y $
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'
) -, ,..!. J--. . - - . ; i.i I - I 11 fT T. - - - - I - ' I' II - I II! Ill I III III I I I 111. I I . I - - ' '
Story of the Largest Commercial Orchard in Oregon
--" - n
'k
f
i
I
1
Nearly tea year ago, John A. Wc
terlijnd, who was then engaged in tlio
Immigration bureau ot tiio llnrrlninu
lines', flrat heeamo Interested lit tlio
Pnrljfle cetwt an a field tor his own
personal Investments nnd enterprise.
Pi lor o tlmt Unto ho hint been heav
ily Interested In Nebraska agrlciiltiir
nl Kinds, having purchased largo
holdlnga from the Union racltlc.
During tho succeeding .wars this
first (our hundred acres wna planted
to commercial varieties ot pears and
apples, nnd other fruits; nnd then
It wa founvl nocessar to ciiiiloy the
capital already secured from eastern
Investors, to purchase another simi
lar and adjoining tract pf four hun
dred acres, Rtllt n part ot tho old
Ihylor homestead, nnd to continue
here. Mr. Westerlund Is not one to
tvek the boat In which lie has taken
passage; he has iioer "been known
anywhere- a a knocker, or a mall
orMcr bucr; on tho contrary, he bo
lleves It hU ditty, its' n business
nnd a clllion. to upend hU money nt
homo,
"CVIi mi Hand"
Tho secret of his financial success,
t flBHft'T) -1 ' IM 'i'i i aTT" ' L' "JiHITF'f T n ,; , ,
A Corner of the. First Planted
whlrit ho afterwards disposed of to
settlers who became attracted to that
country through his untlrlnic efforts
to build .up its rural population.,
Mr. Westcrlund's next move, en
tering the llarrtman service in
chnrep of tho Northwestern Home
seckors' Unreau, resulted In more
than tiro thousand colonists, actual
settler)!, being qillfcd In ono jesr to
tho populations of Washington,
Idaho. ami, Oregon. It was during
thin ;?V of 15103 that ho first saw
the possibilities Of tho fruit (udustry
on tho Pacific mast. Uortona iu
xcsUgatlon only served tq confirm,
bin impressions, and he dotonnlaed
to center his activities in tho promo
tion of orchard , enterprises, ills
first location was In tho White Sal
mon district, wiierw . Ux planted n
coIohj1 kao,wn as "rrultljowo Tract"
and, a(lernard accused na option ou
ntract of ItaVej. hnuUreJ acres in the
Hood, ttlxsr alley Peforc oaclud
Inc'lhis Jast tiamed purchase, how
ever, Siulhcrn I'acltic officials per
suaded him to first Investigate the
claims of Southern Oregon, and as a
ronseucnc tho Hood Itiver option
was never taken up. and tho Kosiie
Ither valley wcurcd ono who Is to
day ono of Its must loyal and publtc
Kplrllod cltlzous. "Ho came, ho saw,
and ho was conquered." in other
words, two of the leading members ot
tlio old gusrd, John I). Olwell and
JessQ Enyart. met him at the dopot
"a straiiKor, and they took him In '
Into the ranks of the Boosters
club, from which he has never slnco
been able to release himself.
ltu)N it Tract
Deforfl leaving this valley, on his
first visit, ho secured his first tract
of four hundred acres, part of the
hU(oilc old Taylor donation land
claim, located on tho southern slopes
of Itpxy Ann. With this tract there
pasjed Into Mr, Westcrlund's pos
session, as u trust that ho preserves
and has Jealously guarded, tho liv
ing monument of pne of this valley's
old and honored pioneers, familiarly
known as "Old Man Talor's Pine."
This uoblo tree, deserted now by all
lis fellows, stands like a faithful
seutluol over the hallowed memories
of early struggles and heroic prjva
tlons, surrounded by the new-planted
generations of a modern commercial
orchard. "Hoys, lot tho old tree
Htaiul us long as It will, to bo my
mouuntoiit," Old Man Taylor's fre
quent Injunction to his stalwart sons,
preserves this relic of old days to be
tho prido ot tho Monitor orchard.
"That tree shall stand," said Mr.
Wcstcrlund, In speuVlng to tho writ
er of Its history, "as long as Naturo
upaies it. Whoever purchases tho
tract which contains It, must first
agreo to keep tho old Taylor Pine
sacred from tho axe."
Plan Kitrceviful
'Huturnlug tfust from tin first pnr
fhasb, Mr. Wosterlund went to Chi
cago, iiiul thoro formuluted tho plans
which havn since been most success
fully followed for financing this en
terprise, and building up what Is
now Ihu largest commercial orchard
un'thu coast; still n young orchard,
but undoubtedly dosttnud to become
a groat producing pioporty, w'liothcr
operated as a whole, as at present,
or under separate ownerships, lu
urimller trade.
''Iteturuliig hero with funds at his
command, Mr. Westerlund ut onco
bet about tho preliminary work of
clem lug away the chapparal and
bcrub oak, traces of which remain to
(his day lu certain favored tiooks and
ceruwrH and on knolls hero and there,
reserved for building' sites in tho
futuie, when tho tlnuV shall bo ripe
for subdividing tho gioat truct Into
swalfer holdings," wltlfreHldpiit own-orH.
