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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1889)
THE WEST SHORE. i A few months ago a street railway company was organized in Salem, by a number of the capitalists of the city, and active operations were at once com menced on the enterprise. A franchise was secured and now nearly a mile and a half is graded, the track laid on a considerable portion of it and the cars are in operation. This enterprise is justified by the prospects of rapid advancement which late events have shaped for Salem, and others are in contempla tion, among which may be mentioned a large ico fac tory, to be erected the current year, and a railroad to Astoria, to investigate which a committee was recent ly appointed by the board of trade. Construction has already begun on the Astoria end of the road to ex tend across the country and connect with some trans continental line to the southeast, and there is no more suitable junction for such a road than Salem. The transportation business of the Capital City is now important, as the figures for the past year indicate. The three transportation companies doing business in Salem delivered in the city during 1883 about nine teen thousand tons of freight, and forwardod from the city eighteen thousand tons. Salem has fine banking institutions, two of which are national banks, with capital aggregating tlJo, 000.00, and the remainder private banks, with an es timated capital of $250,000.00. The deposits aggre gate over half a million dollars. All the banks are in a flourishing condition, and doing a constantly in creasing business. The banking business of a town is a very reliable indei of the volume of business transacted, and in this respect Salem certainly makes a good showing. The express business of Salem for 1888 was about one-fourth greater than for any previous year. The postoffico business experienced a similar increase, though the volume was great cnongh to secure a frco delivery system two or threo years ago. All lines of industry have been unusually active during the past year, and the prospect surely warrants the prepara tions which are being made for the luture. The publications of Salem consist of two daily newspapers, each of which issues a weekly edition, and a monthly periodical, The Sign, published by the deaf mute school The Statesman is the oldest publication, having been established in 1851. The Capitol Journal is a newer paper devoted to local in terests. The daily edition is a six column folio-four pages-and the weekly paper just twico as large. It is ably conducted and reflects the enterprising spirit of the town. The present manager, Mr. Irvine, has instituted many improvements and is pushing it for ward in the front rank of Oregon journaliim. There are some rich mines tributary to Baton, the gold and silver mines of the Santiam. Since the dis covery of precious metals on tho Santiam thero has been a good deal of fitful work in an attempt to de velop paying property, but it must bo confessed that thero has been no determined effort to ascertain tho exact extent of tho mineral deposit Said an old min. ing engineer recently, who had spent years in tho best mines of California and Nevada: " I don't seo why thero may not bo developed rich gold and sil ver mines in tho Cascado mountains in Oregon. I havo no doubt that tho minerals exist in largo quan tities. The troublo is that thoso who havo undertaken mining operations in tho Cascades havo pursued tho work in a half-hearted sort of way and havo failed to secure results. I think it will not bo long beforo largo quantities of tho precious metals will bo ob tained from tho mines in tho Cascado range, Tho Cascades and tho Sierra Nevadaa aro tho same gen eral rango of mountains, having different local names, and I seo no reason why tho northern part of tho chain should not produce, as remarkablo results as havo been secured in the Sierras." The heaviest min ing company in tho Santiam country has headquar ters in Salem, and it is gratifying to noto that prep arations aro being mado for moro vigorous work in the mines than has over beforo been prosecuted. Tho country surrounding and directly tributary to Salem is ono of tho richest portions of that garden of Oregon, tho valley of tho Willamette. Marion coun ty on tho cast sido of tho Willamette, and Polk coun ty on tho west side, include a strip of remarkably fcr tilo soil, extending across the valley from the crest of tho Cascades to tho top of tho Coast mountains, Ma rion county includesalx)ut nlno hundred thousand acres of land, and Polk county about two-thirds as much. In tho center of this tract of country Balem is so situated that it commands patronage from With sidos of tho river, and, indeed, for a considerable dis- tanco up and down tho stream. Balem was ono of tho earliest settled cities in Oregon, and its location was so well selectM that it has hod a steady growth from its beginning. Of course, tho advantage of Wv ing tho state- capital is considerable, but there has never been a time when all tho lnhVnc for a rapid industrisl development ai.d commercial growth havo been so favorable as at prwnl Money is proverbi ally cautious, and tho fact that capital is flowing to Balem is a pretty good indication that it is assured of a prosperous time. Ono of tho potent factors in tho prosperity of Ba lem is its Ward of trad Iking alire to tho demands of capital seeking Investment and people seeking homs, it has done much to at forth tho advaLtagfi of this section of the Pacific coast, and to dUtrtbuto tne information among tuows who dslred it It is composed of experienced busings men, who eneour-