho bill, at tho left, Dundee junction
hes a httlo to tho right of that, and a little farther on
is Da)ton. Lafayette McMinuville, North Yamhill
and CarlUm are U7ond tho bills in tho right of tho
I'jfltti. At tho right, also, may bo obtained a
SH9 of tho Yamhill valley, which unites with the
Chehalem at the cat, or at least the lino of demark
ahon there grows indistinct At the foot of tho Che
balem taounUina tbo valley stretches out, and is fill
d with timl-er groves, orchards, fields and village
bevrral miles a.y tho courso of tho Willamette riv-
er may be followed by the light-colored cottonwoodg
which line its banks, also that of Chehalem creek,
flowing through the valley from the right to the Wil
lamette river. The Portland & Willamette Valley
narrow gauge railroad extends across the valley, en
tering through the opening between Parrot mountain
and Hall hill, a trifle too far to the left to be seen in
the view, and passing out of sight between the hills.
Some of the hills are densely timbered with fir, cedar,
oak and other woods. Several of the mountain streams
offer advantages in the way of water power, and sys
tems of water works for some of the towns, to be sup.
plied from mountain springs, are in contemplation.
The Chehalem valley impresses one with a sense
of its complete harmony of detail, like the chords of
a perfectly-attuned musical instrument It seems as
if people could not help being peaceful, prosperous
and happy in the midst of such surroundings. There
are few places that appear so admirably designed for
the abode of man. As it rolled from Nature's hand
it was an El Dorado. It has not lost that charm, but
the magic wand of progress has been waved over the
scene, and the placid valley has given people homes,
and been enlivened by their industry. Several small
villages have grown up' in response to the demands
of the community. In a modest way manufacturing,
such as is in a considerable degree incident to agri
cultural development, is carried on. Farms and
woodlands cover the country, and the hills and moun
tains surrounding afford protection and vary the
view. Numerous small streams from the highlands
pursue their devious ways to the large creek which
flows through and drains the valley. The large num
ber of fruit orchards, with their blossoms in spring
time and the ripened fruit in autumn, make the coun
try seem especially delightful during those seasons.
Fruit raising is one of the chief occupations that
engage the attention of the Chehalem people. While
the fertile fields produce abundant yields of other
crops, the climate is best suited to the growth of fine
fruits, and it is justly termed the fruit raising sec
tion of Oregon. Apples, pears, peaches, plums and
small fruits all flourish, but the apple crop of the
Chehalem valley and Yamhill county is the most fa
mous. Tho hillsides furnish the best locations for
growing fruits, for this section is not entirely below
the line of winter frosts, and on ground of medium
altitude thero is least danger of unseasonable cold.
The moisture is sufficient everywhere, The protec
tion from blighting winds is complete, Fruit never
fails on the hillsides; and this is a statement that is
true of very few countries, indeed. Forests are grub
bed from the land and immediately orchards are set
on the tract, which scarcely misses its natural timber
before the fruit trees cover it, and surely the crops of