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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1889)
!1H WEST SHORE. pushed mid has a prospect of soon lieingeonHummttted. Several routes have been mirvtytJ and fount practi cable. Link river connects 1"jimt Klamath ami Lower Klamath taken ami in less than two miles long. Those lakes, by the way, an- ilrninetl by the Klamath river, which Howl through California to the sea. Link river in a pi renin whose average width exceeds three hun dred feet, and it falls a diHtanee of seventy-five feet in its short course, thereby giving a most valuable water jMiwer. The extremes between hih and low water are only about thirty inches. At the southern end of this river, where it joint the north arm of Lower Klamath lake, in the city of Linkville, located mostly on the cunt yidc of the stream ami extending back alKiiit a mile from it h chore, A hiiuiII part of the town in mi the went nide .if the river, which in (manned by an iron bridge built by the county. Linkville is four thousand feel aUive the sea. It in near the center of the great Klamath basin, and in the seat of jiiHtieeof Klamath county. The town has alxmt live hundred inhabitants, and in an important trading point for the interior of Southern Oregon, and iiiiint always remain nu h as the country develops On the sixth of Sep tember the town wan visited by a terrible conllagration, which destroyed the greater iortioii of the business houses and intlictel a loss aggregating jtK),l KM). (. fore the lire it hud a giMd weekly newspaper, five general sloren, one furniture store, two hardware stores, roller Hour mill with a capacity for turning out sixty barrel a day, two drug stores, two each and door factories a carpenter shop, several blacksmith hop, Ihrif livery stables, and nevernl hotels. One of these ntore wan built of brick and another of ntone. Of thew the lire destroyed the hotels, the largest three ' general Htoren. Is.th drug Htoren, the ncwspncr ollice, ! t ollice, livery stables and nearly all the business ' hoiiN-H in the town. Work on the building of business blocks larger and more nultantial than those destroyed ! has already Ism commenced. The public building's of the town are theeounty court house, a gisd public school ; hoiiw and a neat and commodious church ediliee. Sit ualinl an it in. at the foot of hiicIi a rapid (lowing Htream carrying a large volume of water, Linkville has aluioNt unrivaled water power privilege. The stream in short and easily controlled and the water supply in never ' failing. There in an abundant nupply Jf varioim ' kindn of timU-riHmvenientlyaciYHHible.aiid su. h form ! produetn an grain, w.k1. hide, etc., U. obtained in j large quantities, and the establishing of fartorien to I utdiie the phduetn would inevitably Mimulate the development .f the country. Much more manufac Curing than in now done then- would be profitable, en vially of Hour and furniture, but the full capacity of the water power i not likely to 1 ntdiied Ull(i there is more direct railroad communication with the city. There are now three different railway lines in prt pect for Klamath county. These are the Oregon Pt. cific, the Southern Pacific and the Oregon Short Line, which latter belongs to the Union Pacific system, Surveying parties have examined that country prt-ttj thoroughly, and there is a certainty that one orniure of the companies will construct a line through it very sum. It is not only Linkville and Klamath county that will be served, but a vast range of country and several nourishing towns besides that demand modern means of transportation, and the interests are becom ing ho import Hiit that it is merely a good stroke of business policy for the transportation compuniea to reach them. The road that builds there first will have the advantage, and there is developing a good deal of rivalry to get a foothold in the country. The immense water power and central location of Link ville will make that town the objective point of any railroad that enters the Klamath basin. The city it now only fifty-live miles from the main Southern Pa cific line at Ager in California, and it has the beat facilities that a well equipped stage line can furnish for travel. Stages also run from Linkville to Fort Klamath and ktween Linkville and Lukeview in the interior, so that there are regular means of communi cation with all points from that city. The water powers, of the Link and the Klamath rivers, especially of the former, are among the inert valuable resources of that country. The lakes which they drain are vast reservoirs that equalize the flow of water so that there are never destructive flood nor very low water. The average depth of Link river ii about three feet, and the extreme height of water ii rarely more than two feet higher. By a slight rise in the upper lake its surface area is groatly increased and it docs not rush the surplus water from the melt ing snows through its single outlet for tt brief period in the spring to become exhausted during the dry summer. IWts may gather the products from every side of the lake and float down to Linkville to market anil to the factories. On the lower lake the same fa cilities for transportation exist, and as Linkville it the northern extremity of this lako there is no neceo sityfor taking loads up the rapid river. lownth Klamath river a saw mill has recently been construct d which must depend on Klamath county timber for i supplies. Hut the advent of railway tratisH.rU lim will secure to Linkville the seat of the industrial activity of that section, which, in turn, w ill secure th rapid development of the resources of the country Kvn at the present time Linkville offers superior in ducements for the establishment of a woolen mill. It is the nearest point to the great wool-growing coutiti