THE MOENING 0EEG0NIAJ7, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1902.
r
LANDS FOR HOMESEEKERS
Federal Government and State of Oregon Have Large
Tracts That May Be Purchased at Reasonable Prices.
OREGON, the oldest Pacific Coast
territory of the United States,
stands with a larger proportion
of its area untaken than any other Pa
cific Coast State. And yet It offers a
greater range of industrial possibilities,
perhaps-, than any other state in the
Union. Oregon has not been "boomed."
"What has been accomplished in the line
of development has been without ex
citement. This has contributed some
what to the reputation of the state for
ultra-conservatism. It has also con
tributed to the present fact that Oregon's
business and industrial life is on solid
foundation and In prosperous condition
today. Oregon has not discounted its fu
ture, and it is therefore ready for a rapid
advance. It does not have to wait for
repairs.
Homeseekers find an attractive field In
'Oregon. They find here a variety of cli
matic and industrial conditions. There are
not, of course, fine farms or valuable tim
ber lands in accessible localities waiting
for entry at the United States Land Of
fices. The choice lands in choice locali
ties have all been taken. But the exten
sion of transportation lines will make
valuable the lands now deemed so inac
cessible as to be comparatively worthless,
and irrigation facilities now projected will
bring the arid or semi-arid tracts up to
the highest standard of farming utility.
There is plenty of room for farmers cf
energy and intelligence, for dairymen,
for fruitgrowers and for other capable and
industrious citizens. Such people may turn
Oregon's advantages to their profit. How
ever, ready-made fortunes are not to be
picked up In Oregon without an effort,
nor is it desirable that they should be.
THE DALLES DISTRICT.
IiRrsre Field for Stockmen and for
the General Farmer,
The counties embraced in The Dalles
district are all of Wasco, except a small
portion in the Cascade Forest Reserve,
in the Oregon City district; all of Crook
County, except about 40 townships on the
south and cast sides of the county; all
of Sherman and Gilliam Counties and
very nearly all of Wheeler County, and
the greater portion of Morrow and a small
portion of Grant County, also a small
portion of Clackamas, embraced in the
Cascade Reserve. About 24 townships are
embraced in the Warm Springs Indian
Reservation, and about 23 townships are
embraced in the Cascade Forest Reserve,
from The Dalles district.
The Dalles Is the principal city of this
district, being situated on the Columbia
River 88 miles from Portland, at the head
of navigation. Hood River, Dufur, An
telope and Shanlko are the most import
ant towns of Wasco County. Livestock,
wool, fruit and grain are the principal
industries of this county.
Sherman County Is devoted mainly to
wheat raising, of which It produces vast
quantities. The principal towns are
Moro and Wasco.
Gilliam County, like Sherman County, is
given mainly to wheat raising, but it
also supports considerable stock, and its
principal towns are Condon and Arling
ton. Crook County Is the largest county In
the district, and Prlneville Is the prin
cipal town. The chief industry is stock
raising. Much of the southern portion
of this county is of an arid nature that,
with Irrigation, will make good alfalfa
land.
Wheeler County is principally a grazing
country, although, as in all parts of the
district, fruit does well on the creeks,
Fossil is the largest town.
Morrow County is a wheat and stock
county, with Heppner Its largest town.
These various localities are fast filling
up with sturdy, Industrious citizens, who
are making good homes where the pio
neers thought nothing could grow except
native bunchgrass. The people appear
to be prosperous and contented. Along
the western border of the district there
is a belt of timber, also along the south
eastern portion In Wheeler County, but
probably less than 10 per cent of the dis
trict is timbered. The greater portion
is fairly well watered. The elevation Is
not great, the Winters usually not se
vere, nor the snowfall great. In most
portions the soil Is of a sandy nature,
and produces good crops without irriga
tion. The O. R. & N. system extends along
the northern border of Wasco, Sherman,
Gilliam and Morrow Counties, and the
Columbia Southern Railway extends from
Biggs station, in Sherman County, to
Shanlko, in Wasco County. The Hepp
ner branch of the O. R. & N. extends
from Heppner Junction to Heppner.
Stage roads extend in various directions
over the different counties. All parts
of the district are easily reached by rail
or stage.
The settlement of this district has been
of the steady, healthy kind, and the offi
cers are constantly In receipt of numer
ous inquiries from homeseekers in all
parts of the United States. As long as
there Is no system of range leasing the
farmer and small stockraiscr will be able
to make a comfortable living. With vast
tract of vacant Government lands lying
out awaiting the homesteader, there is no
reason why good homes may not be
found for the thousands wishing them.
ROSEBURG DISTRICT.
Great Demand for Timber Tracts and
Laud for Homesteads.
Of the total area of land surface in Ore
gon, as divided among the six Government
districts, the Lakevlew District is the
largest, with an estimated acreage of
some 15,000.000. Next follows the Roseburg
District, with 11,892,098 acres. This dis
trict begins at the California State lino
and follows the summit of the Cascade
Mountains to the northern boundary line
of township 14, then west on a line
through the town of Brownsville to the
Pacific Ocean, which is its western boun
dary. Within these lines is a region of
varied and wonderful resources. Eleven
counties, either In whole or In part, lie
within its boundaries. To it the finger of
promise is pointing for the future. - Of its
total area, 2,063,270 acres are withdrawn
from settlement by the two forest re
servesthe Ashland reserve, granted to
secure protection to the water supply of
the town of Ashland, in Jackson County,
and the Cascade Mountain forest reserve,
which skirts almost the entire eastern
boundary of the district. The amount dis
posed of Is 6,282,361 acres, while 3,546,110
acres are unappropriated, of which 2,074,
404 acres are yet unsurveyed.
