Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887, February 04, 1881, Special Edition, Image 13

Willamette farmer., February 04, 1881, Special Edition, Image 13

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Newspaper Page TextWitUtf&Wft FAiuiriiii ?6ittlANp, ouikiorf,' iVm)AftV i. IbM. From the Vi'lllimr tie Farmer of Dee. SI, 1830. WASHINGTON TERRITORY. SKETCH OF THE COUNTIES BOR. DERING ON THE OCEAN AND ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER. An Immcnio Amount of Excellent ' Land Waiting for Sot tlomenti THE COAST WOIOV Of WAHIIINOTOit TXRRI TOUV. While wo liavo always supposed tho time would conio when tlio regions along tho coMt of Oregon nml Washington, mid tlio wooded valleys that nro found' on the tower Columbia, would ho valuable and liavo tHue settlements, wo wcro in a measure ignorant of tlio facllitlra they really oner for settlement and tlio actual lay of thu country. Wo have been surprised at times to find tlio subscription of our paper working ita way into far-ofT no'ki that w used to dtum inaccessible to man tossy noth ing of ncwiia)cri. It goes to porta along tlu Straits of Fucn, to Victoria to enterprising 0- farmers uhnsuttlo in valley ou Pugct Sound and on the rtreiims that run from the Olympic rniiL'O into thu Oki-an, on tho grand Chehalia rivtr tlmt put- into Gray' harbor, and to Shoal water ha v, and to many places wo knew nothing o as having an agricultural popula tion when thu r'Alumi was jouug in jaurual Istic years And lately, when wn went on a prospecting tour down tlio Columbia, to gath er facts concerning Oats p county, nuil ulso tho niimties nortli of tho Columbia river iu Washington Territory, wo liecama strongly impressed hat the time U fust coming when population will neck these laud tliat are ao near market, where piolucts Liar a good priro now, mid will for all time, and therefore will to well I) iy for occupancy nud repay the expense of .clearing for cultivation.. Of course', in tho short' time we liavo given to this subject wu have Itccu only a' lo to gen eralixi), and yet tho information gained aston ishes us w itli thu extent of uvailablu lauds along tho co .at and tho rivers that put into It that invito settlement, Where we liavo supposed I hat regions were inouutaiuoua and inaccessible tlioro is in fact, iu many ius aucea,. a success! -is of valleys and uplands, sometimes with pralriu roaches nmlopcniii , but oftener with inu maplo lot turns and wooded uplands, that possess every reuUite of fertility and beauty of lucati n, as w ell us jierfectiou of cli. niatu, but require to bo cleared for cultivation at more or lo s expouso. Already a steady increase of settlement has commenced, and when tho facts aro plainly known that a qiau with moderato means can soon make a pro ductive farm thcrei such immigration will in crease, Tia rallroail er, J upon us, and though tho present dt criiitiiatiou of construc tion is to seek Kastern connection aud devel one tlio treeless plains of Kastern Oregon and Washington, two years more will leo that ro suit. very etTcctiiallv accomplished, aud theu the inergy aud enterprise that is working such a revolution in thu Wil uinctte valley, Puget Sound and ( Kait of tlie Cucode moon talus iu all directions, will tutu to the coast counties, and wu s1 all see loads constructed in many directions to connect tho Willametto and other valleys with tho coast; branch roads will be eioutually run to every part of the long coast line that can be male productive, ran no copntv. On the steamer Dixie Thompson, on the way down to Astoria,we met an old friend, Mr, J, D. Holman,who as far b'ckaliM7 took up his claiat 'on the shores of the hay and ocean, north of the Columbia river, thinking it would possess commercial imp rtauco in tint future. From him, as well as from other sources,' we gtinfd considerable information concerning Pacifio county, which the map shows is the southwest land in Washington Territory, On the coast about twenty-five miles altove tho mouth of the Columbia river is the entrance to Shod water bay, and a glance at the map shows that t reaches almost to Baker's bay insido tho Columbia bar The construction of a canal to make the couueciiou complete, is contemplated, and the clearing out of a slough enables boats to trausport freight so that three miles of easy laud carriage is alt that is re quired to eflect transportation betwoeu Ilwaco, on the Columbia, at Biker's Uay, and any place on Shoelwater lay. The eventual con struction of throe utiles of canal will be an im provement on preaeut facilities. All the re gion, for two hundred miles up, the coast, lias it natural trade outlet at the mouth of tho Columbia, and Mr. Uolmau and others have been already looking out the route for a rail road to connect Ilwaco with dray's Harbor, the bay that opens from the ocean not far above Sboalwater bay, which our engraver forgot to name, withOlyinpiaon Pugettouud. and with the great valley of the Chehalia and ita tributaries, which empty into Gravis har bor. OnShoalwatar Uy f OyttirnU, tsvs MAP'OF WESTERN WASHINGTON TERRITORY. VvANCDUVER J I I c L A L LLA M V I WT 1 a I i, . V MT.T0WNll V 1 I 1 . -A BHi ; ( vJ ILxsLEJF E R S 0 N JOJV X - " i5( ctlk WcHEHAtlS Vt.N ,V",TC'1, VST V umiioy VV " -y MFACIFiD nnwtA.