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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1902)
16 tTHB MOENTNTG OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY f, 1902. r r COLUMBIA SOUTHERN RAILWAY FAMOUS FOR THEIR FINE SHEEP For?rAAr sp gSObJMa. "J:;ii?gg. SZZSS ,-'-iJJ-G3-T?rsssv 'vO rry A xn ' zsl m. im m r Region of Immense Values in "Wheat and Stock Developed Between Biggs and Shaniko sT To Be "Extended Further South. 1 J ROAD that has worked a complete metamorphosis in the trade chan nels of much of Eastern Oregon south of the main line of the O. R. & N. between The Dalles and "Willows, is the line of the Columbia Southern Railway Company which now operates from Biggs on the main line of the O. R. & N. south to Shaniko, a distance of 70 miles. This road taps one of the most fertile parts of Oregon. It runs throuuh "Wasco and Sherman Counties and reaches the pros perous towns of Moro, Grass Valley, Kent and Shaniko. This country, as well as the country directly south on the line of the proposed extension, is one of the greatest wool producing sections of the world. The valley and higher plateau land of this part of Oregon are especially adapted to the cultivation of wheat. There are vast stretches of this land that will produce wheat in excess of 23 bushels to the acre, and all of the wheat grown in this sec tion passes Inspection as grade A 1. Crossing this country from nor,th to south is the Deschutes River. This stream, with Its numerous tributaries, flows through arable valley lands of won derful fertility. For a stretch of 170 miles south of Biggs is a section of coun try that in its possibilities of large pro duction vies with the richest parts of the Pacific Coast. It is a country that today, even in its present state of de velopment, demands ample railroad fa cilities. It is with a view of meeting this demand that the Columbia Southern Hallway Company will extend their line from Shaniko south for 100 miles to Bend on the Deschutes River in the immedi ate future. The wonderful advancement of East ern Oregon may be best appreciated by the statement that the business of the Columbia Southern Railway Company has Increased 100 per cent during the past year. The country reached by this road is rapidly settling up, yet, at the same time thero are thousands of acres of un occupied land here still awaiting occu pancy by desirable tenants. The road runs through great wheat fields and it Teaches towns that are the center of the largest wool production in the world. Around Shaniko countless numbers of cheep graze on the thousand hills of this section. At Shaniko Is established the largest wool warehouse in the state. Dur ing the past year there were 14 wool buy ers, representing great purchasing wool establishments, in Shaniko at one time. The importance of the sheep Industry near Shaniko may be appreciated by the statement that 1000 thoroughbred bucks from a single Hay Creek ranch were coralled at Shaniko one day during this season for shipment to distant points. The extension of the Columbia Southern Railway south will open up an extreme ly valuable tract aggregating hundreds of thousands of acres of the finest sugar and yellow pine timber. It will also afford an available outlook for the pro duction of rich mines upon which thou sands of dollars have already been ex pended in development work. It will cross a country tnat will be extensively Irrigated by an Eastern company which already has plans fully formulated for watering 150,000 acres of land in this sec tion. As soon as the project for supply ing water to this large acreage is consum mated, it is the intention of this same Irrigating company to build a ditch that will furnish water to 200,000 acres more. The Columbia Southern Railway Com pany is already on a paying basis. The extension of the line 100 mHes farther south will add greatly to its traffic, and ths extension will assure the Columbia Southern a business that will perhaps make its properties among the best of the railroad holdings In the "West. This extension will open up one of the richest sections of the state, practically an em pire in extent, a region that Is destined to be one of the most prosperous and thickly settled parts of Oregon. Oregon as a state especially appeals to settlers of this time. It Is Just entering upon that era of wonderful advancement which promises within the next decade .to make this state one of the greatest "commonwealths of the Union. In the di versity of Its resources Oregon leads the world. The unknown, extent of these re sources affords no opportunity at the present writing to the statistician in any effort he may make to compute the actual value of Oregon's production at a time when these resources may be fully-devel-loped. Each particular part of Oregon offers in itself special inducements for settlement that appeal to some particu lar class of desirable immigration. Eastern Oregon, with its broad fields of