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About Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1915)
THE POLE COUNTY OBSERVER,. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1915. blk County and Its Resources r L. Tooze. Jr.) i their innumerable vic- i upetition at the Pana- cxposition, satisfied over nt cuiwity fair held in Dal t year and conceited, if you r the record established at the "last State fair, when red first honors in the gen f exhibit as well a in tllie Iran's exhibit, and the sue - Mam: icturers' and Land iiow in Portland, when sec amoug fell cgunlies of the to liie frrcat prune, 'hop n eenter,' Polk county citi : i.t their home county js considerable recognition, not exactly boastful, but m in "tooting their own , a little bit. They think have earned the privilege, aim their reward, tock that brought home to bird of the prize money into the state of Oregon as competition at Sun Fran not livestock imported, or , for that special purpose, fair example of the horses, e, gats and sheep that are over this section ; merely ive: of that 'blooded live i exists here in such large at today Polk apunty just- im to being the home of f the blooded livestock in cultural and horticultural n at the Stale fair and at rodnc.tff show in Portland : out of the ordinary, and i of equal size, quality and be found on almost any Farming, stockraising and Polk county are not car r show purposes, but the ilmost any farm is ready or competition with other and horticultural sec- I and climate are here, e good crops; the grazing thout equal; the farmers raisers take an interest!, :ie ordinary, in their work, wide in results. They work the best, and work upon basis. "Failure" is a upearing in the dictionary ige farmer and sfcoekraiser nty. - , roximately 500,000 acres thin its boundaries, and i acres in cultivation, and ' llaticn of about 15,000, it ar that the greatest need lty is more people. There icres in the forest reserve es in public lands, making 1,071 acres not deeded or Area Is Not Used. e approximately ni,uu ivate ownership, and of spective tributaries are of rich, dark loam, exceedingly productive and adapted to a large variety of uses. East of Dallas the valley land is a deep, rich alluvial soil, lor ages veg etable mold has been deposited here. It. is entirely fiee from gravel, stone or hardpan, and has in some places been fanned for 50 years without fer tilization and still makes good crops. The hill lands are of reddish clay loam and suitable for fruit culture. general farming and dairying. Up to a few years ago this land was not considered ot much value, but then a venture was made in fruit, and the adaptability of the soil for fruit growing was instantly apparent. Con sequently, today hundreds of acres of land, heretofore considered or but, lit tie value, are growing great fruit. or chards pmnes, apples and pears and are valued at $400 to $600 per acre. 1 The mountainous regions in the western portion of the county are either covered with timber, or else have been burned over or logged off. These lands have not been developed to any great extent, although used in many instances as range for! stock. However, a determined effort is be ing made by the various commercial bodies of the county to create inter est in the clearing and improving of the logged-oll lands, these lands can be -purchased at prices ranging-from $2.50 to $10 per acre, and the expense of clearing and putting in cultivation is variously estimated from $30 to $100 an acre. Timber Is Important Asset. When cleared and ready for culti vation, this soil should produce large crops. Soil that will raise the giant trees that have grown there should raise almost any crop grown in this climate to an advantage. ' And speaking of the timber in Polk county, it is safe to say, without successful contradiction, that there is no place in the world that lias a body of standing timber which will excel that which grows on the moun tains ot the Coast range. Due to the large amount, of standing timber of superior quality in this county, Polk is much ot a lumber center. Large mills at Black Rock, Falls City and Dallas have been construct ed to care for the lumber output. It is said that soon a large mill will be onstrueted at Independence. These mills provide the various cities of the county with a highly beneficial pay roll. In the fruit line Polk county is no doubt most noted for its pmnes, and the county seat has justly been named "The Prune Center of Oregon. But though noted tar and wide for its prunes, this is not the only fruit which grows here to advantage and in quality not surpassed anywhere Appl. t: , .