THE DALLES TIMES-MOUNTAINEER.
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COLUMBIA PACKING COMPANY
COLUMBIA PACKING COMPANY.
A partial idea of the size of this establishment can be
, gained from the cut of their place of business, which we
present in these columns. They do both a retail and whole
sale business, being jobbers of smoked meats and pure
kettle rendereu lard, and shippers of dressed meats. Their
trade extends through Wasco, Sherman and CrooK counties,
and at times to Pendleton and Walla Walla. E. C. Phir
man is treasurer and also manager of the company, while
C. T. Bonney has charge of the Hood River branch. Both
of these gentlemen, by fair and courteous treatment, have
gained the respect and confidence of their customers.
C. C. COOPER.
A general idea of the harness establishment of C. C.
Cooper can, be gained from the cut we display of the inter
ior of it. A year and a half ago, he bought out the well
established business of Rupert & Gabel, and continues at
their old stand, across from Moody's warehouse.
His salesroom is tastily arranged, the center of the store
being supplied with counters and racks for the display of
goods, the walls with books and shelving, and the ceiling
with hooks which serve to exhibit a perfect sea of goods.
His workroom is partitioned off in the rear, and he gener
ally employs about five men, his shop foreman, being T. L.
Roberts, a mechanic of high standing. His stock is a com
plete one, consisting as it does, of saddlery hardware, bug
gy and wagon covers, collars, bridles, combs and brushes,
bits and spurs of every description, etc. His specialty is
single and double harness, particularly good heavy harness
and stock saddles, and his trade on these has extended as
far as Malheur and Lake counties.
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STORE OF C. C. COOPER
JACOBSEN BOOK & MUSIC COMPANY.
One of the oldest, and beyond a doubt the largest music
house in Eastern Oregon is that of the Jacobsen Book &
Music Company. It was established in 1889, as the firm of
E. Jacobsen & Co., and was succeeded by the present in
corporated company in 1895. From the outset it enjoyed
liberal patronage, and time only served to strengthen its
hold on public favor. They carry a large and very com
plete line of books and stationery, pianos, organs, and mus
cal instruments and merchandise of all descriptions. In or
gans they have the agency of all the leading makes, includ
ing the "Estey," "Mason & Hamlin," and others. In pianos
they control among others the "Howard," "Jewett," "Har
rington" and "Ludwig." The "Ludwig," of which we give
an illustration, is the only piano with tuning pin support,
so constructed as to be impossible to ever come in contact
with the cast steel frame of the piano, thus overcoming the
disagreeable metallic quality of tone so often noticed in
first class pianos.
Mr. E. Jacobsen, the president and manager of the firm,
has had the widest experience in the musical line, and un
der his supervision this establishment is steadily increas
ing its business.
A GREAT FRUIT BELT.
The western boundary of the country as has been stated
elsewhere, being the summit of the Cascade mountains, it
is also the limit of the excessive rainfall of Oregon, which
commences to decrease at that point, and by the time the
agricultural country is reached it is just right. Com
mencing at the Hood River valley, which terminates at the
Columbia river 20 miles west of The Dalles, the fruit belt
extends to the east along the Columbia river, and as the
mountains give place to the prairie country, follows around
the foothills to Deschutes river, covering an area some 40
miles in length and from five to 15 miles in width. In ad
dition to this is the Hood River valley, a scope of country
20 miles long and varying from three to eight miles in
width, more than three-fourths of which is good fruit
land.
It is only within the past few years that orchards have
been "planted for other purposes than to supply the home
demands, still the fruit industry has grown to be at least
the fourth industry in the county, there being some 0000
acres of orchard now in bearing. Those who first began
fruit culture as a business realized such handsome returns
that others were attracted to the industrj', and every year
sees an addition of several hundred acres to the orchards
of the county.
Prunes were the favorite with the pioneer orchardists,
but the expenses attached to marketing this fruit green has
brought it rather into disfavor with horticulturalists in this
section, and they are now devoting more attention to rais
ing winter apples. This fruit can be harvested at leisure
and sold when the markets are best, hence it is the more
desirable crop, and as the demand will always be good,
there is no likelihood of overdoing the supply. Fruits raised
in this section are recognized everywhere as being of the
very best quality. The apples are uniform in size, have
fine color and in flavor are unsurpassed. Prunes, plums
and cherries raised in Wasco county commanded higher
prices in Chicago this year than those from any other lo
cality on the Pacific Coast. Peaches and pears are also
perfect in form and flavor, while the Wasco county grapes
are superior to any raised north of California.
As a rule fruit trees are very healthy, begin bearing early
and continue yielding abundant crops until they are of very
old age. There are trees that have borne a crop every year
for 30 j ears, and show no indications of failure. There are
some diseases and insects that affect the trees in this local
ity, but they are no more common than in any other fruit
country, and are readily destroyed by a careful and sys
tematic system of spraying.
The fruit belt here described is of large area, and the soil
is divided into two distinct and widely varying classes. The
larger area is a dark brown loam, composed of decomposed
basalt, and is from ten to fifty feet in depth, the latter be
ing not uncommon at the foot of some of the slopes. This
soil holds moisture well, and grows all kinds of fruit with
out irrigation. The other is a very sandy soil along the Co
lumbia. These require fertilizers and irrigation, but are
somewhat earlier with their crops. It is susceptible of
great development, and fortunate indeed, will be the person
who in future years finds himself possessed of a fruit farm
in Wasco county.
WATER POWER.
Wasco county has unlimited water power, though as yet
it is not utilized. The Celilo rapids,that are a distance of
about twelve miles, furnish a fall of 75 feet, and terminate
three miles above The Dalles, supply a water power, if
harnessed, that would be comparatively without limit.
Deschutes river, which drains the eastern slope or the Cas
cades, and which flows through the county for a distance
of more than GO miles, is a perfect cataract, showing a fall
of over COO feet from the southern boundary of the county
to the Columbia river. For the last 15 miles of its course it
has an average fall of 20 feet to the mile, and is of suffi
cient volume to furnish 5,000 horse power for each 20 feet
fall. This river empties into the Columbia 18 miles above
The Dalles, and the power from its falls could be readily
transmitted by the use of electric wires. Hood River, a
stream rising in the glaciers of Mount Hood, falls G,000
feet in 30 miles. The last 12 miles of this river shows a
fall of 75 feet to the mile, and its volume is sufficient to
furnish 2,500 horse power to 20 feet of fall. Besides the
city water works The Dalles owns a wTater power that
is equal to 300 horse power, though at present it is not
utilized. It will thus be seeni that the water power of
Wasco county has practically no limit, and motive power
for turning the wheels of manufactories can be had sim
ply by harnessing the powers supplied by nature.
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This Souvenir
ligg 87-91 PJymouth Court