i
(By V. Xyl McCroskejr) ,
i j 'i -
Etayton, iocaiea as it is in -"D
'ertlle valley ot the North rFork
let of its size In the state. Therd
are about1200 persons in Stay-V
ton. itself, while the territory it
serves atretches for fifteen miles
-. In , all directions. The town is
19 .miles southeast of Salem, and
fhere is a paved, road between
the two plates, ?
Auto ! stages make three trips
feaily between , Stayton and Sa
lem, and there is dally motor
truck service between s - Stayton
Vnd both Salem and Portland.
Stayton's railroad shipping point
lis West Stayton, which is about
three miles distant. The road
j leading fron . Stayton to West
Stayton is ( now partially paved,
and wi.U be ,' completely, paved
during .the summer of 1923. ;
1 If Stayton' has any material ad
vantage that stands JoutV as pre-;
dominate, it is her rare diversity
cf '.resources. Perhaps In no
territory a? equal size with that
served by Stayton could be. found
I ratural, resource of so great a
variety and ' of ;such .abundance.
.la this small valley we find soil
fitted for all types, and .particu-,
larly fitted for the rm6re; lactam
Ut types of agriculture. "" .We
find 'r: abundant r pasturage: (or
, Wp and cattle. We find tlm
ter thousand . of . acres of it.
V.e find - water power sufficient
; 1 .tc generate thousands of, horse
I tower. . ' - t .
Site i Strategic .'.-
I ' Clayton stands at the en-
t -ace to this remarkable nine
s Ti '?y. " Beings the most . easily
icr.Esible place ' from all points,
i: z of course. ecome the
v traliag center. The fSantfam
: ritsr has J been diverted ; ; and
. t t ;M to Stayton In tne torra
.tr
-.Me water nower. thus "!-
I I": It's , town the advantage 01
X. i coveted "white coal." l
tzj wonder, that thU community
1- rrosperous? - la it any won
4 "er that ft" Is making a steady
snth, that Its citizens having
All tin modern conveniences that
c r8 t::orded by cities ten times
U; tea's, site? -V'
'' 1 "1 ese 1 resources " have " t la
t .Me.. and most
I , i- . 17 the people-of -this sec
; til.:. Tiere -are about f 75,000
acr; j - Cf in4 under cultivation
' tributary to Stayton. This
. la- i la being farmed for hay,
1 t . rprrU. mmM fruits nd
Much of It tf bejng ,usd
tare "for dairy cattle. ; A
atiot that has been found
Weal by farmers in -,thi
13 that f of small ' fruits
Co:
to
t
ra"
terries and dairy cattle.
l
- - - . uu ft. U J .
3 Income and call for exten-
t. 1 work daring a few months
pnng and summeer. The
cattle; pfodnce a steady in
Esrrin j M tort of Insur
' r-'nst total failure in
fruit crop Is light, and
' least attention
Representative Stay ton Establishments: Above, Santiam Woolen Mills and Two Views of
lln the' summer when the worKjthe industry Is a prospering one
'with -the fruit and berries is ( and that it has found an excel-
heaviest. i
Farmlll of
- ' Prosperity -
r arm 111 5 is, ui tuurc, vue
dustry which must form the batt
le of growth of v any community
in the Willamette Valley, if that
growth is, to be a steady, heal tny
one. In the last analysis, west
ern communities must ' look to
the soil for the means' to attain
their full development. The
test of ' the success v of a : town
will usually be found 'in its abil
ity to Uke the ; products of the
soil and, by the application of
caplul, turi i them "to " profit.
This lr the thing Stayton is am
ply equipped to do and the thin?
that it has been doing, to the ad
vantage of the producer of the
original product as well as of
the man in town.. With the phe
nomenal growth of fruit farm
ing: in this vicinity; during the
past few years, came the realizaAj
tien that if ; Stayton was to, de
rive the full benefit from her sur
rounding natural resources, she
must' equip- herself ."to- assist in
the marketing of those "products.
The final result of this realiza
tion was a 'cannery In' Stayton.
