VOL. XI I.
PORTLAND, riSiniUAJlY 4, 1881.
NO. 1.
THE!- lMi'lJ NtiimiWEST.
DESCRIPTION OF TIIE GREAT
COLUMBIAN REGION.
Part'cula im to Climate, Soil, Pro
duC a Resource!, Statistics, racts,
nnd Incidents Concerning
Orogon and Washington.
From tlia HUitictt Itirnicr ol Dec. S, ls-o.
INTllODfCTDUV.
Wo shall attempt, in n series of articles to
Im published in tlio WimjiMKTTK Kaumni, to
write of the great region now growing up In
tho I'aeiflo Northwest, on tlio watt I of the
Columbia and it tributaries, covering nil ox.
tout of country tint will in timo Womo an
empire in its importance, mid which tlio enter
priio of leading capitalists of our ow n mul
otlivr lands is suddenly developing liy a sys
tern of internal improvements that will, within
two years from this tluiu. bring all this region
within r.illroirrnch of tlio city i f Portland,
where tliu business of tlio No th I'aeiflo ecu
trcs now, ami mutt centre through all tlio fu
ture. Thlstiiddcu inroad of enterprise i ns
tonishiug tlio iiilnml regions, that have hither
to liccn only roaming ground for herds ami
flocks, ami will open up toiultivatioiinud set
tlement fcrtilo ami ibsirnhh- agricultural dis
tricU that cannot lo surpassed on tliu faco of
tliu oai th. Our sketches will iucludo all tlio
wiilo scope of country drained by tliu Colum
bia, tlio lands of K.ist ru Oregon nml Wash
ington, tliu valleys of Western Oregon, l'ugct
Sound, the wide ami unduvclnp.il stretch of
mountain ami valleys in Southern Oregon and
tlio attractive portion of our State and Wash
ington Territory that liu along tliu coat,
tow ant tlio t'nelflo. We shalUtuduavor to do
, iuiplo justice to every seclioiiliuhr.iecil with
in ttiU wide ncopo of territory and not only
describe its )ilij .sknl appearance ami natural
resources, but fiirniih tutivtici that will .how
all (ncU of niipfarUiicu tlicitftd by the lute
census,
' truth. nr ricrios,
Wo enter upon this vmrk determined. to do
it tlio bent justice possible w ith tlio means ut
hand, and in the tamo spirit of fairness wo
.. havo always shown iu writing of Oregon and
Washington in our journal. Wo lime never
published exaggerated or too flatUiiug no
counts, believing that more is to bo gained by
truthful and moderuto statements than by
giving such a gloss to plain facts that honest
men cannot recogsizo tlieni. Wo have never
, sent a single tateincut forth iu ten years that
lias been uutruttw orthy, and w u have tlio name
conscientious determination now, when wo
conimcnco tlio publication of what wo intend
shall Im a full ruvicw of every put of these
regions for general circulation through tlio
United States. We undeituko It for tliu pur
pose of affording all thine vv ho w hh, tlio nitons
toseirffull fact coiiccinliig our North I'aulio
world bock to their friends, when thuskiitches
shall be completed and published together in
one number, which will bo within two months
time.
THE RAILROAD ERA.
There never was a time, before this, in the
history of the Pacific Northwest when our re-
gioo held out so many inducements for settle-
, , meat. We have been waiting all these years
.. for the era of improvement that has existed
Iclsewhere to overtake ua. But we havo been
'" distant and remote from the great thorough
fnrca of travel that popula'lou bin shunned
us. Disappointment nfter dlsnppointiiu nt has
thwarted our hopes; pi-ojectid rut. rjii l' lirw e
dragged slowly, so that iu great p.irt tliu Ineil
itles of transportation wo p mass aiu tho-c
that hao gradually dovulopcd with tliu coun
try. Communication with the outnido world
has chiefly been by way of Snu lYnnc'lsio, and
this region, that was bcl'cvcd to bo of feat
national importance beforo California became
an American possession, and to wluch a trans
continental tailroad was projected iu ISIO, to
bo built by means of a national subsidy, has
been the List to realize such anticipation. '1 he
w ritcr of this remembers reading iu in w spa
cers, forty years airo, of Whitney's project lor
building a railroad to Oregon, w hich was much
discussed at that time. Hut tliu years li.ive
How n, Oregon has ilu doped slow! v, railroad
communication with tlio l-i.tcin State i has
beta long coming, and is not hero Jet. Hut
wo can sea it approach! tliu work is goii-g ou
rapidly among us. Already over 600 miles of
railroad has been constructed iu Oregon nnd
Washington, ami with work urged rapidly at
each ci.il of tho long lino wo can now safely
predict that 16S:i, ut farthest, will seu through
connection by uioru than ouu railroad to the
Kast. That is all our country needs to place
it ou tliu top wnvo of prosperity, end it must
lio evident to all that thu timo to coinu nere
ami secure tho greatest benefit is before thu
way is mad easy for all coiners. These facts
will bu mudo plainer iu detail ns wo proceed,
but they need to bo loriiuiii mind f nun tho Unit.