-? BVKTtll (s) f 'h. CMtllALl .l" r-s-- IVj -AW(i0LCOU,.U want. (ffjQSat W gKUMICQWUlUI - JoLATSDP & V 3AR!lE I J ' vCOLUMBWjL'- i 1 ' J MWILIM-W I 7 ICMOOtla '-is countv seat and Riverside. Brucerjnt. Center' villo and Willopab am on the bay where streams enter into it, while Ilwaco is on the waters of the Columbia, with a prospect of be ing the Columbia river entrepot for I'uget Sound anil the North Coast com. try when rail roads devslope that county and thero is enough country naturally centering thero to materially advantage ilwaco, and also to aiM Keatly to the fnturo Importance of Astoria, icillc county has over thirteen hundred pop ulation. Along the coat south of the entianco n a samiy peninsula aoom xu nines lonir, aim from one to three tulles wide, on the n rtli point of which is locatod Oystrrville. This peninsula' has rich soil, Is settled up by thrifty larmers who have stock of all kinds at well as grow good crops. Sheep do well hero. The soil is rich sandy loam. There is a wasto of mud flats in the luy at low ti le, and until quit recently oysters were planted and gr.iwn here for 8an Francisco and Oregon markets, but tho trade has declined since Kastern (Chrvpcake Iiay) oysters have been brought across the coutinent, because the expense of transportation prevents a orofit, though years ago great fortunes were nude, eveu though one-third the cargoes shipped spoiled on tlio way. The business is certain to revive and liecome again important, when transportation facilities improve. Several streams put into the bay on winch aie vail ys that are popula ted. Mr. Holm tn Informs us that the branches of i he Willopah otlur inanv good locations for' settlement. The II n. KIhooI Kvant" says: "The lower Wi lopah is bordered with tide lands subject to overflow the uplands are adapted to grazing. The river is a mile wide at its mouth. The tido extends to tho rapids. 17 miles above its mouth. I'roiries skiit it at intervals; the bottom lands are rich, deep soil covered with vine maple and alder, extending SO miles above the rapids, with average width of ten miles." The advantage of this region induced Portland speculators to inane invest ments In lauds in Pacific county, many years ago, before the bom stead taw passou, but there are many good locations to be had yet. All through this region are openings and prai rie reaches, as well as wooded bottoms am! Lcuch lands. The tido sets up the streams for ten to twenty miles and the tide I uida form valuable grating ground for cattle These lands are exceedingly rich and can be of Uu reclaimed at small expense. The first earners have of oasmsj Uk up tb mat ftvailabU lo calities, and yet the are oDcn for settlement is practically unlimited and a great portion if the country hot never been iully prospected. This whole region will have especial advan tage from nearness to market, especially Pa cific county. Mr. Holman says that people who settled in the dryer and colder climate easf of the mountains come down here and lo catu homesteads or buy out rccupanta and ex press themselves as much better stifiel also persons who liavo suffered from drouth in Cal ifornia find their way up here and are delight ed with tho country and climate. IUaco has a safe anchorage, good harbor facilities, is the natural outlet of the North Coast country! has several stores and a hotel, besides which tlio vicinity is becoming the fa vorito Summer resort of tho fashionable, as alwJt, of the Weary and rest-seeking people of tin) whole country. Deep sea vessels frequent ly come down to this point with a part of car- Lgo on board and the remainder is lightered down from Portland and taken aboard at Bi kers Iiay, in preference sometimes to As torif. Fruin the table of lands furnished from the Vancouver District I-sjid Oflice, it appears that only about half the lands in Pacific coun ty have ever been surveyed, and a littte over one fourth of the surveyed lauds are still sub ject to entry. It is probable that much of the good land In this oiinty still remains un tur ej ed. It is also probablo that much land was located bv speculators at an early day and is not settlod upou. CIU1U1.H (XIUMTT. This comity lies north of Pacifio county and is destined to become one of the most impor tant districts of Western Oregon that is, from the sttnd point of sgriculture and pro duction. Its population is estimated at 804. Cray's Harbor occupies fifteen miles frontage on the ocean, and the valley of the Chehalia, that empties into it, constitutes the fiuest body if agricultural land in Western Washington. it rises in uewi cuumy, circles norm sum west to i ray's Ifirbor. has many tributaries ai.d offers tho greatu t inducement for settle ment, nome writer claims that to Washing ton Territory it lsr tie same i elation that the Willamette valley doe to Oreaoa Of course it has not the extent of open country found in tlioWillamette, but for soil, cUinaU, J produotiosM Mtd evary valuable quality, it cannot be excelled on tho Pacific Cons', 'U n Streams putting into tho Chehalis nml C ' Harbor from tie north nro Iliiinl tuli . J kium, Satsop, etc., and