- . s i f 'Jnr . . rt n. a , POLK COUNTY COURT HOUSE s or Una uncultivated ibout 186,000 acres wnim- des which there are 2880 nporated cities and towns. are of delicious flavor und acres are improved, with j ehernes raised in the eastern poraon tion; and the peaches and Bartlett pears gathered here will compete in size, quality and flavor with any rais- it can be seen that there ed anywhere m the state. lonnt of tillable land now Of the smaller fruits, strawberries !, showing the great pos- . and loganberries take precedence over P development. ' Furtlleil'fall others. Polk county not only aar-y of the farms are of i grows the loganberry, but at Falls irea that they can well be j City Cliff Pgh is taking care of the smaller tracts. The aver-, marketing of a delicious beverage de rived from the loganberry and known far and wide as "Pugh's Loganberry Juice," a refreshment; that promises soon to compete on equal terms for popular approval with California's grape juice. No one who knows can think of Polk county without at the same time thinking of hops. Independence just ly lays claim to being the hop een ter of Oregon. "Hops" and "Inde pendence" go hand in hand; they mean the same thing; they are almost convertible terms; and up until De cember 31 of this year Independence will retain its reputation earned dur- 1 Polk county is approxi- 2 acres; there being 1557 irising 98,564 acres. age could well be cut to r an 80-acre farm in Polk fficient for all purposes of former. There are sever- acres ot the Oregon & rant lands in this county, ty possesses almost every known in the Willamette its topography is level, r and mountainous. The s adjacent to the Willam ole, Yamhill, Big Iiiwkia Luekiamtite and their re- ing the past year of being the "anti- grape juice" center ot tins section oi Oregon. Dunng. hop-picfcing time, it one should for the first time wander into Independence on a Saturday evening, he would believe that he was in a city ot 10,00U inhabitants put ting on a carnival. Season Attracts Thousands. Thousands of people from all over the state go to the big Independence hopyards each year during the har vesting period. Next to the Indepen dence district the Ballston neighbor hood comes forth with claims of be ing a hop center. The bottom lam' along the Yamhill river is adapted to hop raising, as well as to general farming, and many pounds of hops are produced each year in that- section. Hops are also raised extensively in the Airlie, Falls City and Dallas dis tricts. However, the Airlie, Ballston and Perrydale sections of Polk eoun- ty are chietly noted tor their gram crops. That dairying and stockraising are important factors in the upbuilding of Polk county cannot be denied. The daily herds of Lynn of Perrydale, Hawley of McCoy, and Domes of McCoy, are among the finest in the state. Probably no man is better known in the state as a breeder of blooded livestock than Thomas Brunk of Eola, formerly state representa tive from this county, andthe owner of some of the best blooded swine in the state. Sheep jmd wool have their place when the resources of Polk county are being considered, and Polk county sheep have carried off the coveted blue ribbons on many occa sions. Riddell & Son of Monmouth are known as breeders of a choice stock of sheep. And not to be outdone by anything in the stock line that other sections have attempted, it) remains for Albert Teal ot alls City to raise a large stock of milch goats. Poul try plays its part in the upbuilding of the county, and in making tfhe Polk cor.wity farmer independent. Honey is also produced here in large quan tities, bee-keeping being run on a scientific basis. ' Floyd E. Smith, secietary Oregon State Beekeepers' association has ariaries scattered all over the county and his product has taken the sweep stakes for two years at the State fair. However, exclusive of the hops, Polk county first drew world-wide at tention by reason of the Angora goats raised here and the mohair produced. The annual clip in Polk county amounts to approximately 1,500,000 pounds, valued at more than $425,000. Goats are shipped from here to all parts of the country and many ex ported for the purpose of building up hands in other sections. For several years Polk county has had the dis tinction of having as president of the National Mohair association a resi dent of Dallas, U. S. Grant. Game Fish Are Abundant. Polk county also offers much as a sportsman s paradise. In the spark ling streams that wind through the mountain passes the speckled beau ties abound in plenty, offering much to the man with rod and line. The forest is the home of the deer, the bear and other wild animals native of this section, and the hunter need go no farther than a few miles west of Falls City to find plenty of game. In the giain fields the Chinese pheas ant is to be found in numbers. Mountains covered with standing timber, magnificent barren peaks, lit tle valleys scattered along the way; the dancing streams, the wildness of the country, as yet untouched by human progress except as invaded by the public highway, some of which is exceptionally scenic, go to make up a picture that must appeal. For roads and streets the county and the cities in the county present as good a svstem as can be found anywhere in the