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About The Oregon scout. (Union, Union County, Or.) 188?-1918 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1889)
COUNTY OREGON, 9 UNION IS SITUATED IN THE NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE STATE AND COMPRISES ABOUT NINETY TOWNSHIPS OR ABOUT 2,000,000 ACRES OF LAND. The valleys are of an averago elevation of about J,000 feet alwvt? sell level, the highest mountain pcakH being alwut 0,000 feet and continually covered with snow, which furnishes a water supply for numerous streams the year round. THE CLIMATE Ih drv nnd-healthful, there being a sufficient rainfall to preserve the moisture of the soil and mature crops". Snow seldom falls to the depth of one foot in tho valleys, and never remains longer then from two to threo weeks at a time. . . . The mean tenierature for the winter months is about 20 degrees alwve freezing point, and lor tho summer montliB alxmt 70 alwve zoro, the heat of tho day being offset by cool nights that ensure refreshing and invigorating sleep and rest for the fatigued Tho winter season usua'.ly begins about the first of December and lastB till tho middle of February or first of March, when the husbandman is given an opportunity to prepare for his springs seeding. From March 1st to July 1st, tho monotony of warm and dry wcathoris broken by frequent showers of rain furnishing suficient moisture to tho ground and tempering the atmosphere so as to assure the farmer an abundant yield. . . . During the months of July, August and September, which are tho harvesting months in this county, tho weather is usualy drv and adapted to the successful gathering of crops. Generally enough rain falls in the autumn months to moisten tho ground sufficiently to permit the farmer to preparo the samo for his fall grain. ... TT n . There is no country in tho United States more blessed by a healthful climate than Union County, as tho vigor and enterprise of is citizens will piovo. The various contagions prevalent i-i many localities are almost wholly unknown here, and arc usually very mild in their attacks w hen thev do appear. There has only been one case of Smallpox in Union County sinco its settlement, and chifls and fever are totally unknown. W o have no tornadoes or hurricanes to lay waste the country, destroy property and iho lives of people, nor blizzards to freeze the life out of humanity. Nor do we have the fogy and damp atmospuere which is found est of tho Cascade Mountains. SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. There is 1,497,500 Acres of Surveyed Land in the County; the rest is unsurvoyed, the unsur veyed iwrtion being valuable for Timber, Pasture and alouiiding in Mineral Deposits, lhe valleys of the County are Grando Hondo, Indian, North I'owdcr, Big Creek, Eagle, Pine and SUirkoy. The soil in those valleys is well adapted to the raising of Wheat, Oats, Hurley, Kye, Timothy, Clover and Alfalfa, Vegetables and Fruits, such as Apples, Plums, Pears, Peaches, Cherries, strawberries, and in fact all of tho smaller varieties grow to perleotion. u .t Tho yield of Wheat is from 25 to 50 buahols to the acre, Barloy from 40 to 70, Oats about the same as Hurley, with exceptions in some localities, when as high as 100 bu&hols of oats has been raised to tho acre. Tho Mountains aro covered with a Fine Growth of Timber, consisting of 1 ine, iamrack. Spruce, etc. Tho mpst valuable is tho Pino, which is used in tho lumbering industry, also some of tho larger species of Tamrac, but this elans of Umber is used chietly to furnish wood ties, etc., which is amply sufficient to supply tho surrounding country for aeos. .. . The mineral resources of tho County aro only partialy developed, but sufficient prosnocting and mining has been done to prove that great ledges of oro mterlino the mountain sides, which, when sufficient capital is employed in their development, will bo a groat factor in tho general summary of tW wealth of the County. A more dotailed account of the Mines and Mineral Resources of tho County will bo found further on. STOCK RAI81NU. Tho assessment roll of the county tor tho year 1898, shows that there were 21.740 head of horses, 28,12a Head of ChUIo. 