Great activity has prevailed during the
past two years In securing lands in this
district, much of which has been caused
by the great demand for timber land by
both corporations and individuals. Dur
ing this time many people from the East
ern States have come here to secure a
timber claim, to do which they must come
out to find and examine the tract, then
go to the land office and file and advertlpo
the claim for 10 weeks, when they muni
again appear at the office to submit final
proof and payment for the land. To do
this it has made two trips to the state
necessary in most instances, although
many of the Easterners have taken a.
"
homestead filing of 160 acres of land as
well, and cast their lot in Oregon. Such
people know the value of forests of fir
and spruce and pine, having seen them
eaten up and disappear from their own
states East. Such an Investment to onej
aoie to make it at this time Is better than
money in the bank, for the time Is not
far distant when the history of the tim
ber of the Eastern States will be repeated
here. These filings by people from other
states have stimulated Oregonlans to se
cure desirable tracts of timber by availing
themselves of their timber rights, until
the desirable bodies of timbered lands
have all passed from the hands of the
Government Into individual ownership.
'Not all of the applicants for land at the
Roseburg land office are after timber,
however, and many are the filings for
homesteads of 1C0 acres, upon which the
settler settles with his family. To such,
if he be capable and willing to work, great
is the inducement offered in stockraislng,
in dairying, in mining, in fruits or grain.
Usually It Is necessary now, in order to
secure a good claim, to go well back Into
the communities remote from railroads
or traveled ways; it will be necessary,
perhaps, to clear the land of timber and
brush, but when once so cleared the land
is rich and productive. Water Is plentiful
In most places, grass abundant, fish and
game easily had, and above all is the mild
Oregon climate.
The Counties of Jackson and Josephine
comprise a district known as "Southern
Oregon," being drained by the Rogue
River and its tributary streams. These
two counties are rich In minerals, both
In placer and quartz. There Is good tim
ber standing In both counties. The coun
try in the valleys Is well adapted to fruits
of many kinds, and the peaches, pears
and apples of this region are unsurpassed.
So is the climate of the two counties. The
fruit industry here, as in most parts of
the state, is in its Infancy now, but Is
destined to become a great factor at an
early day.
Douglas County Is known as the Ump
qua Valley from the river of that namo
draining it from east to west. Its south
ern part is given largely to prunerals
Ing, to which It is specially adapted. A
good acreage Is already out in this fruit,
and is being added to. The eastern and
western portions of the county contain a
large amount of good timber, principally
fir and pine.
Coos and Curry Counties make up a
rough, broken district, well watered and
containing large bodies of fine timber.
Dairying thrives in these counties, and
stock of all kinds Is raised with profit.
No counties of the district offer such in
ducements to the homeseeker. as found in
these.
Lane County and a portion of each of
Linn, Benton and Lincoln Counties, com
plete the northern part of the district,
and are situated at the upper end of the
great Willamette Valley. No richer coun.
ties In natural resources may be found
on the Coast. In minerals, timber, fine
farming land, stock and dairying and fish
ing industries, their future wealth Is as
sured. The land is rich and produces well
in all grains and grasses. Water is upon
every hand.
But a. small portion of either Crook or
Klamath County Is within this district.
That of the former is all within the limits
of the forest reserve, and hence out or
market Klamath has its eastern tier of
townships only in the district, the land
being generally heavily timbered.
NORTHEASTERN OREGON.
Farm In pr, Lumbering-, StocUralnlnK,
Mining and Other Industries.
The La Grande land district is situated
in the northeast corner of Oregon. The
total acreage Is In round numbers 8,543,000.
Of this acreage there are 151,360 acres
In the Umatilla Indian reservation, the
lands there being farming, grazing and
mountainous timbered lands, and prob
ably as fine a tract of reserved land as
there is on the Pacific Coast, a great por
tion of It being in a high state of culti
vation, and raising wheat, oats and hay.
The system of allowing the Indians to
lease their lands is In vogue there, and
the resdents of the county have the
benefit. The vast area cropped appears
more to be a well-doing and prosperous
farming community than an Indian reser
vation. There are 3,153,800 acres appropri
ated, L205.49S acres unsurveyed, and 4,332,
315 acres unappropriated. The counties
within the district are Umatilla, Union,
Wallowa, Baker and part of Grant and
Morrow. The district Is well watered by
the Grand Ronde. Umatilla, north fork of
John Day, Wallowa and Powder Rivers
and their numerous tributaries, and the
waters therefrom are appropriated and
used for irrigation, mining and domestic
purposes.
Umatilla County has probably the larg
est area adaptable" to raising all kinds
of grain, and Is more especially the cen
ter of gralnralslng and the breeding and
ranging of fine cattle, sheep and horses.
In and around the northern part of the
county fruits of all kinds are raised in
abundance.
Wallowa County Is a stockraising coun
ty, and, although It raises all kinds of
grain, fruits and vegetables, its greatest
revenue Is derived from the large herds
of stock. It has no railroad, and the
products of the county are marketed at
home or consumed by the stock.
Baker County is the mining center of
Eastern Oregon, and while there are many
acres of good farming lands in Baker
County, the only rival the mining lndustry
has in the county is lumbering, which is
quite extensive.
Union County Is gaining a reputation as
a sugar-beet grower, and the vast sugar
factory at La Grande completed its most
successful run last year. The larg
est Interests of the county are the lum
ber industry, wheat, fruit and cattle-raising.