Its beginning was sm'all, with a
capitalization 'of only: 110,000;
but at : the end of Its first sea-non-just
past It has shown a
reasonable profit and its success
i assured.- This little cannery
has - already -' saved the growers
of this vicinity a haul of 10 to
SO miles with their fruit, has In
creased the yearly payroll of the
town by several thousands of
dollars, and has .materially In
creased the aggregate Income' of
Stayton. , -
Wool MM Big Asset
T Another Stayton (Industry that
has for Its purpose the utilisation
of the i products of the. soil is
the' woolen mill owned and op
erated by the ; Santiam Woolen
Mill company.; Having 'Its be
ginning la 1919 with - six, em
ployees and a few looms, this in
stitution has grown .to a point
where it employs 125 t persons
and runs- ,30 looms two shifts
daily. Wool is used in the man
ufacture of batts and blankets att
the rate, of 00.000 ponnd. a
. . , K nfli
-
pairs . 01 oi"M :
. . . t Valilas li ¬
nld each year,; besides 15
060 pounds of wool batts. Natur
aMy this mean that all the wool
grown . 4n this locality has
ready marked j besides ; much
ool being imported lomther
races In the i west. This indus
try tins the power of the San
tlanv rlrito run its f6'
which Peaces a-jther of-Stayton s
natural resources .to productive
use; The payroll , of this mill
amount t.round !. 7
ly, a thing which, in "self is no
small benefit to Stayton.
During 1therpast -year 4he
Santiam iWoolen;McOimpany
has mre than doubled t ea
1 .!,.- fa' wATkine force, which
rperhrp. W evidence that I
tent field In Stayton. The en
tire; output of this mill for the
present season has -been sold.- the
products being of such quality
te to' find ready market any
where. ;. . , ;:,:J..
" Lumber Important Industry
i The Browq-Petzel i Lumber
company operates an industry in
I'avton, which, while not utiliz
ing , products ot agriculture.
n.aKes use one - 01 tne greatest
of "Oregon's resources; as well as
of ; this locality timber, j Its
mill, also operated by water
power from the Santiam, is ' also
a large factor in maintaining the
circulating wealth of this com
munity. This ; mill has at ca
pacity of 20,000 feet of timber
per day. It employs an Average
of . 30 persons with an annual
payroll of . about $35,00.0. Two
to 'five million feet of timber are
eacn year. . 1 mS w" improved, in making additional
eells the lumber It produces Inl. io m
both "-. the . wholesale and retail
markets. ' It maintains Its 1 own
retail yards ,at Stayton, Jefferson
and Cervais. - - - - ." : f
Two. flouring mills in Stayton,
both, nsipg the.' water power of
the Santiam afford a ready,- con
venient market . -for . the wheat
grown In the surrounding coun
try. . ' Their combined payrolls
win approximate $15,000 .annu
ally and the sale of their product
increases the' tommunlty's : cir
culating wealth by several more
thousands " yearly. ; One of these
mills makes a product, which in
Open competition5 has taken sev
eral prizes for Its excellence. ; '
A chair ' factory give employ
ment to from five to ten persons.
If produces kitchen chairs l and
miscellaneous turnlture, utilis
ing water, power to turn its ma
chinery. 1 -x$:"'s'i"-'Hy.
; Power Company SIooVn . --j
The Stayton Light and Power
company owns a - modern , plant
with - which - it - converts water
power -to electricity. It; supplies
power for lighting In and ; about
Stayton. a as" 'well as 'furbishing
power , for several minor indus
trial plants of the town. - A con
siderable Investment ' is repre
sented, in. its plant and equip
ment.; Its chief value " to ) the
community, of course; lies inthe
convenience and, satisfaction' fur
nished the citizens :1a the form
cf dependable. nd 1 cheap elec
tiical energy.'5,;
Natural resources and indus
tries, of course, form the founda
tion npon which the economic
life of a. community , Is built, but
there, are other: considerations
that must ie met In determining
the desirability of a town as a
place. la which to live. Stay
ton is, ? distinctly l'vable town.
It has all the urban conveniences
with few of "the disadvantage.
Here are found civic Improve
ments such as are - commonly
fnnnd onlv In cities of four or
five times its size.Y The town 01
Staytoa malnUlns its ' own mun-
Icipal water system furnishing
zens at ' an absurdly , low price.
