Ow IlitrU-J Society
i;hy H.ll
Crook County Journal
COUNTY OFFICIAL PAPER, $1.50 YEAR PAINEVILLE, CROOJC COUNTY, OREGON, THURSDAY, FEB. 29, 1912.
Kntr4 at the pou 0rm mt FrlnrvlU
Oroa. Mounit-ctau lb Alter
VOL.XVI-NO.14
GOOD NEWS
FOR PRINEVILLE
THEODORE
A CANDIDATE
Louis W. Hill Behind
Land Deal
BUYS CONTROLLING INTEREST
In Oregon & Western Coloni
xation Company. Thousand
of Acre Near Prineville.
Tlio announcement t-at Louii
V. Hill bud bought the controlling
interest in the Oregon A Western
Colonisation Company the other
day wa the bent ntw that Prine
ville ha heard in many a day.
It mean that there will be some
thinu iloine tor the settlement of
the ihouMnds of fertile acre thtnlf ownership In the property,
are tribotnry to tbie town. .Obtaining possession of this re-
The Hill., both father and eon, I maluing half Interest gives Mr.
are builder., not exploiter. With j and Mr. Davidson complete
unlimited capital at hi. disposal
Louia W. will begin the work of
developing tliii sparsely settled
region. He cannot do so without
LOUIS W. KILL
Louis W. Hill Great Northern Rail
road president, who may resign to eol
enlza 800,000 acres of Central Oregon
land rectntly acquired.
a railroad and the next good news
may be the announcement of such
a project. We must give him
time, however, to develop his
plans before expecting too much.
The Oregonian ay:
Control of 800,000 acres of ag
ricultural and timber land in the
heart of Central Oregon now held
by Oregon & Western Colonization
Company, a f 12,000,000 corpora
tion, of Portland and St. Paul,
yesterday passed into the bauds
of Lewis W. Hill, president of the
CJ roat Northern Railway, who pro
poses to throw it open for im
mediate settlement.
Mr. Hill's retirement from the
presidency of the Great Northern
and his succession by Carl R
Gray, president of the North Bank
Road and the Hill lines In Ore
gon, are expected as an early
consoquence of this transaction.
Mr. Gray left Portland last night
for St. Paul for a conference
with Mr. Hill and his father James
J. Hill.
Associated with Mr. Hill in his
new colonization enterprise ,is
W. P. Davidson, a St. Paul cap
italist, who has been actively con
nected with the Orogon & West
ern Colonization Company since
its organization. He has fre
quently visited Portland in com
pany with Mr. Hill.
It is understood that Mr. Hill
and his father have been financi
ally Interested in the company
for many years. The deal yester
day involved the interests of the
United States Farm Lands Com
pany, which concern bus hold a
rtioto of Juarw by American I'ress A ssoclutlon.
,, , . yuan Bhlh Knt wm unanimously chosen president of .be new Chinese republic to succeed Dr. Sun tat Sen. who reelpnei The
NeWS SnapsnOlS on, hundred and eightieth anniversary of the blitn of George Washington wa celebrated. Frank U. Ryan and Herbert 8.
W .U lo were among the forty men arrested .Imultancously throughout the United Btatea In connection with i the government
Ol tile nee dynamite probe As the result of the claim made by Folke E. Brandt, ex-valet of Millionaire M. L. Schlff of New York, that
be bad been railroaded an Inrestlgatlon waa begun Into bla thirty year sentence for theft Abram Gonrales, gorernor of Chihuahua, la a public proclama
tton tt4.1area that the United State waa planning to eiulave Mexico. Xb looting of bactendua about Juarea continued.
ownership of the entire tract
This land, which is the last of
the unsettled area in the western
part of the United States, was
originally known as the Willam
ette and Cascade land grant.
Thia strip, which extended east
ward for 400 miles, was to be the
basis for a boor issue for the con
struction of the road. The bonds
were issued, the road built and
the bonds ultimately fonnd their
way into the hand of French cap
itiilmts.
These holders refused to throw
the country open to settlement,
holding the vast area in its or
iginal unimproved condition and
realizing nothing on their invest
ment. This transaction was four
times larger than any other sin
gle land deal ever recorded in
this country, and the purchase of
the hull interest of the United
States Farm Lmds Company's
interests in the parent company
by Messrs. Hill and Davidsou is
second only to that.
The land extends from the
western slope of the Cascade
Mountains eastward to Idaho and
includes some of the best portions
of Crook, Harney and Malheur
Counties, the principal towns
within the tract are Prineville
and Burns, although the deal in
cludes much actual town prop
erty.
According to the terms of the
original grant the company that
agreed to build the military road
was deeded only every alternate
quarter section, so the property
acauired by Mr. Hill and his
associates is spotted with farms
of settlers aud other large tracts
held by smaller corporations and
investors.