55,fi5 Head of Sheep, and fi,57t) Head of Swine, showing of Itself that the County Is o great Stock liaising Heidon. Thousands of head of stock are yearly shipped, bringing to the owners theieof a neat prollt on sholr investment. In fact. Iho stock business lias lieen slid still Is tho most paying of any In the country and It bids fair to continue to bo such for many yoarH to come. The bunch grass growing upon the hills and mountains is very nutritious, Htock fattening In a very short time, ready for market. Usually stock bus to he fed liar for from one to two months during tho winter, but in manv places horses will winter upon the bunch grass and do- well. Tho climate N such that nto k raised is of a hardy and healthful charac ter, idvlng to work horses a strong constitution and powerful nnifcole. 'I'll., .iilllr nw liHifit. ntr,lltw fmriAPLl 111. nilueil liru vorv 1IUO.II.IIV inui imuilc iiu.wj uwri. dairying business In tho la't few rears has developed into a largo and pre specially adapted to tho bu-iimss by reason of the milk producing qualltl irolltablo one, tho country being es of the grasses and tiie e.v null w viiu im'iii.oo "J - - ----- - i - 1 . .. . ... . , ' - , ... rollout iniige, the large quantity of hay and g ain raised per acre, me neaiiniuiness oi animais, me largo water supply and the quick market of llutter and Cheese. Tho .Jersey, llolstine and Durham are rapidly taking nir tlio dIncooi ine common orceu oi cutuu, uuu uairjiucu o koh iuniuuouio to the breed I g of their cows. i. iu .7!,.. ,,.,.ni ..,.n'l. rniillxnil hit vitnr from n milk cow In this country than any other in the United Stn 0t, one instance being given of a single cow for one year, yielding a net prollt to the owner of 8175 bt'hi Ics the cidf ... ,, , , .., ,- , , , Two 'i i aiuerles are In oporntion at tho Cove, In this county, whkh make 120,(00 pounds of cheese, worth II i. nts per pound, and 75.W0 pounds butter, worth 25 cents per pMind. This vear a urcaiurry Is iu operation at I .a Orndo, with what surress remains to bo seen, although no douht'eun be entertained but that It will prove to be a profitable concern. ITS MINING RESOURCES. 'Flu ATlnhiir Tiln!rl.tM of tln'on Conntv aro Cornuconia. Sparta and Sanger. In the H. stern portion of the County, and embraces ji section about ten miles square, within whi aro about tiOO qurtz locations. Tho formation is granite and slate; the ledges running in a S-outhj and Northwesterly direction. The llrst locations were made hero In 18SJ. Tho quartz contains G Cornucopia District is within winch mere hearturly i-rlv direction. The llrst locations were made hero in lrM. u no quariz contains uoiu anu Silver, tho gold predominating. Some of the lodes are free milling, Hut they generally contain base metal mi In consequence wi'l have to bo treated In reduction works. Assays have Ween made ofore from tho dill-rent groups, showing an averts yield of from 25 to t 0 per ton. When tho proper meth ds are employed to work these ledges to the best advantage, Cornucopia will be considered tho .Now 'Kldorado of the West." i i .1 .11.. The Or gon Gold Mining Company, or I.ouihviiio, iy , is ine oniy company reiircsenitm hi uiu ma ttlct. It has opened up-ovoral of iu ledges, which wuiu obtained at from jJIO.t'OO Jo 52l),0OO each. Tho ItedJai ktt, belonging to this company, Is a mll defined ledge, averaging about four feet in i.i..i....uu mwl u'li.iM .friwlr mi Mm IiiwohI tiiiiiHil. was found to bo a mass of the Koldeii metal, lhls company has a ID Stamp Mill running night and day upon the ore takeu from this ledge. Seven thou sand live hundred pounds of sulpburets were secured the flrt month of this springs operations, betides immense quantities of free yold caught upon the amalgam pans. This company's expenses in buildings, machinery, roads, developments, etc., has amounted to over ?:t00 0 0. They have tho Whitman, which has ti shaft sunk over 1,K) feet and shows better as the work proKrosHos; the Alta No. 2, which is developed sufficiently lo Indicate a well detlned ledge of high grade ore. Tho present, superintendent. Professor Smith. Is hlu-lily pleased with tho prospect for his company ami predicts a second Li-advillo of Cornnenphv. Many other ledges of tho camp with 100 feet or more or development woru are snowing up wen, umuii iuru m un oiiihii mmm , - stoiif. Checkma e, Kmplre and Huckoye, all situated on tho Simmons Mountain and 'aid to lie the l est group of mines In Iho camp, Iso the IHuo Hell, Utile Casino and Monte Chrl to, situated on the fame iiinuiitulii hiuI