state outside of Mult nomah county. The roads of Polk county are among the 'best in the state. Practically every main thor oughfare has been macadamized. Dunng the summer all the principal highways are oiled. Road improve ment has been carried on to such an extent that today automobiles may easily travel from Falls City, through Dallas, to Salem; from Dallas to Mon mouth and Independence, and fiom Independence to Salem any time in the year. And this improvement has been made gradually and without a heavy tax or bond issue. From an educational standpoint, Polk county compares favorably with the other parts of the state. First in prominence in an educational line is tine Oregon State Normal school at Monmouth. With its added equipment and other facilities for excellent work, it is drawing a large attendance of students from all parts of the nation. In Dallas, Independence, Monmouth and Falls City excellent high schools are maintained, and also graded schools. The county school system is prob ably as good as that of any county, in the state. Most of the country schools are standardized. The buildings are all up ito date. For model one-room schoolhouses, Polk county carried oil first honors in the United States. H. C. Seymour, county school su perintendent, during his administra tion, has made every effort to bring the educational advantages up to the top notch, and the success won by the schools in the industrial exhibits at the county and state fairs is the re sult of persistent endeavor upon the part of his office. Taxes are lower than in most coun ties of the state, and the county is free from bonded indebtedness. At the beginning of the fiscal year for 1916, it will face a total outstanding warrant indebtedness of about $30, 000. This indebtedness is due to the extensive road improvement carried on, and to the failure of the county to secure taxes from the Southern Pa cific Railroad company on the Oregon & California land grant lands. The taxes on these lands for the past two years and remaining unpaid amount to approximately $35,000, enough to wipe out the indebtedness. The heaviest taxpayer in the county is the railroad company, which, ac cording to statistics at hand, paid $33,498.10 for the year 1915. Next to the railroad company are the big timber companies. Though in some instances the coun ty is gerrymandered to include tim bered land in city school districts re mote from the timber taxed for it support, still this principle has not been followed to any unjust or un reasonable extent heie. Though the general county tax the next year will be practically no high er, the cities, particularly Dallas arid Independence, tace a higher tax next year than has ever been levied before. ! Instead of 7 mills as levied last 1 year, Independence will this year levy a tax of 20 mills. For the last year Independence has had the benefit of three saloon licenses, each bringing into the city $3000. Insead of a 12 mill levy as existed last year, Dallas will levy 18 mills. Falls City, which made the highest levy of any city in (he state last year of its class, amounting to 20 mills, next year will attempt to worry through on a levy of 2 mills less, or total of 18 mills. The high levies in these cities are due to extensive improvements car ried on, and the necessity of paying outstanding indebtedness. Having been cut off from the reve nue derived from saloon licenses, ex penses heretofore met by this money will now have to be raised by diiiect taxation. Little objection to these lev ies has been made by taxpayers, ex cept in Independence, where legal pro ceedings are threatened. Though the tax levies are high, if the assessed valuation of the property located in these different cities were as high ation amounts to 30 per cent of the actual value of these cities. From a standpoint of health, Polk county ranks high. All of the cities have pure1 mountain water, Dallas se cuiring its water in the mountains 12 miles west of the city. In public buildings, churches, business build ings and reMidences, this county ranks with (he best in agricultural and horticultural centers. Independence, for a city of its size, can piobably lay claim to being the location for more attractive residences than any city in the state, and Dallas is not far behind .in, its pretensions. Country homes are equal, on an aver age, to the best found anywhere. Elec tricity is furnished in all cities, and in many cases, lines have reached to the farm; and in many more cases, private electrical plants have been in stalled upon the farms. Transportation Meets Needs. In public buildings, the principal ones are the courthouse at Dallas, con structed of stone quarried a few (niles. from Dallas; the Oregon National Guard Armory in Dallas, constructed1 by the joint aid of the city, county and state ; the state buildings at Mon mouth, built for the accommodation of the Oregon State Normal school arid the publie libraries in Dallas and Independence. The