With the purchase of this
immense acreage, the syndicate
will bo able to control virtually
the entire water supply origina
ting along the territory Included
in the holdings. A large part of
the Malheur Kiver runs through
the eastern part of the land
This river drains Malheur Lake,
one of the largest bodies of water
In Eastern Oregon. To the north
west of Burns the Crooked River
takes its course and runs in
northwesterly course and empties
Into the Deschutes River about
15 miles west of Prineville.
These two rivers form the chief
drainage system of central East
em Oregon. From the fact that
the development of the immense
holdings will depend to a great
extent upon irrigation, the water
supply is considered one of the
greatest, assets of tho acreage.
The land Included in the or
iginal grant parallels for a great
yw t .. imr? 'Z "j - v j v . i .4'-," v
distance on either side of the I
Malheur and Crooked rivers,
With a water grada from Ontario
on the extreme eastern boundary
of the grant, through the entire
strip to the Deschutes River, it
will be feasible to construct a
railroad line through the middle
of the holdings from Ontario to
the Deschutes River, where con
nection would be had with the
Oregon Trunk system. That
uch a line will be built eventu
ally seems probable. Through
tho sections especially adapted to
agriculture the construction of
eletric lines as feeders may be
included In the development
plans later.
Scattered throughout the hold
ings fire large areas of tillable
land ndaptpd to growing of wheat j
oats, barley and other cereals and
hay products without irrigation
Many of the various valleys have
rich soil and ideal places for the
growing of fruits and vegetables.
It is estimated that there is con
tained in the entire grant 5.00C,-
000,000 feet of merchantable
timber, consisting of yellow pine,
white pine, bull pine, larch and
Br By reason of the lack of
transportation facilities the vast
timbered area between Prineville
aud Vale has remained virtually
untouched. When transportation
is supplied, It is expected that
big sawmill plants will be estab
lished.
About 75,000 acres of thegrant
lying west of the Cascade Moun
tains, in Linn county, were taken
over last Fall by the Forest Hill
Investment Company. This pur
chase included practically all the
acreage of the grant laying in
Linn County.
It is believed now that Mr.
Hill is in a position to engage
openly in development work that
he will devote all his time to it as
soon as he can relinquish his con
nection with the railroad enter
prises of which he is the head
He has frequently confided with
his "friends his love for develop
ment and colonization work and
his comparative aversion for rail
road work. He is a lover of
nature and of outdoor life and
when once he is in a position to
devote his time uninterruptedly
to this great enterprise he will
make his presence and his inter
ests in the state felt
That Mr, Hill is also seeking to
gain control of other property
in Central Oregon, is evidenced
by the recent activity of men who
are said to be closely associated
with him. I. II. Holland, man-
ager 0f the Pacific Livestock
Comprny, the headquarters of
which are at Burns, recently re
ported that negotiations for the
s ilo of the company's ranches to
Mr. Hill were under way.
The report that Mr Hill ulso is
making efforts to gain control of
other large holdings in the cen-
tral part cf the state las been
persistent
for the last few
months.
By his repeated utterances on
frequent visits to Portland Mr.
Hill has shown that he is heartily
and sincerely interested in the
development of Oregon and
is a believer in the soundness of
the theory that low priced land
to attract the settler is tne best
means of development and bene
fiting the city.
While the actual figure at
which Mr. Hill and his partners
have obtained possession of this
Central Oregon property has not
been determined, it is low enough
that they will be able to place
the property on the market at a
comparative low price.
MrHill.it is understood, has
made plans to otier it for sale So
estimate settlers at attractive
prices. lie win assist tne wortny i
farmer in every way to develop
and pay for his land and take
pains at the same time that none
of it passes into the hands of
speculators. It is probable, too.
that the favorable prices of this
property will compel a reduction
in the figures attached to other
lands in the same territory and
against the prices of which there
has been much complaint.
This transaction, it is beiieved,
means as much, or more, to Cen
tral Oregon and Portland than
the construction of two compet
ing line of railway up the Des
chutes Canyon a year ago.
It will open the way for an army
of settlers who will have the pro
tection of a great corporation in
terested in their prosperity
thrown about them. It probably
will mean the influx of thousands
of honest and well-intended farm
ers, who will contribute mater
ially to the development and
prosperity of Portland and num
erous small cities in tns central
part of the slate.
Development of the agricultural
resources of this great acreage
will aid materially in relieving
Portland from the necessity of
sending millions of dollars to the
East and Middle West every year
for poultry, dairy and farm pro
ducts that should b produced in
the state.
Renewed railroad activity m
Interior Oregon also will be an
outcome of this investment by
Mr. Hill, as the railroad is sure
to follow the settler. In fact,
Mr. Hill and his fattier often have
said that if they are sure that
the settler has an inclination that
he wants to fill up a certain por
tion of the country, the railroad
will be found there just a little
uhead of him.
$50(10 for Farm Loans,
tou Jones, Metolius, Oregon,
See Bren-8-23p
Will Encourage
the School Children
County School Superintendent
Ford has been trying (or some
time to get the Hill official? to
offer a silver cup for the best
school exhibit at the Central Ore
gon Fair to be held at Prineville
this fail. The other day he re
ceived the following letter in ref
erence thereto:
Great Northern Railway Company.