The portions of Grant and Morrow Coun
ties In the district are more especially
adapted to the cattle business, and the
lands are rapidly belrg appropriated as
stock range. The ruling of the Depart
ment of the Interior to the effect that a
homesteader may prove up on his place
after a five years residence thereon, the
entryman using the place for grazing and
stockraislng" purposes only, and requiring
no cultivation, has given an additional im
petus in the appropriation of lands, and
vast quantities of land heretofore fit only
for grazing purposes, and upon which a
person could not cultivate and raise a
crop, are now being taken and proved up
on for stock purposes.
Good lands are tc bo found in each of
the several counties in the district, and
homeseekers are daily filing on them,
some for frultralslng, some for stockrais
lng, and others for gralnralslng. The La
Grande office averaged About 100 filings
monthly last year of persons who have
come from the East, and also of persons
who have been residents of Oregon for
some length of time.
The climate of La Grande district is
different from the rest of the state. The
altitude being high, the air Is more invig
orating. The Summers are never exces
sively warm, and the Winters are not cold
and long drawn out. Tears ago the stock
men figured on feeding their animals for
six weeks or two months In the Winter
time, the grass outside being then good.
Now, the range having been heavily
grazed, stockmen figure they have to feed
two to three months. In some parts of
the district the cattle run on the range
the year round.
Pendleton, In Umatilla County; La
Grande, in Union County, and Baker City,
in Baker County, are the three leading
cities of the district. Each of these cities
is a model, having fine schools and being
well lighted with electricity, equipped
with fine hotels, banks and good systems
of water works. The people are energetic,
hospitable and up to date, and the home
seeker looking for a good location, the
mining man looking for Investment In
mines, the stockman looking for stock and
range, the tlmberman looking for mlll
sltes and timber, the fruitgrower looking
for a location to raise fruit, and the
dairyman looking for a location to start
a dairy, will surely find that which ho
desires In either one or the other of the
three cities mentioned, or their tributary
country.
SOUTHEASTERN OREGON.
Vast Stock RnnKC Interspersed With
Farmlnjc Tracts.
Burns land district covers a county
extending about 145 mlle3 east and west
and 100 miles north and south, taking In
parts of Baker, Crook, Grant, Harney,
Malheur and Wheeler Counties. The dis
trict contains 9,307,000 acres 6f land, in all
of which there have been 1,63S,S50 acres ap
propriated. There are LS62.753 ceres of
unsurveyed land. This would still leave
5,805.357 acres of surveyed and unappropri
ated lands, subject to the various entries.
Much of this land by proper cultivation
Is fine for agricultural purposes.
In the northern part of the district are
found the principal mineral and timber
lands. The country here Is well watered,
though, generally speaking, the elevation
Is too great to make farming a success.
Still there are valleys where nearly every
thing can be raised, the John Day region
being the most noted.
Towards the east and south of the dls-
Superior Fertility of Soil Enables Oregon to Make Good Showing.
Statistics compiled by the United States Department of Agriculture for the 10-year period ending with 1300,
attest the superior fertility of Oregon soil, and demonstrate the additional fact that an acre of farming prod
ucts is worth more on the average than the general average for the United States. In wheat, oats, barley,
buckwheat, potatoes and hay the average yield per acre is larger for Oregon than the average . for the
United Statea Oregon falls a little behind the general average in corn and rye. In value of crop per acre,
Oregon is ahead of the general average in wheat, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat and potatoes, and behind it
only in corn and hay. The figures follow:
Corn. Wheat Oats Barley. Rye. Buckwheat. Potatoes. Hay.
.. Z Z Z Z
P. p P. . P P a s -. PS p BS PS pS
" ?9 h h h U h h h h !& k i is Sk S
: e :o c- . co- : : ,& :o g& : & : s
;3 :! :3 :g fS ;g : : g f fl g f f ;
891 27-9 .0 Jj-S 31- A2-92 24.0 511.52 13.s" 511.M .... l' 512.39 ( 110 I 544.00 1.30 58.00
1832 21.o 12.04 15.7 10.05 26.5 9.81 23.3 10.72 12.0 7.H) 11.2 S.40 70 39.20 1.45 . b 92
1593 24.7 11.G1 17.5 9.63 2S.5 10.65 26.1 10.44 10.6 7.66 20.0 10 00 127 59 69 1 SS 8 10
1594 23.0 14.22 17.7 7.61 26.7 7.4S 3X.6 12.74 14.1 S.04 3S0 20.90 112 40 32 2 W 686
1SS5 26.4 14.52 20.0 9.40 28.8 7.7S 22.1 8.84 11.2 6.05 15 5 7 75 64 24 96 1 78 6 12
1S96 22.0 12.32 17.0 12.24 21.0 6.93 21.8 9.81 12.7 7.62 21.0 14.2S 87 33 93 1 9S 6 60
1897 25.0 13.25 17.0 12.24 32.0 11.20 32.5 14.63 15.0 8.S5 18 0 5 SO 160 64 00 1 90 7 75
1S98 24.0 14.40 20.5 12.71 27.0 10.80 29.1 14.26 14.4 10.37 14 0 8 12 86 40 V 190 725
1899 22.0 14.03 19.2 10.18 30.0 12.30 2S.0 14.00 11.0 7.70 17.0 12.5S 115 56 35 1 97 6S5
1900 23.0 13.11 13.S 7.59 18.5 7.59 2S.9 12.14 ltt.l 9.82 13.0 loioi 110 49.50 2.U eiso
Oregon's average. 24.1 13.87 17.7 10.84 27.5 9.74 27.4 11.91 13.0 8.43 18.6 ' 11.40 104 45 23 IK 722
Gen, av. U. S 24.6 17.9S 13.3 8.43 27.2 7.05 23.3 9.55 14.3 ) 7.31 16.9 8.40 79 aiSQ 1.29 S.U
trict the character of the country Is more
on the sagebrush order, and, like other
parts of Oregon where a strong growth of
sagebrush is found, almost invariably one
will find a strong productive soil backing
the sagebrush growth.
