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.
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