The west shore., August 01, 1889, Page 424, Image 16

THE WEST SHORE.
421
TUB TOWN OF 8UMMERVILL&
THE agricultural resources J Oregon are sufficient
1 to inpport many towns and citiea having many
times the business and population now posaessed by
the commercial centers of the state. In the future
growth of inch places the chief element of progress
will be advantageous location with reference to the
productive area, means of handling the business of
fered, facilities for reaching diatant markets and the
character of the men engagod in handling the busi
nets of the town and looking after iti interests.
When these elemeut are found togother in a town
situated in the midst of one of the moat fertile and
beautiful sections of the state, region undergoing
development and with yean of growth and progreaa
before it, inch a place la worthy the special attention
of one seeking for a desirable place in which to pa
tabliih himalf. Such a place ia Bummerville, in the
f amoua 0 rande Honda valley. For many mile in all
dirrctioua it ia surrounded with farming land of the
fioeat quality, auch u would gladden the hearta of
thousands of farmers who are struggling to maintain
themielvea on a few sterile acres, far away from, and
probably unacquainted with, the delightful climate
and fruitful lauds of Oregon. Much of this land is
not yet under cultivation and may bo purchased at
prices that are extremely cheap when compared with
the value of landa in eastern states far leas produc
tive. 1'ulmproved land at from tt.00 to 15.00, and
improved at 113.00 to l'tO.(X), offer a most inviting op
portunity to those, seeking to establish themselves in
new and growing country. The term new is but a
relative one and does not siguify that frontier life
will there 1 encountered or that the conditions of
pioneer days still niit. Far from it Good roads
ramify the valley aud school houses stand almost in
sight of each other. Channels of business are well
established, Ubks have been founded to facilitate
commercial dealings, flouring mills aud saw mills are
at work, large stone are at hand, carrying greater
stocks and a larger variety of goods than can be
found in eastern establishment of a like character
and in other respects most inviting conditions pre
vail. All this is found in a region where the increase
ia population and wealth will soon render the value
of land much greater than at present, and where the
vwlume of business transacted will steadily increase,
Bummerville has now a population eioeMing two
hundred and fifty, and a tauble property umd at
the township Wing divided into four
school district Two flouring nulls, eaoh having K
capacity of sixty turrets per day, do a large Mll
ahlpplcg buaiueae. One of tleru is owned by the
Bummerville Milling Company and the oth,-r by J.
Rinehart A Son. The latter firm also owna the Far.
mers Mortgage and Savings Bank, which has a oapi.
tal of $30,000.00 and is a most important adj'unotto
the business facilities of the place. Four large gen-
eral merchandise stores carry on an extensive trade
with the country, covering a wide area, and there are
also a drug store, hardware store and tin shop, brew.
ery, two livery stables, saloon, butcher shop, three
millinery and dressmaking establishments, hotel, res.
taurant, two blacksmith shops and four saw milli
There are three churches, one belonging to the Pres.
byterians and two to the Methodists, and a school
house in which sixty pupils are taught In the moon,
tains near by are vast quantities of the finest quality
of merchantable timber, which will support an im
portant industry for many years to come. Four saw
mills are already at work upon it at Summerville,
supplying the great and increasing demand for lum
ber of all kinds, and the number and product of these
mills will no doubt increase with the growth of the
country. The olimate of that portion of the state it
delightful In the valley the winters are by no meant
so severe or long as in the northern states east of the
Rocky mountains, and the summers are delightfully
cool and pleasant Sufficient rain falls to insure the
crops every year, a failure being unknown. The
present season is the best proof of this, for though it
is the dryest known for many years, and many por.
tions of the country have suffered a partial lost of
crops, the grain of the Qrande Rondo valley had
moisture enough to bring it through in good condi
tion. This it due to the fact that the rainfall, though
not so great at in some other portions of the state, it
better distributed through the seasons and produces
a better result The business men of Summerville
are energetio and enterprising and look well after the
interests of the town. The people are social and hos
pitable and ponces a degree of refinement and cul
ture that will render a home in their midst a most
pleasant one. Neat and attractive residences and
yards are a feature of Bummerville that imprestet
the htraoger favorably and speaks volumes of the
prosperity and culture of its citizens. The outlook
for a railroad is a hopeful one. Though the main
line of the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company it
but a few milea distant it is almost certain that
railroad actually touching the town will soon be built
This line will be the one passing through the north
ern eud of the valley to tap the country lying on that
ide of the main line. When this road is built the
! i;r,l,,Dt KNth and prosperity will be eclipsed and
oumnwrvuie will advanoe more rapidly and occupy a
more important position, and the benefits of these im
provements will be reaped chiefly by those who not
cwt their lot in that busy community.