Recent prospecting for water in this
sagebrush country has practically demon
strated the fact that water can be had
almost anywhere by digging or boring
down a very few feet from the surface,
rarely exceeding 30 feet. There Is an
abundance of good, wholesome water.
The elevation being quite high, the cli
mate Is cool and delightful in the Sum
mer, but a little sharp and cold In the
"Winter.
The population In round numbers is
about 7000 for the whole district. The
roads are nearly always in first-class con
dition. The principal Industry Is stockraislng,
and the profits are considered good.
There has been no general movement
of settlers towards Southeastern Oregon
because of its Isolated condition. The peo
ple need railroad communication with the
outside world that would bring them In
closer touch with the homeseeker, and a
few years would show this district to be
one of the greatest and richest all-around
sections of Oregon.
OREGON CITY DISTRICT.
Little Denlrnble Farm Land Still
Open for Settlement.
Oregon City land district includes the
Counties of Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop,
Columbia, Lincoln, Marion, Multnomah.
Polk, Tillamook, Washington and Yamhill,
nearly all of Linn, and portions of Crook
and Wascc. This office was established in
1S54, and was one of the first established in
the United States. Prior to its establish
ment, the public lands In Oregon were un
der the control of the Surveyor-General.
Nearly all of the claims taken under the
MONTANA SECONDS
Governor Toole Tells of His State's Interest in the
Lewis and Clark Centennial.
The following letter of Governor Joseph K. Toole, regarding the
Lewlo and Clark Centennial, was written for The New Year's Oregonian:
EXECUTIVE OFFICE,
HELENA, MONTANA.
Oct. 15, 1001.
To the Editor: I have yours of tho 10th inst., and note -with interest tho pro
posal to hold a fair at Portland In 1005. to commemorate the Lewis and Clark
expedition. Aa suggested by you, a part at Montana was In the territory of Ore
gon, accordinc to the treaty of JS4C with Great Britain. This family connection
1b enough of Itself to enlist our sympathies and co-operation In this laudable un
dertaking. It would have been worthy of Montana to have token the Initiative
in this ceremonial, and no more appropriate spot could 'have been selected than on
her own soil. It was here that the grea't explorers first caught the glimpse of
' the Rockies; It was here they discovered the source of the mighty Missouri, and
named Its three forks the Madison, the Gallatin and the Jefferson; it was here
that many, if not most, of their hardahlpa and privations were endured. But
since Oregon, with commendable enterprise and zeal, has taken the lead in plac
ing before tho world the researches and discoveries of these intrepid pioneers,
Montana heartily seconds Oregon's crforts. and will be no less Interested In tho
complete success of the echeme proposed than she would bo If the ceremonies
were to bo held within her own limits. Tours truly, J. K. TOOLE.
old donation land law He in this district,
and the district, now Includes more than
half of the population of the state, and
probably two-thirds of its wealth. For
more than 50 years land-seekers have been
cruising in this region, and as a result
the choicest lands have long since been
taken. Such tracts as remain are, as a
rule. Isolated and of Inferior quality, and
remote from the towns and various lines
of transportation. In the aggregate, how
ever, the acreage which still remains va
cant comprises a large amount of desira
ble land
The total estimated area of land In the
district- is 7,533,757 acres, of which 1,355,503
acres was reported, at the close of the
fiscal year, on June SO, 1901, as still unre
served and unappropriated. This unap-
proprlated land is distributed among the
various counties of the district as follows:
County.
Acres.
County.
Acres.
Benton , lo,S06jMarlon
.163,694
Clackamas ....290,115
ClalsoD 25.356
Multnomah .... 25.375
Polk 19.550
Tillamook 403,039
Washington .... 76,151
Yamhill 12,756
Columbia 3,918
Lincoln 133.331
Linn 123,525
About 60 townships of this district are
Included in the Cascade and Bull Run
forest reserves, lying along the east line
of the district. The Grand Ronde Indian
reservation Includes in the neighborhood
of 60,000 acres. This, and the Siletz res
ervation, which was thrown open to set
tlement several years ago. Includes some
of the finest land In the district.
Probably 300.000 acres of the land in the
district, unappropriated and unreserved,
are still unsurveyed. It Is probable that
much the largest proportion of this will
not be In demand for many years to come,
owing to Its character and location. A
specific description of the lands still va
cant cannot be given. They "are largely
broken and mountainous, and in ,the tim
bered region are what are known as
"bi"ns," where the forest fires have de
stroyed the valuable timber. No great
amount of open grazing or agricultural
land can be found untaken, although there
are abandoned homesteads scattered about
through various parts of the district that
would make desirable homes.
Two years ago there still remained sev
eral hundred thousand acres of the finest
timber land In the world, but very little
valuable timber land now remains un
taken, as the whole district has recently
been cruised by hundreds of timber ex
perts, and an enormous amount of East
ern capital has been invested in this way.