Valley & Siletz Railroad com pany has constructed a line from the headwaters of the Big Luckiamute river to the junction with the South ern Pacific line near Airlie, and is at present engaged upon an extension of the line to. Independence. This rail road taps a new country, and opens up the great timber belt at the head waters of the Luckiamute. It is saidl that this line will be extended to New port in time. The Falls City Lum ber company has constructed1 a line known as the Teal Creek railroad', from Falls City into the Siletz basin, and eventually this line will join with the Valley & Siletz. From Broad mead to Willamina, through Ballston and Sheridan, the Southern Paciflo operates a branch line. With these various railroads, Polk county is well served with shipping facilities. In conclusion, it mitrlit be repeated what was said by Lew A. Cates, editor of the Polk County Observer, and compiler of the Polk county booklet used at the ranama-racific exposi tion, in his foreward to -this compila tion. Mr. Cates writes: "We firmly believe that no other place in the United States offers as many inducements to the home build er as the county of Polk, possessing, as it does, a combination of climate and soil that produces wonderful re sults. "We have seen three crops from the same land in a single season two of vetches and grain, followed by corn fat matured sufficiently for ex cellent feed. We have seen measured and weighed 18.8 tons of best quality ' of forage crops for the dairy cow per acre. We have seen strawberries lit erally cover the gronmd with their luscious fruit, which yielded the own er at the rate of $1500 per acre. We have seen a cherry tree .produce $50 worth of fruit in one season, and pears, apples, prunes and other varie ties of tree, vine and cane fruits, yielding proportionately well. We have seen the dairv herd feed- that in other places, the levy would i ing on the green meadows practically every day or tne year. We have seen the advantages of poultry-raising, Che profits from which are almost be yond belief. All of this, and more, on lands that range in price from $50 to $150 per acre. And the best part of the story of these record producers is tnat tney all believe they can do -.ill L.. II be cut considerably. Values Make Levy Light. The assessed valuation in Falls City is but $265,000, while one sawmill Jplant located there is worth that amount. the valuation in Dallas amounts to about $1,200,000. In In-, dependence it amounts to approxi mately $500,000. Consequently, though .still better.' the levies appear high, still the tax- paven does not reel the burden ot taxation excessively. It is doubtful Tne herm-Weekly Observer costs no if, taken throughout, the assessed val-'more than a weekly paper. e::xs loaned 'UBUC LIBRARY AP- S.TED BY PEOPLE. Shows Increased Attend Also Number of Books d Cards Issued. ledge that the public li ir own, for the personal ' individual, is a glowing i among Dallas people. It becoming more widely -s an educational center y persons of all ages and s steadily increasing. The mshes the following in "Xirison between the rec er, 1914, and that for . .) ; . M14 Juvenile books i t books loaned. 1002; widanee. 2871; new u wmed, 56. S Juvenile books ai t books loaned, 10!t6; A 'lance, 3597; new ear , issued, 72; new , 74; increase in books increase in attendance, ; in birrowers' cards is- ithm consists not in pack vast numbers of ill assorted facts which one may or may not find occasion to use. but in so training the mental faculties that one becomes skilled in the ability to read ily discover and make use of such ma terials as the needs of the moment require. A library should lie a distrib uting center for diese materials. That the Dallas library is such a center may be seen by looking over the cat alogs and bookshelves and obseiving the efficient work of the librarian in directing the use of the same. The children of the community are plac ing themselves in 4he line of true edu cation by learning the methods of handling reference books and making them of practical use. From the close of the high school session until the afternoon closing hour of the library. Miss Muscott is overwhelmed with ihe walk of checking out books, re ceiving those returned and directing students in the use of the reference library. An observer in the reading room at this period of the day. not ing the general atmosphere and the concentrated interest of the children in their research work, cannot but feel a deepening interest in this val uable feature of the educational sys tem of the town. The Dallas library has attracted much favorable atte-n-t;on elsewhere and has been accorded the highest commendation by visitors from other cities. Orphenm Hay Open By Exmaa. That the finishing touches can be put on in the new Orpbeum thea ter before the holidays are past is the hope of the builder, David Riley. The remaining half of the concrete floor has been laid and the walls have been