THE WEST SHORE.
not be excelled. It pure, and, flowing from the
lio of perianal snow, it it always cool. There we
whit sulphur and soda springs in and near the city,
which are well patronized by the home people at well
a by visitor from abroad. The warm aulphur
spring in on. edge of the city ii a rare attraction.
It ii fitted for bathing and ii a very popular resort
Aihland haa not pushed before the world ita advan
Ug aa a natural lanitariam, but it merit, are grad
ually becoming known and it promiaet to be in a few
year, one of the moat popular health resorts in the
country. In addition to ita apecifio morita ita sur
rounding are all pleasant, and there ia not a tingle
unhealthy aymptom in the locality. The city claims
the lowest death rata in the United States, notwith
standing the fact that many people have become res
identa there becauae of their broken health.
KtMKtV t lr II. H I UUK, AmlUHII, OKKlldN
lUide. Uiiig on the overland route of travel bo
twwn 1'urtltnJ and Bu Frauciaco aud a divisional
point m the railr.l, Aihland is the nearest railroad
station to that enUrat Unly of water that it prov.
ing such an attraction to curioua tourists, Crater lake.
A wagon road Uda from the city directly to the lake
a distance of aUmt sixty mil. At a natural curio.!
ity. a. well as for the beauty of ita turroundings,
Cr.W lake i. well worth a vi.iL The , xcvllont ho.
W aoemmodation. of Ashland make it a comfort
able .topping place for trmlors, MJ ita contra
Uoo make, it ths , most cuvenient headquarter, in
Southern Oregon for Luutor. and touri.ta, u w,.l u
for buainc. men having intent. iD that section
Thert . b regular communication with the .cttloment.
oUk.and hl.m.th counts, lying to the east of
' WST XUm f fro" region
g-. to Ashland. Aacmi..klyUgerun.U)irk
ville, carrying the mail, but a proposition to increase
the service bo that a daily mail will be afforded the
people of the interior i'b now being considered, with a
probability that such a servioe will soon be establish,
ed. The trade flowing to Ashland from the country
immediately surrounding it is important and is con.
ttantly growing in volume.
The resources of the Rogue rivtr valley are by
no meant confined to farming, grazing and orohard
ing. The sides of the hills are covered with a good
growth of valuable timber, such as sugar pine, fir,
cedar and oak. The sugar pine is a particularly fine
timber for manufacturing. The country is also rich
in minerals. Last year Jackson county yielded more
gold than any other county of Oregon. Since their
discovery in 1852 the plaoer mines of that region
have produced 125,000,000.00. There are quartz
ledges showing rich prospects, but
the want of sufficient capital hat
thus far prevented their develop,
ment Among the other minerals
found there are marble, limestone,
granite, sandstone, coal, iron, cin.
nabar and kaolin. There is a good
opening for manufactories to aid
in developing and working these
minerals. The kaolin, as well at
most of the others, has been thor
oughly tested and found to be of
excellent quality.
Ashland is making more rapid
progress now than ever before in
its history. Though it already hat
a water works plant the citizens
have just voted to have a new one
that will be more in keeping with
the constantly crowinc needs of the
Tho source of supply will be the same but the
city,
the reservoir will be over four hundred feet above the
point of tervioe in any part of the city, giving a nat
ural pressure for all purposes. A bonus hat jutt
been raised that secures the building of a large fruit
drying and canning establishment in Ashland. An
avenue one hundred feet wide was recently made,
leading from the business portion of the city to the
sulphur tpiingt at the base of the Siskiyou moun
tains, three miles distant, and preparations for build
ing a street car line out to the springs are now in
progress. Many buildings of a substantial character
are in course of erection, and everywhere with the
evidences of thrift "d prosperity may be seen prep
aration! for improvement. The post offioe reoeipti
M year exceeded those of the previous year nearly
fifty per cent Ashland is a repeating station on the
Im of both the Western Union and the Paoifio Pot-