unoccupied land, holds out inducements to the settler who may desire to en gage in wheat or stock raising that must prove irresistible to any one at all famll ilar wtih the extent of the rich lands in this section of the state. There are lands In Eastern Oregon today aggregating hun dreds of square miles in extent, that will produce in excess of 23 bushels of wheat per acre from the first year's seeding. There are thousands of additional acres of land that are extremely valuable for grazing purposes on which today fatten some of the finest cattle and sheep sold to the Eastern markets. In addition to its ag ricultural wealth. Eastern Oregon is rich In mines, In timber and In resources all open. for the enterprise and for the in vestment of capital. No single factor will contribute more to the prosperity of the state as a whole than the extension of well-equipped lines of railroad such as the Columbia Southern operates, rail roads that will serve the purpose of im portant feeders for the main line of the O. R. & N., centering at Portland, and that will also furnish an outlet for the resources of a wonderful country. The present head of the Columbia South ern Railway Company is E. E. Lytle, president of this prosperous corporation. Mr. Lytic maintains headquarters in the "Worcester block, Portland. He is an en thusiast on everything that promises to hasten Oregon's development, and he or his assistants will be glad at any time to furnish any Information desired regarding the Columbia Southern Railway Company and the extenshe and rich section of country it traverses. "WTint Irrlsrntlon Would Do. Water seems to be the only thing lack ing to make the North Yakima country an ideal agricultural section. It is be lieved there Is an abundance of water In the region, if It can be properly util ized. Aside from the storage of sur face waters, there is an abundance of underground, or well, water, and what is known as artesian water in many sec tions of Yakima County. The master stream of the area Is the Yakima River, having its head in Lake Keechelus. East of this rier the streams are only sea sonal, but those entering from the west 'are more important. Kachess and Cle fclum Rivers are the two important head water tributaries of the Yakima, be ng outlets of large lakes of the same names. Th'e next large tributary is the Teana wayw River, which drains an extensive areaio the north of Yakima Valley. Other-ytrlbutaries are the Swauk, Reeser, Taneum, Manatash, "Wilson and Naneum Creeks,the waters of all of which are used forHhe irrigation of Kittitas Valley. ' EnconrnKC the Homebullder. The range, stock business of Oregon is Important, but It is incompatible with full development vp the native resources of . the country, yhe processes of industrial evolution, which', are constant and lnev- H . B5T ITTLf Justs. L xsJii iwA a i Jmes &m$&&s- . . .V.:V-y ' ..-.. fc. w.:'?'rkM&4 : A- v. :. : ;...q Sc-: VfSypMfSpffiSf . . r .. i- .. : . . n jmr-r .-. uaii3vfczir o(FM-MiTrd'm3m'SK -t ow ?rw'js)39mxMmmsi3s ' 8f iy''pyfei M BBBBlKkSSSjf 'BkaiMigUSSSSSS3Srrt ,Z4fsJ??i YWVO0 6fCtiS f WHEAT? KS.30WSA)t Phoa.i I itable, will not permit the vast tracts now held as stock range to remain in this condition of only partial use. The live stock kings themselves can hardly afford to go with such comparatively small re turns from such extensive ranges as th-y occupy, and it Is only a question of time when they will adjust themselves to new conditions or be crowded off the earth. The land hunger of the American people is driving them to explore and occupy even' corner of the Republic It is of greater Importance to have settlers pene trate the wilderness and establish pros perous homes and rear families in com fort and industry than It Is to keep live stock grazing at will over the vast areas. Such grazing on the public domain in ures to the profit of Individuals or com panies who own the livestock. This may be tolerated where there is no other de mand for the land, but when settlement and development have progressed to the point that citizens desire the land for homes, the range must be broken up. The settler who will till the soil has the prior right to it, and livestock companies have no right to interfere with the occupation of the public domain for that purpose. If settlement and farming are incompati ble with the range stock business, it must move on. ? '&Z9&&?' SS M?mmlmm$- , SWsiSSSBSSS i i in i iii i i i i i iii i i m 1 1 i TAAif .. - onv . . ..' mft Kjgsas8g5s&aiH!i39S FATHER OF OREGON. JeffcrHon's Interent jx the Country Bordering on the Pacific. One name that of Thomas Jefferson stands out prominently in the history of Oregon. The purchase of Louisiana and the sending of the Lewis and Clark expe dition to the Pacific Ocean via the Colum bia River were happy results of Jeffer son's tact and promptitude. Both of these great events will be commemorated within the next four yoar the Louisiana purchase by an exposition at