plastered. There is still a great deal of work left to do, but by a little ex tra effort it will be possible to open the new show place soon. Supplying Local Demand Only. The Dallas creamery is making on ly a sufficient amount of butter at the present time to supply the local de mand, the output being practically the same as at this time last year. While during the summer season cream is more plentiful than now, Mr. Hamilton, the rreameryman, does not look for any increase over lasi summer's supply for some time to come, at least. A considerable num ber of owners of cows have recently sold their stock, he says, preferring to bend their energies in another direction. council held last week the marshal was instructed to notify the proprie tors of the stores to prevent further playing. Steps were also taken to prevail on the district attorney to stop the use of punch boards. The presence of minois in these confec tionery stores, engaging in card games and operating the punch board, led to this action on the part of the council. Parisian Ivory make useful gifts. Large assortment at Manock's Drug store. 81-lt Patent Granted on Machine. Among the letters patent granted to Oregon inventors during the month j ot Aovem her was that to .Matt lues Schoren of Dallas whose machine for cutting weeds had no duplicate or counterpart in the patent office. Card Games Must Stop. Card games in confectionery stores at Falls City are to stop by order of the city council of that city. There is no ordinance governing the matter, but st the regular meeting' of tae SHERIFF'S NOTICE OF SALE, j Notice is heieby given that by vir tue of an execution issued out of the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon, for Polk County, on the 27th day of November, 1915, and to me directed upon a judgment which was enrolled and docketed in the office of the clerk of said Court on the 23rd day of No vember, 1915, in a certain suit then pending in sail court wherein May C. Barnes wa-f plaintiff, and G. M. Douglas and W'ona M. Douglas, his wife, Ku;wo j Park Co.. a corpora tion, and J. X 'H defend ant's, a judgment was- rendered in favor of the above named plaintiff, and against the above named defend ant's, for Twelve hundred acventv one and no-100 Dollars ($1271.00) with interest thereon at the rate of 8 per cent per annum from the 22nd day of November, 1915, and the fur ther sum of One hundred twenty-five and no-100 Dollars ($125.00), with interest thereon at the rate of 8 per cent per annum from the 22nd day of November, 191i, and the further sum of Twenty-four and no-100 Dollars ($24.00), costs and disbwsemeiits and the costs of and upon this Writ ; and whereas it was further oidered and decreed by said Court that the fol lowing property should be sold by me to satisfy said execution, I will, on Friday, the 31st day of December, 191.), at the hour of One o clock p. m. of said day at the front door of the Court House at Dallas, Oregon, in Polk County, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for rash in hand on day of sale, all the right, title and inteiest and estate which said defendants have and all persons claiming under them have in or to the hereinafter described premises, and every part thereof. Said property is described as fol lows: Lot No. 8, in Block No. 12. King wood Park, Polk County. Oregon. Said sale being subject to redemption in the manner provided by law and as provided in said decree. Dated this 29th dav of November, 1915. JOHN W. ORR, Sheriff of Polk County, Oregon. POGCE ft PAGE, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Xov.29-Det28 dersigned, Oscar Hayter, has been du ly appointed by the County Court of the State of Oregon for the County of Polk, administrator of the estate or madden I lark ohaffer, deceased, and has qualified. All persons having claims against the said estate are hereby required to present them, duly verified, with the proper vouchers, within six months from the date of this' notice, to the said administrator at: his law offices in the Dallas City Batik Building, in -said County of Polk. V Dated and first publisrW(t7Novem ber 23, 1915. OSCAR HAYTER, Administrator of the estate of Thad deus Clark Shaffer, deceased. Nov.23-Dec.2l NOTICE TO CREDITOS. Notice is hereby given that the u- NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT. Notice is hereby given that the un dersigned has filed in the County ' Court of the State of Oregon, for the County of Polk, her Final Account as Executrix of the Last Will and Testament of John Ferguson, Deceas ed, and that said Court ha fixed Monday, January 3, 1916, at the hour of 10 o 'clock m. of said day as the time and theCounty Court Room in the County Court House, in Dallas, in Polk ConntyTTJf'giMi, an the plare for bearing said Final Account and all objections thereto. Dated at Dallas. Oregon. November 29. 1915. MARY FERGUSON, Executrix of the Last Will and Tes tament of Joba Ferguson, Deceased. 1 V. ! - i 1 ' i , i