There is timber of the very finest quality
in nearly every county In this district, and
especially in Clatsop. Columbia, Tilla
mook, Lincoln end parts of Polk, Yam
hill, Linn, 3IarIon and Clackamas. There
Is no county In the district that does not
include some of the finest agricultural land
in the world, and what are known as the
CROP AVERAGES AND VALUE PER ACRE.
Valley counties depend principally upon
agriculture.
Tillamook in famous for Its dairy prod
ucts, which, alone, during the past year,
are reported as having yielded an average
of $40 per capita for every man, woman
and child in the county.
Marlon and Polk Counties, in the region
Included within a circuit of 25 miles frcm
Salem, the state capital, constitute one
of the greatest hop centers of the worid.
This section is also largely davoted to
fruit, as are especially Washington, Yam
hill, Benton, Linn and Clackamas Coun
ties. The climate in all of the counties of this
district is practically the same. It Is the
climate which Is known to the world as
the characteristic Oregon climate, al
though It Is entirely different from that of
Eastern Oregon, where there is less moist
ure, and where there are greater ex
tremes of heat and cold. The average an
nual rainfall Is about 40 inches, which is
less than that of many localities along the
Eastern seaboard and in the Mississippi
Valley. Water courses abound, and irriga
tion is never required. The range of tem
perature Is from 20 degrees above zero in
Winter to S5 degrees In Summer, although
It rarely reaches either of these extreme.
The Summer climate is the finest in tho
world, and the Winter climate Is better
than that of any other Northern State.
The district suffers neither from the dead
monotony of heat and sunshine of the
semi-tropical climates, or the protracted
cold of the other Northern States that do
not lie on the shores of the Pacific
The principal products of this district
are wheat and other cereals, vegetables,
berries and fruits of every kind common
to the. temperate zone, while a vabt
amount of capital is devoted to the lum
ber, stock and dairy industries.
The officials of the land office can give
no assurance to prospective land-seekers
that they can find Government lands in
this district that will meet their wants.
Relatively speaking, there is little desira
ble Government land left, although in the
aggregate the amount Is quite large. This
simply means that to secure a desirable
OREGON'S EFFORTS
, location upon any vacant lands a long and
I careful search will probably have to be
i made, and the building of a home upon
j such a location will not prove to be a
holiday affair. It is worthy of considera
tion, however, that almost any location in
such a climate as that of Western Oregon
is more desirable than the choicest acres
In a land where Winter reigns for half the
year.
LAKEVIEW LAND DISTRICT.
Xarsest Area in the State, Chiefly
j Stock Ransre.
The Lakevlew land district is the
largest of the six in Oregon, comprising
I tho whole of Lake County and part of
I Klamath, Crook, Harney and Malheur. It
Is sparsely settled. Most of its area is
In the semi-arid grazing belt, but there
are localities well suited to general farm
ing and fruitgrowing. Lack of transpor
tation, facilities operates to retard develop
ment of tiie district.
The Goose Lake Valley is a wonder
fully fertile region, growing with little
trouble all the temperate-zone products.
There is small Incentive to extensive cul
tivation of the roll now, however, be
cause there Is only the local market to
be supplied. Railroads are aiming for
that country from two directions one
from the north and one from the soutr
and they promise to give It an adequate
connection with outside markets within
the coming two years. There Is plenty
of Government land, though the matter
of watering It Is one fraught with more
or less difficulty. Irrigation work3 will
bring thousands of acres under cultiva
tion. There is comparatively little valuable
timber in the Lakevlew district. It is pre
eminently a grazing region. Some of the
finest horses In the world have been pro
duced here. Cattle and sheep -also cover
the range In great numbers. Mineral
springs are numerous. There Li room for
much exploration In that district of natu
ral curiosities and varied industrial possibilities.
STATE SCHOOL LANDS.
Nearly COO.000 Acres Offered for Sale
at ?1 25 an Acre.
The State of Oregon has for sale some
490,000 acres of school land at the low
price of $1 25 per acre, only one-fifth of
which need be paid In cash at the tlmo
of application. This land is scattered all
over the state, but, of course, lies princi
pally In the thinly settled sections. In
the older counties, where the land has
been brought under cultivation, and In a
few sections where the search for timber
land has been very diligent, the school
sections are nearly all taken. Thus, in
Marion. Clackamas, Pojk. Washington and
Tamhill Counties, the school sections were
bought years ago, and are now prosper
ous farms or pastures. In Clatsop, Colum
bia and Tillamook heavy Investors In tim
ber lands have secured the school sections.
In most of the other counties, however!
there may be found school lands which
will In time support lt3 families of Indus
trious farmers. The following Is a list of
the counties, showing the number of acres
of school land for sale in each:
County. Acres. I County. Acres.
Baker 10.000LInn 2.000
Benton 2,000LIncoln 6.0O)
Clackamas
ZMJiMarion 4S0
Clatsop .
Columbia
Coos
Crook ...
SWalheur 50,000
Morrow 12,000
Multnomah .... 360
... 6.C0O
...135.000
folk
Curry
li nV 1 K n tm i . ,v.
Tn,.l ,'... !.... """ -l.-VJ
GHUam 3.000 Umatilla 10.000
Grant 50.000 Union 6.000
Harney 75,000, Wallowa 10.000
Jackson 7,000AVasco 5,000
Josephine 7,000 Washington
Klamath 8.000jramhill
ake 50.000HVheeler ....71.. 7,500
Lane . 10,U00
The land referred to is composed of the
16th and 36th sections in each township,
donated to the state by the general Gov
ernment for public school purposes.