Tliero is no portion of thu United States where
improvement nnd development now goon, any
uioru rapidly than w ith us. lEailroads are now
building iu many directions ami others are pro
jected. Tho comprehensive deiigus of men of
great sainicity ami enterprise look to the con
struction of roads to all pails of Oicgnn and
Washington within two years, so that ever)
productive region will bo within easy tiach of
uiAiket. The change1 nluyidy efkttid seem
liku magic, ami wo know that tlio woik is to
bo pushed forunul in all dlruetious. l!at rti
ctpitalisU, having visited this legion, hive
bcouiu thornughlv coiiviuceil of iti glint im
Hrtaiico ami Mist lesouieus, ami theiuisa
strife U'tweon ililfiicnt voriKiratmustiMHt'iiin
thu tleld and leap tliu gicat larvest of tin In
turu. A country that capital is ki c.ii r to
iluvelop is surely ouu where tanner c.uinllmd
to carry ou tho w ork ot production w ith safety
FROM ISViOto 1&S0.
Onowhohas for thirty years watched the
growth of the North l'acillo region; who wu,
hero when Oregon City waiHi chief business
town ami Vancouver was still thu headquar
ters of thu immciiio trade of the Hudson ' Hey
Company t who saw tho first stcimslnp eoin
iip thu Willamette from thu ocean t l'ortl iiid,
and has seen this city grow from doubts and
uncertainty that clouded its uaily days uud
claimed for other, now unknown, point the
greatness of future coinnieire, until to day it
has distanced them all ami is the column 1 1 1
centre of tho vast Columbian rogieu, iiatutidl)
compari-s tho future with tliu .nt mid u in
dots w hat another thirty years ill hoc uiptisli
for this much favorwl country. Tliu day of
uncertainty is past and the no ivity and devel
opment ot to-day indicate thrt all that human
enterprise can da will be done to uultu known
tho resources of this gieat region; to b'uhl
hero prosperous communities and give oppor
tunity and encouragement to all the iadiut. ie
that distinguish ami enrich the most favorul
portions of the Kast.
It is desirable to have a true nml unpartM
description given of thu North I'a.'itlo country,
setting forth its many rusouires; its urn es
of soil and climate; its well established pro
ducts; what can be done, as well as what has
bei n done, nnd tlio means of wenlth that are
waiting fur thu hand of libor to develop them.
It is the iHHirest jKilicy iu tho world to over
t'stiumto any country or to ovcrstato its re
Mitirccs nnd advantages ami no endeavor to in
duce emigration by (also representations. All
our conn ry rcipiiies is to lie know n on its act
ual merits. Thero is no earthly parndito that
waits for the coming of man to occupy and
enjoy a life without labor or hardships, but
there nrt yet regions to bo lilted tin that poa
K'm the charm of newnoas and oiler rich re
ward from virgin soils, nnd of nil regions that
to-day invito settlement and oiler satisfactory
rewards f r industry nml enterprise, nml are
blcMid with healthful climate, wo claim that
none can exceed and few- can equal the natural
ndv ntages that belong to tho I'acilio North
west. tiik ritA ok ur.vriorr.MiHtT.
The city of Portland, situated on tho Wil
lamette twelve miles abovo its cenfluenco
with the Columbia river, is tho commercial
metropolis of tho wido Columbian region,
reaching from liritish possessions to tho Cali
fornia line, from thu Hocky Mountains on tho
Dost to the I'aeiflo ocean ou tho West, con
taining an area which will provido great
States and immenso wealth in the near future.
Thu era of ib velopemcut that has commenced
so energetically of late must continue until' all
pr.ita of this region are thickly settled and
havo facilities for transportation fully equal to
all iiculs. Tliu past thirty years havo only
led us up to the day of great things; we have
only seen n beginning iniilv maile and from
now onward tho world is to know mora and
more of us, nnd our products will figure
largely iu the vurld'a ueeils. Tho past thirty
years have seen this region wo havo alluded
to grow from a mere handful in 1850 to a
ipiatterof a million, nnd more inhabitants In
IhsO. In ISoO it was all known as Oregon
and the census showed but 13,000 inhabitants.
There enme hero during the decado previous
to IS.V) n handful of earnest men who assert
U'l themselves against liritish assumption and
kcuuiviI this then comparatively unknown
legion as a part of our national territory. Tho
early histoiy of Oregon is rich iu roinnnco nml
he lutrintism of thu rally pioneers deserves
i ho blithest honor we can bestow.
A lTIU'l K Til UK i-iiiiun or.