f.stoimiitiiH of thu Simmons ledires. showing same grade and character of oro. Iho y Up northeast of Cornucopia, shows some of the richest ore of any In camp and is no doubt an extension of the lllue Hell and Simmons group. The Union. Companion. Last Chan e, Hubert 1-minet. I'prest Oueon, Hod Hov, Ma Flower, Cox and Allen, Hod Cross, tateen groupe, Stella, 1 ger Hoy. Climax and Queen of the Wcht are all sufficiently developed to show them to bo good ledges and contain paying nr In L-r, ..I . iiiiiuitlilii. Tiio Coniucoiila or Pino t'reck district Is a rich one with an unlimited amount 1 .1 I.. t .1... .1..!..... ll in (lesilliuil IU ira unu ui uiu riciirsi. of ore and only lacks capital to prove its wonderful richness. camps lu existence. The Sanger mines nr operated by a San Francisco Company, which In'gan Its cpi-ratlons two years ago. buying the ledges for 817,010 and now cleaning up on an avorauo of 70,W per month. rheo niines are on the road between Union and Cornucopia, ubout II miles east of Union, having a tn-jveeklv nail from Union on to Cornucopia, thus Doing piaceu in uirtci coiumuuicauun nuu union, muir uuu "K lhe sjinrta mines are aout. eight miles southeast of Sanger ami have been worked for the past twenty years, still yielding Isrge returns, uno oparia mines are mosu.v mare r, uuv quu iiimi wr ui ledges have latclv Wen found w hich, as fsr ns developeu Indicate good pa) lug ore. A mill Is being built here and good returns aro expected from its work. u N I O N C O U N T Y O R E G O N AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS. Now to return to the Agricultural Interests of the County, the largest, most Fertile a1 aacvo Df Union County, is tho Famous Grande Ronde. whose beauty is recoming Known mi """" by lofty mountains upon which seems to rest the blue vault aoove. "'rJf our lwautiful scenery. This valley emuraces ou.mu uv.ic Valley i surrounded 1 irnziw it rainiot ht-ln belnir enchanted bv i as line Agricultural L,and as can o louna on me raciiic ionsi. i, ii,,. nonior Tho (Jrande Honde niver enters its boundary on the West and flows hantcrjy througli tho center of the va'ley and thence Northerly and out at i Northern limits; 30x25 miles is its length and hred and with Catherine Creek, the largest tributary of the Grande Honde entering the valley at e bouu , Mill Creek entering at the Fast atid Willow Creek entering at the North, with numerous other small tributaries, make the Grande Ronde Val'ey one of the best watered valleys in Oregon, all of the aooe named streams affo-dlng abundance of water the eason round. The soil of this valley is principally a black, rich lom wiih clay subsoil, there being aout three Townships of land having a sandy soil, known as the Sand Ridge, all of which produces excellent grain. Tho yield of Wheat, Oats, Barley. Rye, Timothy, Alfalfa and Clover is large, the cereals yielding from 23 to 50 bu-hels per acre of Wheat 4C to 100 for Oats and Barley, and Hay from 2 to 8 tons per acre, frequently three crops of Alfalfa being cut In one season. PRODUCTIONS AND EXPORTS. Th producing and export of grain and hay from this valley is large and growing in quantity each year. Besides the production of grain and hay for export, a i immense quantity of fruits, including Ap ples, Plums, Prunes, I'ears and sinalle fruita, al-o garden vegetables are raised In great quantities and marketed in the neighboring sections. Butter and Cheee is also one of our staple products. Mock raising is engaged in largely and profitably; as fine stock may be seen upon the farms of Grande Ronde Valley as anywhere, stockmen and fanners always securing the best bred animals for breeding pur poses. Taxes are no higher on fine than poor stock. The lands of this valley have all been taken, but choice places can he bought at from j15 to $30 per acre, wh eh is comparatively cheap. Many large bodies of land owned by single individuals and of the best quality can be had at very reasonable rates, which could be divided into several irood farms. TIMBER. The hills and mountains are covered with timber of the best quality for lumbering purposes and easily reached. But little of the timber laud has been entered or taken up. RAILROAD FACILITIES. The O. R. & N. R. R. entering the vallev at the southern portion and following the foothills on the Southwest, passes out of tho valley on the West, traversing tho Southwestern