oiler plenty olri for settlement. What wo linvo s-nlil nf Pit Hi county, as to tido lauds nml irciui it ril ,iii tages applies to Chchnlia county, 'II. v, o Chehalia county can, nudilouhttr s wi.' b tributary to tho Columbia liver eountn win railroad development conies to its relief. '1. aaiIablo lands of that river and thu valley n.' it tributaries must reach a million ncies in extent. When tho willametto war fettled first, people unreasoningly, often, took up tho low prairies as their (list preferencf, whilu some went into the hills thinking they would do to raise stock. Timo ban developed thai the Waldo hills and red hilS gemully, of thu great valley, and tho higher prairiu lai.di, nro the best lands. So with tho const ligion, v u may ejpect to sen tho bench lauds nuiiino greater importances as tho country duvelopcj. Uplands offer, of course, thu most lie nltfiful location,! W shall not attempt any elaWato ilocrip tion of Chehalia county, for wo have not the mean at hand to do it justice, nor the room for it if we had, though wo hoposomo timo to give this fine section of country thu justicu it deserves. It seems remoto nt pun lit, nml ii so. Its product hao no convenuiit nmlat, butwhon the magician's wnml is wnwdnnd tho railroads of tho near futuic nro ci.iisti ac ted, it will asstimo primo iiiiMitaii(e. Wo have already a good circulation through tlicie and realize that it represents a good lomitry as well as a thriving community. The county seat of Chchalis county is M n tesano, and the chief towns aro llnkiiim, Sat sop, Klma, Sharon, Cedaivillo, Onkille, nml other' thriving towns nro on thu wnteis of thu Upper Chchalis, but not in this county. Clio halts Point is at tho south of tho ocean in trance to Gray's Harbor, In his iuterentii u descriptiou of this country, Hon. Ill mod Evan assert that tho Chchalis nlley nrin in breadth from IS to fiO m les; that from tho mouth of tho Satsop through to ll(rH Cniinl, closed In by the Black Hill nml Co.ut rnrge, there is a good open country 1 1 or ITi iiiiIuh wide, arid that pralrio to the extent of r.ll.OCl) acres, adapted for grazing, lies northuuril of Gray a Harb' r. When lately' travelling doun tho Columbia, we met with Lieut. Jones, U, H. A. Quartet- UUUtor at Kort nanliv. At tin, nnrlli f.tiliiii, ., I of the river, who had been stationed sumo tlmeat yulnalt Indian reservation, noith of Gray's Harbor, aud hail hunted and linhed over much of this county. He assuted us that it had many beautiful prairies roaches, and thu Indians bad told him of moro than hu h iw, He described the country ns contniiiiug nriid and reliable agricultural rexourees, Uitli in tho way of stock raising and nctivo ngiiculture. Kvcfy fact that wo possess corrolHimtei thu beh'cf that the Chchalis valley is thoino.t val uable agricultural portion of Wist tii Wash- iligiou. Tho enterprising pecplu lute rooted, are trying to work out their own salvation. They navo a small steamer almost constructed and aa the Chehalis is na igable for quito n distance, the initiation of a camboat nnvijni tion will be' an important event in their his tory. We find the following concerning this coun ty in a pamphlet Published by tho N. P, It, It. Co. I "Area '.',800 square miles, about ono third of which is liottom laud, soil clay loam and sand, producing 40 bushels of wheat, 80 el oats, SO to 40 of barley, and largo crops ot vegetable. Prairies aro good pasturngu and yield good crops. Uplands rough and timber ed. Dairying and fanning chief occupations, and the county is noted for quantity aiidiiual- liy oi iu Duller I no yiciu in cereals aiovo yen is prooauiy oxccpnonai. no nanny neve that tins as an average yield. l-HOIIUtTH AND IIUOUI1CKM. Away from the immnliate effects of tho sen all the coast region will produce wheat and probably somo varieties would ripen on tho coast. The valleys and bunch laud mo not only adapted to grain but especially to fruit, and can reidily be made available for pastur age. The rich bottoms will produce vegeta ble of all kinds iu greatest profusion. This region will produce whatever will grow in tho the Willamette valley, and of counio will not successful y grow com, peaches or grains. Mr, Holman, of Ilwaco, assures us tliat tlm farmers on the peninsula, south of Oystirville, have well cultiiati-d farms and excellent im provements. Mr. Loomls, who lives here, cut aud baled four tons of hay from ouu atro of laud. He raises oats, barley, cgc table and ?;rss, ha fine stock and carries on extensive arming, as do others, but wheat doc not ripen hero to a certainty From the nine, good authority we learn that the buil around Sboalwater hay allords a good grazing as the world knows, (Iras there subject (u sea influence aud humid climate. I green and growing the year round. Baker, Hutton and oilier stockmen live h'-ro and have hands of cattle, and somo sheep aro kept, especially on the peninsula. Sheep nro also kept on aud about tho Chehalis river and Gray's Harbor country. Stock men liavo a good thing of it, as the range is not nearly oc cupied. J hey cut Iiay from tide lauds, or rat timothy meadows, to have feed iu case W ssntrgsttcy, Imtsaldojn require tlftvdit, oe! ''' JVi. j .