Just recently, In order td -com-
lilv with thereaulrements- " ol
!ve Oregon Insurance Rating Jtur.
feu.u, a bond issue of $12,000 was
sold for the purpose of extend
ing and ; improving the water
system and providing- additional
fire-fighting equipment. . The
program which has been adopted
calls for 1000 feet of new, high
est quality; fire hose; a separate
and complete pumping unit in
udditlon. to the one already in
use; a fire-proof building , for
the present plant; and auxiliary
power in addition to the water
power now used to pronel the
pump'ng machinery. These im
provements and add't'ons, vhen
made, will result in a saTing, in
ii'ura,nce rates of from one
tenth ot one per rcent tj t'n per
cmt In ' cases where priTate per.
anna iiHll?a tha wn'o, votpm nS
iraprovements themselves. In
order that this improvement may
not Increase the burden on the
taxpayers of the town a . plan
has been devised for paying oft
bonds -issued to "pay for this sys
tem, whereby .the revenue from
the water system is ; expected ' to
provide, the sinking fund for the
bonds' retirement.
', Streets Are Paved
During the last summer 15
blocks' of Stayton's streets were
paved 'with an excellent quality
ot bltulithlc pavement. A pertin
ent fact in connection with this
improvement Is that about one
half of the total .cost ot it was
raid In cash t by the property
owners liable therefor. ; The re
mainder of the expense was
fended 1 by a bond issue : which
is secured' by abutting property.
This bond Issue amounting to
about $18,000 and the one of
S22.000 mentioned above, con
stitute the only indebtedness of
the town of Stayton. and, as has
been explained, the taxpayers
will -be called on to pay neither
of them.! : ' ''
Edumtional FacUitlc TJnex-
' .. . ' 1 celled ;; r; -In"
educational facilities. Stay
ton is excelled by none. A new
$25,000 school building houses
a. complete grade school and f a
high 'school that is rated by state
educational authorities as "stand
ard." a Nearly 300 .1 students are
in attendance under the instruc
tion of a corps of 11 teachers,
"f he ; bnsiness 'men of the town
recently presented .the 1 nigh
schoct with: a . complete gymna
sium, which is used t by the
townspeople for gatherings -and
recreation as well as by the stu
dents jot the high school. The
interest that is manifested In
the schools by tbe citizen of
Stayton Is remarkable. v An ac
tive Parent-Teachers association
is functioning admirably, and the
spirit of cooperation originating
here permeate the entire .com
munity. The school house is o-
First National Bank, r Below, Two Views of Brown-Petzel Lumber Company.
ten the scene of - community
have been well attended and very
popular. So- highly is the Stay-
toiF cho6I regarded, that - stu
dents from 'outside districts fornt
a large part of the student body.
The connections' with the famines
of these students," thus formed,
are particularly valuable tothe
merchants , and. business men of
the town;. - 1
Tne! popular interest In reli
gion fotfnd in Stnjrton. is an In
dex ' to the wholesome atmos
phere ot the. place. The Baptist,
Catholic. Christian and Methodist
churches are represented in. Stay
ton, all of them having large
memberships 1 and owning - their
own . meeting places. -
r
-. Fraternal Orders Many
, Fraternal orders form another
- - a a 1 i a ".
:r'
O-der of Foresters, Masons and barter t wat. taken-. out under the
Odi Fellows have active organi- national banking system and one
rations here. The Masons andf,nder tne state banking system.j
OdlFellows own buildings of . Flr8V National bank now
Ibeir own ; In which-- meeting 1
rooms are : maintained, and tbe
Foresters are interested in 1 a
building, now under 'the .course
oti construction, the upper floor
of which will be owned .by . and
doyoted to i.the purposes of that
lodge. The usual woman's aux
iliaries are, of course, active in
connection with their respective
lodges, y !
: Community Club Power for .
; v;J ' Growth: ' .
JA Community Club has recent
ly ' been organized in Stayton.
which has ; for its purpose -the
general betterment of all condi
tions . in Stayton. civic and social
as well as commercial and econ
omic. It Is . planned - to , draw
the membership of this organiza
tion from persons in all pursuits,
including those farming in and
around Stayton,. In order that the
organization may worjc for the
good of the whole community
and Its well rounded develop
ment."!'; .
