The west shore., August 01, 1889, Page 428, Image 21

THE WEST SHORE.
428
YAQUINA, BIT, OBEOON.
THE arm of the ocean bearing the name of Ya
quina bay indenU the western ibore of Oregon
about midway between ita northern and southern
boundaries. It ia an enlargement of the Yaquina
river near ita month and extendi inlaid a distance of
a little more than four milee. It ia now one of the
moat popular aummer reeorta in the northwest It
alto has a commercial future of more than ordinary
promise and aa certain of realization as the vast in
land country is of development
Yaquina bay was in the midat of an unbroken In
dian reservation extending along the coast a distance
of one hundred and twenty-five miles and from the
crest of the Coast range to the sea, until the latter
part of 18f5, when congress opened for settlement a
strip through this tract from the Alsea river, about
fourteen miles south of the bay, to a line touching
the coast aix milea north of Yaquina, Previous to
that time a company in Ban Francisco had the oyster
beds of the bay leased from the government and for
several years prosecuted a profitable business there,
it being necessary, however, to pay the Indiana a
shilling a bushel for all the bivalves harvested under
this agreement As soon aa the tract was subject to
settlement a number of men who had been watching
the turn of affairs in that section hurried in and
staked out claima on the unsurveyed land, which
were confirmed to them when the survey was made.
The first claims taken were where the town of New
port now stands. This was platted on the south side
of the point enolosing the bay on the north, a few
years afr settlement 8even years ago it was regu.
larly incorporated under state law and given a full
city government The city of Newport now haa a
population of about six hundred. The usual trades
and prtfiMiona represented in a thriving community
are found there. The business portion of the town is
located on a narrow flat along the water, and from
that the laud rises rapidly back to the undulating
sorfaoe of the Interior, lhe buildings are of wood,
but the salt spray that is ometimei blown in from
the ocean rendera them almost fireproof, and it it a
fad worthy of note that not a tingle building of any
kind in the town haa been destroyed by fir ,iQM the
flrat settlement was mad, there. There is a well or
ganitM fire company, however, to ntingniah any
threatening bias that ma, new. A water supply
(or public and private use. i. t,i,uin(y, fwo .J '
a short ditUnco back in the hill., and it is ,f, and
of . bgular purity. The city hu wharf, a
weekly newtpaper, welt conducted public Mh,i,.ls
public reading room, two 8.d M, hw
bits, fxpreas offi rtc, , tlllUv, (i 3
shops and mercantile houses. The Episcopal church
is in charge of Rev. Chas. Booth, the well-known or.
ganizer of missions, formerly of Corvallis. This ii
the neatest church edifioe in the county. A rectory
haa been erected at Newport at a cost of $4,000 00.
It commands a magnificent view of both the bay and
ocean. Mr. Booth is now ereoting a church at To.
ledo. The Roman Catholics are completing a house
of worship, and the MethodiBU are also erecting i
neat and comfortable church building. A ferry line
crosses the bay and another plies to Yaquina City,
about three miles farther np the harbor. San Fran,
ciaoo steamers and coasting vessels also land at the
wharf there.
Yaquina City was started about five years ago
the tide water terminus of the Willamette Valley &
Coast railway, the construction of which was then be
gun at that point Though not yet incorporated it
haa more than five hundred inhabitants. It is the
actual, operating, deep water terminus of the railroad,
and as suoh it is an important business point It ii
the point of transfer between railroad and ocean traf
fic. It has good school and church privileges, a fine
hotel, a saw mill, three salmon canneries, the only
banking house in the county outside of Corvallis,
whioh is the county seat, a ship yard, cnstom boose,
telegraph office, large warehouses and docks with
equipment for handling freight, railway depot and
yard and the company's machine shops and a num
ber of other business establishments. It occupies an
excellent business location and its connections insure
it a good growth, now that the extension of the rail
way through Eastern Oregon is assured.
Besides Newport and Yaquina City and their re
corded additions there have been other plats of land
on the bay filed There are Clyde, Alexandria and
Brooklyn between Newport and Yaquina City on the
north and east sides of the bay, and West Yaquina
opposite Ysquina City, and South Beach opposite
Newport These are all attractive localities and will
eventually be included in the one city that will occu
py the banks of Ysquina bay. There is no conflict
of interest, no jealous feeling between the towns on
the bay. Altogether they are strewn along the water
for a distance not exoeeding four miles, and it is cer
tainly indulging in no very wild dream to say that it
will not be many years before the city will be con
tinuous from the head of the harbor to its foot
on both banks. It will not be thus expanded by s
boom, but by the steady growth induoed by the ad
vantageous situation which it occupies for commerce
and its rare merits as a pleasure resort and a place of
residence. The towns on the bay are identical in aH
material interests, and in this article the term I
quma bay" will apply to all of them collectively