boundary of the valley for a distance of 14 miles. The Hunt Railroad system will be extended during the next jear from Wal'a Walla, W. T., through the Blue Mouutans to Summerville, in the northern portion of the valley and will then traverse the en tire length of the vallev through its center to Union. Upon the building of this road the valley will have the best railroad facilities. Puget Sound, W. T., is the terminal point of this line, putting Portand, Or., and the rities of the Sotuid in competition for the trade of the Valley, the importance of which is evioenced by the building of this second line of road. In concluding this description of Grande Ronde Vslley, it can bo paid with out fear of contradiction, that, no better oppo-tunitv is offered anywnero in the Northwest for the home seeker er capitalists than in Grande Ronde Valley and its vicinity. The resources of the valley and its tributary sections will sustain manufacturing indust ies of nearly every kind, of which we now have but very few. It will sustain ten times the population it now has iu the farndeg and dairying i usiness. offering in this lino advantages not to be found but in very few places. The raising of thorough bred stock is a profitable business and there is hardlv an individual here solely iu that business at present. To visit Grande Honde Valley nd see It and to investigate its advantages, is to locate here. In no Instance have people, who have visited this valley givt-n it other than the best of reputation in regard to climate, soil and everything .that goes to constiMite a'good country. ' Tho Grande Ronde Valley has several considerable towns and villages: Union in the southern end of the valley, La Grande at the base of the mountains on the northwest. Summerville in the northern end of the valley, Cove about midway on the east side, and Elgin in the extreme northern part of the valley. UNION, The County Seat of Cniou County, U situated In the southern portion of tho Fertile Grande Uonde Valley, and hai the best-Natural Location for a City of any town In Eastern OreRou. Situated, just at the Iwse of rolling hills on both tililos of Catherine Creek, a beautiful, sparklhiB stream, whose waters are pure as nature ever distilled aud held suspended In her mountain reservoirs, furnishing immense waterpower Just waiting to be. utilized by the hand of man for all kinds of manufacturing industries. In fact the water power Is amply sulllcleut to make Union the lxwell of Oregon if the attention of her enterprlslug citizens were turned in that direction, which will be the case when now blood and Kasterti capitalists come lu. This Is one of the best places In oregou for the erection of mamifacturies. A woolen mill Is greatly needed now, and some energetic capitalist who Is engaged iu such busluess would find here the chosen spot for such an enterprise, right In the heart of a great wool-growing sectlou of the country. Xo high freights to pay, water-power Iu abundance, aud in fact everything that such a busluess would consume Is pro duced hero In the valley. Tho present population of Union Is about 1,200, but when the O. fc W. T. railroad reaches hero she will double her population Insldo of six mouths. Eager eyes are watching to take advantage of tho present low prices in property and procure for themselves a home where they may live lu peace aud plenty. Water works cau be put lu at very little ox peuse by running a part of Catueriue creek Into a large reservoir on the hill back of town. This will give all the fall wo waut from 150 feut up; uo expense of keeping a steam pump aud the necessary repairs. This mountain stream can be, made to run directly Into the reservoir and all tho waste cau bo utilized iu furnishing power for machinery. When once v ater w orks aro completed there will bo no need for wells, springs, etc., for uo purer drinking water can be found. Our school facilities aro unsurpassed. Wo have In our public school, a High School Grade. The school Is supplied with every possible convenience. Kveryihlng is furnished by our liberal handed citizens, who believe In giving their children a llrst-elass education and that they can bo educated iu uo better way than by having a No. 1 School at home. Tho school ut present Is divided into four compartments, all thoroughly graded. Students on completing the pre scribed course of study receive u