A motion picture ' theater is
operated -In Stayton aad frequent
dances are conducted. These
dances are largely in the nature
of community affairs, being 'at
tended by person from all walks
of. life who likej that form of
recreation.;- ;
Opportunities for Recreation
" ". .' . UnlimUed . " :- ' '
v Another condition , that makes
Stayton livable town, is the
opportunity for Outdoor recrea
tion. The ton is almost within
walking distance of tbe Cascade
mountains,. with all the number
less opportunities for summer
camping, hunting and ; fish'ng.
Trout, fishing can be found with
in ten minutes walk,, pheasant
and grouse hunting as well. In
short all of the wonders of . the
Oregon outdoors can here be en
joyed, with the added advantage
ot having them, literally, at your
door. A long, tedious drive is
unnecessary for the sportsman
to find opportunities to play, he
lives in the midst ot them.
Usually among the most active
in helping to Jnakc a town a de-
rlrable one" ihwhich to.'llTe, "are j
tbe merchants!, business and pro-'
f.ssiohaI men of the place, of
, whom," hitherto In this article.
tre have said nothing.' In order
that we may not leave the im
pression that these persons are
unimportant to Stayton, .let us
say right here, that this class of
men is distinctly alive and active
!u this town, j J
Roster of BuRfhfl Houses !
Perhaps the most Important
; stavton'. non-fndutr!ai (a
! rather Inaccurate term, meaning
h-f .,.n. M..imr -j- .ta.
aiuaiij i uviug t . . . 1 x .. . . ( i r
!sl goods) . institutions is Us banR.mort"ar3- . . v .
This bank was formed a few -One store building to cost
years ago by the merger of the Ftboi't $10,000 Is now under con
two banks that had formerly f truction, and an apartment
done business in Stayton. A
' ness and the First State . and i
1 T : 4 I.tbe development of the wonder-
snvings department. Both are natarfl! resouW8 of this fa
ander one roof and one manage- litt valley. But. of
is unexcelled. The combined re
sources are $548,267.16 and the
combined deposits -. amount to
slightly more than . $482,610.18,
The First National bank v is a
member of the Federal Reserve
system.' This dual institution
has been and a tremendous
factor in the development of tbe
territory tributary to the coun
try, ft has bees active In almost
every undertaking of importance
in this vicinity' in recent years.
It is, of course, impossible ' to
describe In detail each of the' var
ious mercantile ' enterprises of
Stayton or each ot the other bus
inesses and professions. Tbe fol
lowing groupings will serve to
convey a general idea of Stay
ton's offerings In this respect:
There are four ,' general stores
in Stayton, -one new one having
been . recently established. - An
other new store handling grocer
ies and " hardware has also "re
cently entered this -field. - An
other store handles hardware and
furniture, and another handles
hardware .exclusively,', . Stayton
has two drug stores, a meat mar
ket, a men' . furnishings 'store,
an electric store; an ; electrically
operated bakery, a hotel furnish
'ng both rooms and dining room
reryice, two confectionery . and
lunch establishments, and "two
t.co! halls. ' 11 Other professions
and businesses are represented
in Stayton by " two doctors.' two
lawyers, two jewelry and watch
makers, one of whom -carries
a complete stock o Jewelry
?nd all'ed merchandise, k' vet
erinarian, an undertaker, two
barkers, two garages, a
tery shop, a variety store and
two real estate brokers.-
The ownership - and manage
ment ot some of the most suc
cessful of the above mentioned
cstablishmenets are asfollows: ;
A. jP. Speer and Co., Doll's
Cash Store and Geh ten Bros.,
conduct general -stbres, C.JA,
Beauchamp "and V. Dare Sjoper
a re toth pharmacists . and each
conducts a drug store. Sestalt
Lros.j operate the meat market;
C. E. Kramer.' the bakery; J. F.
Mielke, a hardware store; . Fisher
and Son conduct the men's- fur
nishings, store: - - Frank Lesley
jcv.ns end ' operates the Stayton
hotel; E. . A. Harnton and J. H.
illendershott each operates a con
feet onery and lunch room; E. T.