There are also tracts of land which
have heretoforo been sold by the state,
but upon which purchasers have permit
ted their payments of principal or Interest
to become delinquent. Under the statutes,
whenever a purchaser becomes delinquent
a year in the payment of either principal
or Interest, the certificate of sale issued to
him becomes void, and a resale may be
made to any person who may apply for
the land. In such case the first certillcate
of sale is canceled and a new certificate
is issued to the subsequent purchaser, a3
though the first sale had not been made.
Lands of this class are bold at not less
than the same price at which they were
sold the first time, which price varies
from 51 25 to & and J2 50, as the special
case may be.
The power and duty of selling the school
Innds Is vested in the State Land Board,
composed of tho Governor, Secretary of
State and State Treasurer. All deeds are
Issued by authority of this board, but
the actual business, the negotiations, ril
ing of applications, receiving payments,
etc. are performed by the Clerk of the
State Land Board, at Salem. Oregon, to
whom all inquiries, applications, etc.,
should be addressed. "Upon request, blank
applications will be furnished to Intend
ing purchasers. The application, setting
forth the description of the tract of land
wanted, should be tiled with the Clerk of
the board, together with a remittance of
onc;flfth of tho purchase price. The bal
ance 1 payable, one-fifth at the end of
one year, one-fifth in two years and the
remaining two-fifths upon demand by the
board, deferred payments drawing 8. 7
and 6 per cent interest, respectively. The
maximum amount of land that may be
sold to one person Is 320 acres. No resi
dence on the land Is required, and a man
and wife may each purchase a half sec
tion, so that by that means tho two
could secure 610 acres In one tract. The
first payment on a section of land would
be 5160.
As there is vacant school land in nearly
every section of the state, so there may
be found land of every sort of soil, and
located In various climates. In the coast
rjglon west of the summit of the Coast
HaLgc cf mountains, there are lands
more or less timbered, and possessing a
nondcnully productive soil. The timbered
lands now for sale at $1 25 per acre are
considcied "Inaccessible." That Is, they
are so far back in the hills that under
present conditions it will not pay to log
the timber. Not many years hence this
will be changed, and sawmills will be
seeking the timber now thought inacces
sible, just as they are now sawing up the
timber that nobody wanted 10 years ago.
Having learned what lands are .vacant,
the Inlfndlng purchaser should learn their
charnctei, either by examining the tracts
himself, or securing the Information from
some one who has seen them. The field
notes lu the office of the Surveyor-General
at Portland may be of some aid.
and a good map of tho state will give
some idea of the proximity to streams,
railroads wagon roads and postoffices.
While there are people who will contend
that practically every section of public
land will be worth 51 25 per acre wit'hin
a few years. It would not bo vriao for any
person to purchase school land without
first ascertaining something of Its char
acter. The homeseeker must first deter
mine to what part of the state he wishes
to go to make a home. If he wants land
at 51 25 per acre, he must go back from
the thickly settled regions, though not out
of the reach of the malls. Having de
cided where he would probably care to
live, he should write to the State Land
Ofiic at Salem, If he wants school land.
Inquiring what lands are for sale in that
locality. He must specify the locality
with some degree of definlteness, for the
Clerk of the State Land Board cannot
undertake to give long lists of lands.
While the State Land Board has no
lieu land for sale. It acts as the medium
between the buyer and the United States
Government in the purchase of lieu lands.
For every acre of school land that was
lost to the state by reason of the creation
of a Forest reserve, Indian reservation
or a homestead entry, or by reason of the
land blng chiefly valuable for the min
erals upon it. tne state is entitled to select
a corres.pondIng area in lieu thereof. Se
lections have already been made upon all
lands lost, except in the case of mineral
lands ami an occasional river bed, lake
bed. or homestead entry- The land that
has been lost Is known as "base" for the
selection of lieu land. Whenever the state
proves to the United States Land Depart
ment that a certain school action Is
chiefly valuable for Its mineral deposits,
the state may relinquish that section and
take anv other vacant tract of similar
area. Thus, poor land Is often exchanged
for good land, and the good land is sold.
Lieu land Is sold at 52 50 per acre. '
As it costs money to inspect land and
conduct proceedings to prove Its mineral
character, the state does not undertake
this task, but leaves It to the enterprise
of individuals. When an individual hunts
up a mineral school section, he Is given
the privilege of buying the lieu land se
lected upon that section as a base. There
are men who make a business of hunting
up mineral school sections, and who sell
their "base" to persons who may want to
buy lieu land. Base sells at 51 per acre.
But lieu land selections may be made
which, with 52 50 for the lieu land, makes
the cost of the lieu land S3 50 per acre.
But lieu land selections may be made
anywhere in the state where there Is va
cant Government land, so that better
land may thus be obtained than could be
secured by purchasing school sections.
HOMES IN THE MOUNTAINS
Great Opportunity for Hcnlth, Peace
and Competence.
The mountain region of Oregon, now
almost entirely unsettled, will afford hap
py, prosperous homes for thousands of
people within the next few years. This
Is the opinion of General W. H. Odell.
of Salem, who, as a surveyor, has trav
eled through the mountains on foot at
frequent Intervals In the past 50 years.
The mountainous section of Oregon Is
fully as productive as the mountain region
of Switzerland, and In every respect is
more attractive to the homeseeker. The
summit of the Coast Range Is not far
from the Willamette River: the summit of
the Cascades Is but little farther. At pres
ent the land is comparatively cheap. It
can bo homesteaded, or can be bought
at 51 25 to 55 per acre, and at the latter
price would be good farming land.