certificate to that ellect. An addition to the pieseut school building Is lu contempla tion, aiso several hundred dollars worth of apartments Is soou to be added. , Morally and socially, Union is unexcelled aud her hospitality Is widely known throughout tho surrounding coun try. We bavo four churches, ull lu a nourishing condition. There are six secret societies, doing much good to hu manity. We have a number of stores of dlflvrcut kinds, all doing a profitable business, as they supply a great agricul tural district aud the numerous mining camps In the near vicinity. Wo are also supplied with several saloous, bar bershops, blacksmithshops, etc., one principal hotel aud several restaurants, so that the most fastidious tastes of the epleurlan can bo fully satisfied. We are also supplied with two first-class llver aud feed stables so that strangers coming to this town will have uo trouble in procuring a first-class team and taung a drive out Into the exhllleratiug atmosphere and feasting his eyes upon the graudi ur of our mountain scenery, aud breathing In the llfe-glvlag exygeu that can bo found nowhere so pure hs In Union County. To the Eastener, who Is not used to mountain scenery, wheu tlrnt beholdlngour beautiful location, his llrst and luvoluuia'y nxclamatlon is, "Paradise Found at Last." Our county Court House Is well finished iu eery particular, havlug a large and commodious hall, amply sulllcleut to accommodate any and all audiences. It also has in connection a jail built by the Pauley Pros., with all their latest lmproveed cells, thus making things secure against tho escape of any prisoners that may bo confined thureln. Our Opera House Is one of the largest this slue of Portland, with handsomely decorated curtains aud finished lu superb style. One large aud commodious Klouring Mill, full roller process, with all modern improvements, is situated adjoin ing the town. Also several saw mills in the near vicinity. The lumbering interest Is bound to become quite a fea ture lu our Industries. Taken all In all. Union is one of the best towns in Eastern Oregon. Heretofore she has been kept back on account of poor railroad facilities, but when the HuutS)stem of Kallroad Is completed Into Union, Its latent resources will bo developed and It will lake Its place among tho thriving cities of our land. We have one of tho loveliest towus iu Oregon, aud a great deal of wealth Is here already. All that Is now needed is for people to come aud tako advantage of the great inducements soon to be thrown at tho feet of every energetic mau possessing either brains or muscle. The pleasure-seeker or the invalid cau find no better place to while away the summer months. Only threo miles away cau bo found Hot K rlugs and l.akcs reveling In medical virtues aud curative powers tho famous "Kansas Hot Springs," Uheuinatlsm and such complaints disappearing as If by the baud of some magiciau. hovers of tho piscatorial art will find the licaualful sparkling waters of Catherine i reek alive with the gamy mountain and brook trout. Iu tho ...l. .1... ...I.... I.. 1.. ... . I ...l.ll ..... I.. tlw. iull.tt' il..ti.. tl... .I..... ........... lilKt t'l mi imiuuinmn miKi rsBW mJ iru ii'llliil, Mil itt in iniitj mmih mi; umuiiD ituuut; ii, ci aiusrcsv, swan and dueks iu abundance, lu the the grain field prairie chickens aro quite plentiful Taking all these natural adxautages for pleasure aud business, wo think people looklugfor a homo cau tiud no place supplying all their wauts better than the tieautiful city of Uulou. blnco tho much talked of Hunt Kallroad isun assured fact, property is beglunlsgto advance in prices, though at the prcscui time city lots auu mocks may uu uau hi very rcasouauic rates. THE UNION REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATION Now has in its possession tracts of land suitable for small farms, or they could be laid off into blocks. This asso ciation has started in on a firm basis, having within its power the means of handling property to a better advantage than any firm in Union County. They already have numerous tracts adjoining the city; farms, blocks, lots, etc., to be sold on very reasonable terms or for cash. Parties desiring information of Union county can ao no better than interview or address the manager of this a ssociation , Who will ehoorftiUy furnish thotu with ull the information desired. XJIVIOIV, OREGON,