Compared with thu growth of all tho other
M-called Western States, wo have made
rather slow progress. California has stood
between us and the great world and held nil
tho could from coming to us. Tho early days
saw thousands journeying across tho plains in
caravans, and many aro coining so again, but
though tho people of tho Kast felt tho
greatest interest iu Oregon and the romanco
of the eaily days of our history was repeated
ull through the West, yet tho long and tedious
travel was a hinderanco to our sutccas. To
ouio hero was to leave the old civilisation a
long ways behind; wo grow but slowly, and
have always htul to suiter from our remote-i.e-ss.
Tho grlat cost of making tho journey
.itlier witli families is all that has pruvented
tho Pacific Northwest from lieing to-day pco
pin! by millions. Under such circiimttauces
we have bail comparatively small growth, but
the best element of Ameiican citizenship has
kept steadily coming hither, bringing with
them all the good nualitieM, tho energy and
cntcipriso that mako sterling worth more
valuable. We can safely claim that Oregon
and Washington Territory to-day possess a
population that for moral worth ami all the
let qualities of citizenship are not excelled
in thu United States. The tourist who visits
lis often has occasion to express surprise at
what wo have accomplished. When Presi
dent Hayes was here he candidly owned that
in nil respectsthe country, the people, tho
towns and cities, far exceeded Ins expects,
tious; so tho distant citizen who has it in his
mind to conic hithir need not frnr for nil that
is worth having of life, comfort, culture, in
telligence nml lellnement sua long prcuulcd
him. Wo confldeutiy nssert tJint our country
fully equals in every social quality, in iuti 111
gence, ability nml general progress, nw of the
nowcr states, nnd far exceeds mint of thtin.
The Willamette valley counties w 111 comparo
favorably with tho best portions of the hast
en! and Middle States, and its long settlement
nml social organization gives it every valuable
feature of tho most permanent civilization.
Of course tho new er regions Knstof the Cas
cade mountains have to I e seen nt nil earlier
stage of dovilopcment, but theptoplo there
erect tho school houso at the begiiiiug nml
havo not left tho truo American idin behind
them. Tho class of pcoplo w ho possess the
energy and charastcr necessary to come so far,
ami who frequently sacrifice so much to coinu
hero aro not tliu ones to tit ilow n tamely w hen
thoy havo mado their location, but build up
tho community from tho beginning nml ntrivu
to mako their new homes worth ponatssitig.
Our pcoplo aro gathered from all otlur
sections and represent the cntcrpiise of those
sections. Tho vigor and Ufa of n new country
is well sustained by such emigrants. We of
tho I'acilio Northwest feel proud of our pco
plo as well as of our country, and those w ho
seek a homo with us netd not doubt that thoy
will find kind friends and good neighborhoods
when they reach here.
DirrniK.scr.s or ci.imatk.
In tho outset wo must call attention to a
fact that has never been made autUciciitly
plain to tho outsido world, which Is impressed
with tho idea that Oregon is a land of almost
constant rains, nnd many suppose that tho
same characteristics pertain to thu whola
territory of the Columbia and its tril'iitarici,
which is far from being tho truth. T' ere is a
great diversity of soil and climcto t'ltnugli
this region. Along tho coast where Iho in
fluence! of tho great Japan current is diirctly
felt, thu climate is humid, ami thu ret iidlu
cncis prevail so constantly that I' Coast
mountainsides facing the ocean nio '"in all
Summer and Winter; while nbo. i i the
range, inland betw ten the Coast mi ' i ut
uiuitlie almost iuacccssnhlor.iiirctht . m
tho Western valleys nml l'ugct So iml, m Im
1 jut tho Case-ado mountains thr u
bleaches tho imstuiiw. Along thu uxvst nml
through the l'ugct Sound coutiy and the
Willamette, Umjxua and ltoguu Itiv-er valley
Winter rains prevail, and these valleys nm
called "web-foot regions." Jtoguo ltiver val
ley, that joins California, has not so humid iv
climate. as the valleys farther North, and
probably more rain falls in l'ugct Sound than
in the valloys South.
IiIlY CXIMATKOr tiik i.nthuor.
I'ully two-thirds of tho area of Oregon ami
Washington lies Kast of tho mighty Cascade
rango. Thu Coast mountains aro low nnd
havo no snowy peaks, ami time nro several
passes through which tho ten breezes pour, or
the sea foi mil, so Out the tea influences am
strongly felt in tho Willamette valley, lis il i
they ate in the Uiuispiaand Itogueliiver val
luyt, but Kast of them all liso the Ciiuwlj
mountains, the Andes of North Aiiumu, the
continuation of the great Sierra Nevada inn 71
of California, and there are no low tumu la
these mountains through which thu v imls ol
theoccan pourtoinfluencethucliiiiateof tho in
terior, where the altitude is from two to four
thousand feet alcove tho tea lev el, and in every
respect the climate is very diflercnt from that
of the valleys across the mountains, only a
geographical degree to the Westward, Si owy
peaks of the grandest proportion and moct
sublime ascct dominate this great moiiht' iu
range and look tow arils the est for live hun
dred miles ou a region of rich valley rfl
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