St. Louis In 1903, and the Lewis and Clark expedi tion by an exposition at Portland in 1905. Jefferson was the pioneer in American ex pansion. Floyd, Benton, Linn and a host of others who asserted the title of the United States to Oregon bulldcd upon the foundation which Jefferson laid. Of Jeffer son's work for Oregon, and the opening of commercial communication with Asia via the Pacific Ocean, Benton sajs, in hl "Thirty Years' View": "That man of large and useful ideas, that statesman, who could conceive measures useful to all man kind, and in all time to come, was the first to propose that commercial commu nication, and may also be considered the first discoverer of tho Columbia River. His philosophic mind told him that where a snow-clad mountain, like that of the Rocky Mountains, ahed the waters on one side, which collected Into suoh a river as tho Missouri, there must be a correspond ing shedding and collection of waters on tho other; and thus he was perfectly as sured of the existence of a river where the Columbia has since been found to be, although no navigator had seen Its mouth and no explorer trod Its banks. His con viction was complete; but tho Idea was too grand and useful to be permitted to rest in speculation. He was then (T7SS) Minister to France, and the famous trav eler, Ledyard, having arrived at Paris on his expedition of discovery to the Nile, was prevailed upon by Mr. Jefferson to enter upon a fresher and more useful field of discovery. He proposed to him to change his theater from the Old to the New "World, and, proceeding to St. Pe tersburg upon a passport he would obtain for him, he should there obtain permis sion from tho Empress Catherine to tra verse her dominions In a high northern latitude to their eastern extremity cross the sea from Kamschatka, or at Behrlng Straits, and, descending the Northwest rrohCreAS M WSBm wWtv'Jwwwlm fwwwm Q tmer oa-u 20l QL Baldwin Sheep and Land Company Has in Crook County the Largest Ranch Devoted to Thoroughbred Sfru-t- in u W,f J zmziz 1 OREGON Is getting to be a state ot big things. But few people of tno East today, for Instance, know that the first modern long-distance transmission electrical power plant in the world was put into successful operation within the limits of fhe State of Oregon. This com pany today, with a capitalization of sev eral millions of dollars, conducts one of the mobt successful electrical plants in the world. On the plains of Eastern Oregon at this time are fattened some of the finest meat stock that is bold in the Eastern mar kets. With its wide expanse of terri tory, with the productiveness of its soli and the extent and diversity of Its re sources, Oregon Is destined to be a state in which the word colossal, as effecting its busines enterprises, must play a most important part. Oregon's tarms are big, Oregon's fac tories, now firmly established, are con ducted on a large scale, and the magni tude of the business operations of this state today are a surprise to the world at large, when the world stops to consider for a moment the comparatively small population that is now contained within the limits of Oregon, one of the richest states in point of production and extent of resources in the Union. There is conducted today in Crook Coun ty, Or., the largest farm in the United States, or for that matter, in the world, deoted wholly to raising and breeding fine sheep. Starting out with a breeding flock, consisting of 12,000 thoroughbred ewes, the Baldwin Sheep & Land Com pany, owners of this mammoth sheep ranch, heads tho list of sheepbreeders in the United States in the numerical strength of flock3. No other firm In the world today owns such a fine assortment of picked thoroughbred sheep, as are found on the ranch of the Baldwin Sheep & Land Company, in Crook County. This ranch was started nearly 30 years ago. It has been the steady aim of tho management to raise in Oregon as fine an assortment of thoroughbred sheep for all purposes aji can be found anywhere. Success of the life work of tha gentlemen at the head of this great en terprise may be appreciated by the state ment that the Baldwin Sheep & Land Company shipped from their ranch one day last year 1000 head of thoroughbred sheep to different parts of the Western States. This company has taken every prize or- i fered at the State Fair, now annually held In Oregon. "Wherever sheep are wanted for any purpose, the business of the Bald win Sheep & Land Company Is thoroughly known, and the name of this company In ( itself Is an absolute guarantee of the I merit of any animal that may be ralsea on their ery extensive ranch. This company imported last year 130 head of ewes. 52 head of which were from the National Stud Fleck of France. This, with the exception of a few head im ported a -number of years ago, was the first importation of the kind ever made to the United States. "With a special view to Improving their stock, this com pany last year purchased 40 head