THE DALLES TIMES-MOUNTAINEER.
.... .. - ' - . - - .
RESIDENCE OF V. C. BROCK. RESIDENCE OF GEO. N. CROSSFIELD.
- , : ; ;
.......... , - . - .
. i-'v ,v.e v.- ,v- t, - VU--vV
. .-. -.w-i-i - - . v -' ' -
HARVESTING SCENE IN SHERMAN COUNTY.
r
-V-.
i
t
RESIDENCE OF DR. JESSE EDGINGTON.
HA
RESIDENCE OF JOHN W. BOOTH.
VALLEY
, OREGON.
On May the 3d, 1878, Dr. C. R. Rollins, in company with
several others, came and camped where the present town
site of Grass Valley is located. The small party, after
looking over the entire country, found no place in their
judgment where so many natural advantages existed as
they did there. Not only was there a beautiful level val
ley, with an abundance of water, but also worlds of grass
for miles and miles in every direction. The Doctor located
a homestead upon the quarter section they were camped
upon and the others of the party took homesteads adjoin
ing thereto. At this time there were only forty-two white
people in what is now known as Sherman county, and dur
ing the summer and. fall several of those left. At this
time the whole country was considered fit only for grazing
purposes, but these few settlers around the now town of
Grass Valley, turned their attention to raising and growing
both cereals and vegetables, and at harvest time the out
put proved to them beyond any doubt that the soil was ad
mirably adapted to both, and from this time on the country
began to fill up and soon Grass Valley was known far and
near. Dr. Rollins then built a small store and practiced
medicine and for years was the only physician from Ante
lope on tne south to the Columbia river on the north. In
1887 the present town site was surveyed by John Fulton,
the present County Judge of Sherman county, and no town
in the county has enjoyed a more healthy growth than
Grass Valley has. Her growth has not been of the mush
room order, as she has never had anything to boom it ex
cept its beauty, its abundance of good pure cold water, and
its exceeding levelness, (it being the only town in the coun
ty, outside of along the Columbia river, that is not built
on a hill side,) and also being situated in one of the finest
wheat belts in Oregon; and also in close proximity of fine
grazing grounds, where thousands of sheep, cattle and
horses are kept the year round. Not only are the citizens
ODD FELLOWS HALL.
43
' M
I
4
fir " ' 5