There Is no more healthful place to make
a home than the hills and valleys of Ore
gon's mountain ranges. The air is clear
and bracing, the water Is pure and cold,
the climate Is subject to no extremes In
Summer or Winter. The bottom lands
along mountain streams raise largo crops
of hay and vegetables, the hillsides pro
vide good pasturage, the forests furnish
fuel and material for building homes. Once
established In a mountain home, a man
would lead a most independent life, free
from care and trouble.
Such a home Is not suggested for a man
who has a large amount of capital to
Invest in farm land, but rather for tho
man with but a small amount of money,
the man who Is now working for 51 50
a day and trying to keep a family on It
In town. Such a home Is not suggested
for the man who Is determined to get rich
In a short time, but rather for the man
who wants to make a comfortable living
with a reasonable amount of work.
There are thousands of men who spend
their lives In the cities, driving teams,
working in shops and mills, or doing other
plain labor that brings but ordinary wages.
Such men seldom get rich, seldom own
their homes, and get but little enjoyment
out of life. When they are "out of a job"
their expenses go on Just the same. Their
families have no greater opportunities for
enjoyment than could be found in the
country. On a mountain ranch of 160
acres an easy living could be made, and
the man would own his home.
It Is well known that the soil of Ore
gon's mountain ranges Is productive and
makes good agricultural land after the
timber has been removed. There are but
few places, especially In the Coast Range,
where the soil Is rocky. A growth of
grass is easily secured; indeed It Is nat
ural to the soil, and as pasturage is good
nearly the year round, stock requires
but little feeding. Every one who has
spent a Summer vacation In the mountain
has noticed that cows turned out in tht
woods to seek their own food are fat ana
healthy and give a good measure of rich
milk.
A man about to go Into the mountains
to make his home should select a place
where there are a few acres of land level
enough to cultivate, and where water Is
to be had the year round. If he be far
from a saw mill he can build his first
dwelling-house of logs and shakes, ana
this can later be replaced with a modern
abode. Thus established he can raise his
own vegetables, his own butter, meat and
honey, and can find abundant fuel at his
door. His chief expense will be for cloth
ing, and the requirements of a mountain
life are not expensive In this respect. At
first It will bother him to make both ends
meet, but after he Is once established he
can manage to turn off every year a few
head of sheep or goats, a few head ot
cattle, and several hundred pounds of
honey. As tne country around him becomes
well settled, as It will in the natural
course of events, he will have good roada
to market, and will find It profitable to
make butter and cheese. With pasture
that Is luxuriant nearly 12 months in tne
year, he will be able to produce butter at
much less expense than can be done In the
Willamette Valley. Mountain honey brings
in the retail market 50 per cent more than
Valley honey, and there Is always a de
mand for It. The cost of keeping bees Is
nothing except the care they require.
If the settler has selected a piece of
land that has good timber on It he will
be able In a few years to sell the stump
age to a saw mill, and will thus be aided
in clearing, his land. The clearing process
will be slow on land that produces lum
ber, but many tracts of land that are
crossed by mountain streams have groves
of alder and other trees that are more
easily grubbed out. It cannot be expected
that a mountain ranch will be prepared
for grain raising In a year or two, or
that all of It will ever be cleared of
stumps. Dairying will be the Industry of
our mountain regions, as it is the source
of livelihood of the people who have made
prosperous homes in tho mountains of
Switzerland.
With careful management, which is es
sential to success anywhere and in any
occupation, the settler can In a few years
build up a home where he can spend
the remainder of his days In comparative
ease. From a spring on the hillside he
can lay pipe3 that will conduct pure, cold
water to every part of his house, and. he
will have no water rates to pay. Unllki
his city cousin, he need not stint himself
on wood by using an unhealthful heating
stove, but can fill his fireplace with huge
blocks of wood, which he will enjoy see
Insr burn, for wood Is overabundant.
Under the Oregon system of public
school maintenance, the country school
has the advantage In the distribution of
public funds, and every little hamlet
where three or four families are gatherrd
can have Its common school. While at
first the settler will be five to 15 miles
from a postofflce, he will soon have a
semi-weekly mail and later a dally maiL
It Is, Indeed, a sparsely-settled region in
Oregon that does not have its daily mall
service.
While going back into the mountains to
build a home seems at first like cutting
one's self off from civilization, this is
what all pioneers have done, and time has
shown that all of them who were frugal
In their management have now comfort
able homes and have reared their families
free from the vices and vanities of tho
city. Children who are reared In the midst
of surroundings unhealthful to both mind
and body are not as a rule the successful
and honored men of the future. The pio
neer lad who has built a physical consti
tution and a manly character by honest
labor and by abstinence from the frivoli
ties of life, has laid the foundation for
an honorable career. And this Is a mat
ter of moment to the man who is consid
ering the question of a permanent home,
where he will rear h!s family and spend
the remainder of his days.
The rapid life, such as the Yankee
usually desires, Is not to be found In tho
seclusion of a mountain valley, whew
the ways of uature prevail, but the life
possessing tne essentials of happiness,
health, peace and competence are there
to be found with comparative else. And
there is an abundance of land which will
furnish such homes. The mountainous
area ot Oregon nearly equals the moun
tainous area of Switzerland, and, exclu
sive of the forest reserve not now opoa
to settlers. Is half as great. The Coast
Range Mountains, which offer the'great
est Inducements to settlers, extend from
the Columbia River to the California line.
In Oregon, and have been settled In but
few places. Southern Oregon, having tho
greater area of unsettled region, offers
probably the greatest opportunities for
homeseekers, and yet desirable homes for
the bona fide settler can be found at al
most any point In tho long range of forest-clad
mountains.