Matthieu and E. S. Pleser each
ondu-t s. tobacco shop and pqol
Jnd W. A. Weddle, an unr
tertaker, maintains a modern
house is belne built which wil-
c t-about $2.000. v ... ; , ,
Future Development Assured
The above data on business."
jrrtnf!trIal an4 80Ciar conditions
jwlll serve to give a general idea
cf what has" been done toward
reader who is looking for a. place
n which to build r a business and
make a' home', is the opportunity
for- future - development. We
might dismiss this subject by
simply " referring the reader to
the discussion t-above of the ' na-
itaral resources to be found here.
and 'pointing out that 'under
those . eondltfons opportunity i
unlimited." " However," speciric
facts are even - more Imprssive
p.rid perhaps " more enlightening
to the reader. . . .
Undoubtedly, in the opinion of
persons who are familiar with
conditions in .this valley, the cul
tivation of . berries. . small fruits
and nuts presents the greatest
field for lucrative Investment In
this locality. The land Is parti
cularly -adapted - to the growing
t f these r crops. . Th's fact ?s ' at
tested by the "remarkable success
that : has been 'met by, -persons
who have alreadyingaged In this
type f . of farming- Blackberries
are . Trticu!arly ; recommended
for planting here, for the reason
that this- is -.the home of wild
blackberries and . - they conse
quently produce v marvelous crops
under , cultivation; U Last season
alone, the Stayton Cannery paid
over $15,000 for - blackberries
that were picked from - vines
which, grew. wild. This Indicates
tbe immense opportunity for
gain from the systematic grow
ing "of this fruit. The" black
berry is recommended for the
reason that it yields heavily, is
cot : hard to cultivate, - and al
ways has a ready market at a
good price, - Other berry crops
that are not now extensively
.-rawn. hut which are considered
good: In this locality are red
raspbererles. currants and goose
berries. Loganberries, of course,
have " done exceptionally . well
here, but future plantings in
large quntltles are not advised
because of the tear that tbe sup
ply will exceed the demand.
. With any of these crops it is
not uncommon .to receive ;$100
n acre orer and above expenses,
ifter 'the vines have -come iato
fu'l : . bearing." If we " use" th.
cemmon method cf figuring and
assume that land should be val-
d so that its annual . produc-
-alue. land producing at this rate
rotld , be worth $1000 aft acre.
Cleared land suitable for berry
growing can be had from$80 to
1 50 an acre. It can be readi'y
een 'that an Investment in thl?
industry will pay enormous div -dends.
' .
Fortunes in Nuts f
Another crop that has recently
f tm V rf
Progressive farmers, is the nut
top. Bath walnuts and filberts
'TO'v excentlonally well In thla
locality. Walnuts are the slower
crop, are subject to some fail
ures, and require a little more
ntentlon than do the f erts,
v?a'nts. n"vnheless, .will pro
cure easily a ttn to the acre al
ter the- me into bearing. Fig
ured at twentyfive cents a.pouni,
this would amount; to a gross
yield of $300 an acre. These fig-
4 ures are, we believe, very con
servatives Of course, e,lght years
have to be allowed for the trees
to come Into bearing, but during
this, time, berries can be easily
cultivated between the trees,
with no damage to the walnuts
and the berries will more than
J care for the walnuts until a bear.
trig stage is reached.
'Filberts Ari Money Makerst
Filberts have' been attracting
increasing attention tor tha rea
son that . they are apparently the
"lacy man's crop," and that they
yield enormous returns. So far
as Is now, knows: there Is no til-
Isease or insect that attacks the
filbert; so spraying Is unnecess
ary. Frost does-not bother them
tor they bloom In December and
January. They are not perisha
ble, so-ihe picking need not be
rushed. ; 'And it is claimed that
90 per cent of the nuts drop tree
of their husks in early October.
So all. that, remains to be done
is to--pick them from tbe ground
and sack them. They bear tour
years, after planting, In fact som?
nuts are received the second
year. For . the first four years
after," planting, berries . may be
cultivated between1 the rows ana
the crop from these will easily
jtake care of the cultivation and
care pt the trees until they reach
bearing age. 7 They have been
known to produce as high as
$2000 to the acre, and It is
claimed that $1000 to the acre
Is not exceptional in old trees
that, "are well taken care of on
fertile soil. This 1 a cbmpara
tlvelv new cro fn the state, put
tbe figures presented bv tbe pio
neers In the : industry are
astounding. Undoubtedly tie
(Continued ca rc-j-S)