Traffic Department.
F. W. Graham, Weet. Industrial fc
Immigration Agt.
Portland, Oregon, Feby. 19th, 1912
Mr. R. A. Ford,
School Superintendent Crook
County.
Prineville, Oregon.
Dear Sir:
Your letter of the 30th olt. was
dulv received hnd was of much
interest. My attention had al
ready been called to the matter by
our Mr. Springer. I have taken
the matter up with our St. Paul
people and also with President
Cirav. of the Oreeon Trunk Ry. I
I have recommended to our people
that a Hill silver cup prize be ot
tered to your schools to be given as
a premium lor sucn agricultural
exhibit as you may desiguate in
connection with the Central Ore
gon Fair. It is too early yet for
these matters to be decided on but
a little later consideration will
doubtless be given to matters of
this kind in connection with this
vear's fairs. I have no doubt the
suggestion will be very cheerfully
acted upon. It gives me a great
deal of pleasure to recommend to
our people that a fine silver cup be
offered vou in recognition of the
great good work that is being done
by you and your schools of which I
have been hearing a great deal.
Yours truly,
F. W. Graham.
Money to Loan on Real Estate.
In etinis of $100 to tlOOO on three or
five years time. O. F. Smith, Prine
ville, Ore. Office with Crook County
Abstract Co. 2-29. tf
Irrigated Land for Sale.
80 acres, 11 miles from Prineville, oa
old Bend stage road. All under culti
vation ; 50 acres in alfalfa and clover ;
7is miles from railroad. Address XY
Z care Journal, No agents. 2-2'J-tf
Pull Stumps and Trees.
Trees and stumps pulled at reason
able rates. Work done promptly. For
further particulars apply to Aycock &
Erickson Prineville, Ore. 2-29-lmp
Shoe Repairing.
All kinds of boot and shoe repairing.
Prices reasonable. Work guaranteed.
Isaao Goff, Fifth street, first door
west of John Morris' store. 2-29
Dressmaking.
Tailor suits and all kinds of plain and
fancy sewin?. One door west Stewart's
Hall. Mrs. Ci'bt Millbr. 2-29.
Decides to Save
Dear People.
the
CCULD NOT RES!ST THE CALL
GreatDisappointment Expressed
that the Ex-President
Should Butt In.
"I will accept the nomination for
the presidency if it U tendered .me
and will adhere to this decision
until the coavention has expressed
its preference," is Colonel Theo
dore Roosevelt's reply to the letter
of seven republican governors ask
ing him to stand for a nomination.
The eagerly-awaited reply w
given out Sunday at Colonel
Roosevelt's offices. He is absent
on a trip to Boston. It was unex
pectedly brief, but definite. It
follows:
"New York, Feb. 25, 1912.
Gentlemen: I deeply appreciate
your letter and I realize to the full
the heavy responsibility it puts
upen me, expressing as it does the
carefully considered conyictions of
the men elected by popular vote to
stand as the beads of government
in their several states.
'I absolutely agree with you
that this matter is not one to be
decided with any reference to the
personal preferences or interests of
any man,' but purely from the
standpoint t the interests of the
people as a whole. I will accept
the nomination for president if it
is tendered to me and I will adhere
to this decision until the conven
tion has expressed its preference.
One of the chief principles for
which I have stood and for which
I now stand and which I have al
ways endeavored and always shall
endeavor to reduce to action, is the
genuine rule of the people; and
therefore, I hope that so far as pos
sible the people may be given the
chance, through direct primaries,
to express their preference as to
who shall be the nominee of the
republican presidential convention.
Very truly,
"Theodore Roosevelt."
Crooked River Man
Will Run Large Farm
Geo. W. Dodson of Trineville
was a Terrebonne business visitor
Wednesday, having come in from
his ranch near Opal City where he
had been superintending the clear
ing of land and preparing it for
spring crop. Mr. Dodson is one of
the oldest settlers in central Ore
gon, having located in the Crooked
river valley about six miles west
of Prineville in the spring of 1872.
During his 40 years residence in
this valley Mr. Dodson has been
engaged in the stock raisin? in
dustry, but 6ince the country is be
coming settled up he has deoided
to engage in farming on a large
scale and believes that the country
has a great future in this line.
He left for his home in Prineville
yesterday. Terrebonne Oregonian.
Laying Pullets for Sale.
I mu?t sell my mixed hens to make
room for full-blood and offer the follow
ing at bargain prices :
1 dozen Leghorns; mostly pullets; all
now laying.
1 dozen mixed hens and pullets at a
bargnin.
Also offer a good 50-ejg incubator
cheap.
krTEggifor hatching. White Wyan
dottea, Anoonas and S. N. Hamburgg.
J. S. Fox. "Braeside," Prineville,
Or. Feb. 1-tf