of French Rnmbouillet merinos. They em ploy regularly upward of ICO hands, and their ranch in every resrect is a model one. The wool turned out by the Baldwin Sheep & Land Company brings in the open markets from to 1 cent more a pound than any other wool graded la Oregon. The company has paid particular atten tion to breeding a special line of sheep that is adapted to flourish the best in he Western country. These sheep run heavy to wool and to weight. The Ore gon climate in Itself favore the produc tion of fine sheep, and Oregon wool, for the general purposes of manufacture. Is fWilPvi W?. Mi lillHI i f i ifrfritfifiilfr rnfi i rrr T J t iiTtforw Jti i if nii ' ' SHe -Tif - JHPIRBB Hb.CHHR iTlnHBir' 'TBIlTr ) imitlTTEMWTTTlrTi a-' WMS -L.xiZTM:'wr-j-i'r-'-.--r'i'.mKa& j&r yre?, jf pfctewm A.QAlbWM &AM .. . 4iu &- Nil -.llT. fj . " -s J"j f-tyxLr- jV-aBEir 1 & sZk Coast of America, come down upon the liver which must head opposite the head of the Missouri River, ascend it to its tource in the Kocky Mountains, and then follow the Missouri to the French settle ments on the Upper Mississippi; and thence home. It was a magnificent and daring project of discovery, and on that account the more captivating to the ar dent spirit or Ledyard. He undertook it, went to St. Petersburg, received the per mission of the Empress, and had arrived in Siberia, when he was overtaken (Feb ruary 14, 17SS.) by a revocation of the per mission, a'nd conducted as a spy out of the country. He then returned to Paris, and resumed his original design of that exploration of the Nile to its sources which terminated in his premature death and deprived the world of a young and mi 'i in'" ' 1 iTBTMiiiiiWiliinpPTI acMPHTiiBM - ' t raA971fJaAAArtaA t&s? iAkA WojAteptgz, :f adventurous explorer, from whose ardor, courage, perseverance and genius, great and useful results were to have been ex pected. Mr. Jefferson was balked in that, his first attempt, to establish the exist ence of the Columbia River. But a time was coming for him to undertake It under better auspices. He became President ot the United States, and in that character projected the expedition of Lewis and Clark, obtained the sanction of Congress, and sent them forth to discover the head and course of the river whose mouth was then known, .for the double purpose of opening an inland commercial communica tion with Asia, and enlarging the boun daries of geographical science. Xhe com mercial object was placed first in his mes sage and as the object to legitimate the expedition." A.nphnltum Xear Medford. The ledse of what was believed to be coal, discovered by George Cotter three years ago, 12 miles from Medford, Ore gon, upon recent examination proves to be a deposit of asphaltum. The out croppings are hard and brittle. This be ins due to oxidation. " The ledge is CO feet wide. among the best wool raised in the world. This company has bred a special type, which is known as the "Baldwin Ram," a sheep having all the characteristics of the plant on which it is grown. This ram has already made a great reputation among sheep buyers. It is particularly adapted to the ranges and farms of Ore gon; It is thoroughly acclimated, and It possesses all the great elements of strength attributed to the best importa tion. The present business of the Baldwin Sheep & Land Company was started by Dr. Baldwin, a former resident of Cali fornia. In 1S73. In his Eastern travels, Dr. Baldwin tecured a number of fine sheep from the notable breeder of that time, Mr. Hammond, of Vermont. He paid for some of the rams he purchased from Mr. Hammond as high as $300 to ?SOo a head. It was Dr. Baldwin's effort to steadily increase his business, and in per fecting his flocks he Introduced the finest strains by importing from the flock of Strowbridge, Severance & Pelt, of Cali fornia. He secured Mr.,Strowbridges en tire outfit. In 1SS4 Mr. Baldwin sold his entire sheep business to Charles and J. P. Vanhouten. The Baldwin Sheep & Land Company, which is the outgrowth of this business, was organized by tho Vanhouten brothers, C. M. Cartwrlght. A. H. Breyman and John Summervllle, as incorporators. Some years ago the entire Interests of Breman and Summervllle In the company were purchased by J. G. Edwards, of Wyom ing. C. M. Cartw right and J. G. Edwards are now the joint owners of this property. The company today owns up wards of 50.000 shet. They also own between 20.000 and 30,000 acres of deeded land, so distributed as to control ample range for their flocks. The company puts up every year, as a product of their own land, thousands of tons of the finest hay, and their wage roll in itself aggregates payments of several thousand dollars a month. This is a complete ranch In every re spect, and the work of the Baldwin Sheep & Land Company has done much to claim the attention of the world for the excel lense of the wool and sheep product of Oregon. The company's postoffice address is Hay Creek, Crook County, Or.