EAST OP THE MOUNTAINS.
"Wealth of the Country Tributary to
the O. It. & '. Lines.
To the man In the East who Is dissat
isfied with the conditions which surround
him comes tho natural Inquiry for that
region where conditions may be found
that are more promising for his success.
Th& great desideratum should be with
every man, "Where can I produce a max
imum of results with a reasonable ex
penditure of effort?" Nature herself,
when she founded Oregon, furnished the
answer to this query. It would be difficult
Indeed to find another section of country
with larger or with more varied resources
than Oregon. The truth of this state
ment is an axiom a fact too simple to
require a demonstration to the people al
ready residents of the state. It Is to the
people of other communities the Informa
tion herein contained Is directed. They
are needed in Oregon to wrest from
forest, field and mine those products
which shall serve to enrich the Individ
ual as well as to develop the resources
of this commonwealth.
There 13 no more potent agent for state
development than a railroad. The Oregon
Railroad &. Navigation Company has been
and will continue to be a powerful factor
in tho advancement of the Interests of
this state. The company's freight and
passenger steamers operate on the Wil
lamette. Yamhill and Columbia Riv
ers. Its ocean steamers connect with
San Francisco, via Astoria; It also op
erates a trans-Pacific fast freight and
passenger line of steamers linking Port
land with the Orient. The rail lines of
this company cover Eastern Oregon,
Eastern Washington and Idaho, draining
the traffic of that region down the banks
of the Columbia to Portland. While tho
company has looked strictly after Its own
affairs, It has also Invariably pursued a
liberal policy toward the fostering of all
enterprises tending toward the settlement
and development of the territory along
Its lines.
The Columbia Southern Railway is di
rectly tributary to the O. R. & N. Co.
It traverses a wheat belt 30 miles wide
and 60 miles deep, cutting through -tbo
center of Sherman County In a southerly
direction. The country south of Shanlko
Is already famous for Its stockraising and
woolgrowlng, and large mining Interests
are In process of development. Largo
tracts of land now unproductive will soon
be under Irrigation. Present plans con
template a number of extensions of this
line during 1902 Into a country capable of
great agricultural development.
Hood River, Wasco County, on the line
of the O. R. & N. Co., Is already well
known for Its wonderful yield of fruits.
Its strawberry and apple crops will be
come the envy of the world. Concerning
tho Hood River strawberry yield, the Da
vidson Fruit Company and G. J. Gess
llng, secretary of the Hood River Fruit
growers' Union, furnish some convincing
figures of last year's crop. The season's
product was 40.000 crates. They sent out
30 carloads under refrigeration and ex
press, wldch yielded the growers 5S5.00O,
or a net sum of 560,000 above all expenses.
There are about 350 acres In the Hood
River Valley and on the White Salmon
devoted to strawberry culture. This
shows that the average net profit to tho
farmer was more than 5150 per acre.
It Is of Interest to note that seven
years ago two men from Ohio located In
the vicinity of Hood River, purchasing
20 acres of timber land. This they have
partially cleared and have set with fruit
trees. They now have 17 acres devoted to
apple raising. Last year these yielded
5000 boxes, which, after paying all ex
penses of picking, packing, etc., will leave
the grower about 51 per box, or something
like 5c000. or nearly 5300 per acre. What
these men have done others may ac
complish. Not more than one-third of the
land In Hood River Valley adapted to
fruit culture is now under cultivation.
The fruit Industry of Sherman and
Wasco Counties Is comparatively undevel
oped, yet, on. their uplands, nearly every
variety of fruit Is grown abundantly,
and without irrigation.
To keep pace with the wheat-raising of
these counties a flouring mill has been
built at Moro and a second mill at The
Dalles. There Is already one at Wasco,
and one Is projected for Grass Valley.
Prior to the construction of the Colum
bia Southern, In. 1S37, a single two-horse
stage line sufficed for the transfer of
all passengers, express and mall matter
in Sherman County. The railroad com
pany now runs two dally trains one each
way. In one year It carried 29,080 pas
sengers, 414 tons of express matter and
IIS tons of mall.
A year ago Shanlko, tho Columbia
Southern's terminus, was not on the map.
Today It Is a prosperous and growing
community. It contains, besides the rail
road shops, the largest wool warehouse in
the state, from which 4.000,000 pounds have
been marketed this year. The country
about Shaniko is a great cattle-raising sec
tion, and 4C0 carloads were shipped out for
this year, ending June 30. 1901. There will
be heavy sheep shipments from this sec
tion this Fall and next Spring, requiring:
1000 to 1500 cars.
No reference has been made herein to
Oregon's mineral resources, yet they aro
enormous, and when fully developed, will
cut an Immense figure in Oregon's wealth.
The Baker City and Sumpter mining dis
tricts contain a large number of shipping
mines and are daily growing in Importance.
About 30 miles south of Shanlko lie seme
very rich mining properties. One mine
has nearly 600 feet of workings. Three
others, near at hand, are equally rich,
though not so fully developed. Two miles
south of the first mine referred to, a
vein of pure copper was uncovered a few
days ago at a depth of only 20 feet. There
I3 undoubtedly gold, sliver and copper In
abundance In Oregon. Above the miner,
al wealth lies a fertile farming country.
Extending southward, to the California
state line. Is an excellent grazing domain,
rapidly developing into an agricultural
country. A number of Irrigation compan
ies are now preparing to Irrigate DOO.OOQ
acres of land In this section
I