Apple Trvoi on Monitor Orchard
planting until nearly all ot this tract, nni the consequent success ot his
also stood covered with a joung and horlkultu'-al enterprlxo, lies lu his
premising orchard These two tracts t faithful adherence to one principle. In tho session ot 1911, ho swrvod as
-.1-.. . ..II - .-I . .... .!-.. 1 ... .!. ,
stands Until), fluiturlitlb bound, with
tho hluhwt bunking and murcnutllo
orodtt, 'with no oncnuibriiucu on It.
and no floating debt to harass Its
iiianiiKeiiioiit.
Said tho ii'ittuiuer: "Wo have
spunt our litouuy on tho orchard; that
Is what Ih was brought hero for, and
wo have (junrdud ovory penny of ev
pondlturo as carofully as wo ceuld:
thoro has boon no, 'overhead ox
penso'. that could lu any way b'e
avoided. Wo Inivo hoeer alwa.ts
omploved compntfut help to look af
ter the various dopurtmouts of our
titisliuwj. and tho bt legal tiilont
iiroourable luisalwajs Ihwii consulted
nt oxery stop, to MfvRURrd our on
irnrlso. lAAinluu titles and protect
I tt o 'iitortts of our Inxustom and
it uds. In addition, wo have hud
lii'robt8d with ox. step lo step, tho
oit horticultural And IiuhIuom o
lioiU'w In Medford, Wo have taken
I i cbnncos. and hate umde no fool
'il oprlmnt 'UmsIums first
hat boen our watohword all alonir
liu- inly craftltle tlir.t lint lien doin'
on these orchnrds Is what lias beer
'tlouo on tho trees."
Klettod to Offlio
' That .Mr.Westerluud's substantial
character as a ottUou and a nuxtnosH
ran hai. not gouo without flttlur.
' recognition from his fellow towns
l men and other cltUous of Jackson
icountv, t evldoncod by the fact of
I' his being twice clmi-en to ropreseiit
'hem In tho lower house ot the state
legislature. During his first term.
an elements In tho logUlitluto lu re
peal the Inltlitllvo law passed b) thu
people ut tho provloim election, clos
ing the ItoRtio rlr to eouiiuorclnl
flshliiK: tho Hume Intotonts mustoied
n Hiifflelonl U'liroseiitittlou ot uto.is
bauklsut aud modern commercial
n in ft In the legislative ranks to pass
tholr upon I oxer tho heads of the j future of Med lord; and UeltiK man
neoplo's reiirt'seutailxi's. tuhnnu who likes to keep all of hit i'RKU lu
with tholr buck to tin wall tloxei- one basket slnco coining here ho lias
nor Wwit's xeto hoxxctv inclnl tip dtspo "d of prnttU'itUy nil of his (or-
the flahl made In tlio tit miiu with n r Mirm holdniK'i in Niljinka Imlds,
s stern lehuke to ihog,- who sought and has luvostcd thu lirocci'u In Iwo
leu' iiiuido, with thivdugiou (it A,, It
lit KM'I. Ills sibKcituout busluoss
DxpQiletii't'M led u that oonnecllou
with tho Union Pacific and llnrrl
man lutetosts whlolt lias, alremly been
mentioned us leading up to his locu
tion In Medfoid, where lio turn ttjiice
ri'Sldetl. lie Is a flfin bijlloxer lu the
uimlnni Intnliu'sn HtriirturcH on '.S'tirtli
Kir strt't't. the liaiidiionio now llotol
Unllaiid building and tlio north half
of tho Miill-Trlliuno building adjoin
ing, both or xxliluli stnioure, liu sllll
owns, lie Is it member of tho Illi
nois meloty and uf tlio llulvorMlly
club. It goes without saying that ho
Is also u leadliiK inotitber of llfo Com
menial tiiib. of which ho Is a illrou
tor, and that ho stands lit Urn front
rank of thu Hooker for Mudford and
the Itogiie rlxer xnlley.
j . .
constttuto what ts today kuown as
the Monitor Orchard, the whole ot
Mr. Westcrlund's plantings on the
cast foothills being commonly known
as tho Westcrlund orchards.
Ituys More
Sffu'another slice of tho Taylor
rancw passed into Mr Westcrlund s
4
John .. Woitct limit mill
expressed '
.some of HU lllg iXpp
The .Monitor nnd l.lnnea orchards
are situated on the cast foothills.
possession in 190S, this time three
hundred and sexenty-fixo acres In ex
tent, west from tho Monitor tracts,
thrco hundred acres of this last pur
chase being now sot out In u splen
did growing orchufd, which has been
named, In honor of the great Swed
ish botanist, the Llonnca orchard.
Since lliOS, other Investments In
adjoining traets have brought the
total holdings up to some three thou
best expressed In his own reference , chtlrmntt of tho horticultural coin-
to -Mi cash lu hand and iron of debt I mltteo. and ho li today mentloned'a I to uxerrldo tho people s
policy. ' To start right, with a ft poMlblo candidate for tho speaker-) xxlll. anil to emasculate tho Inltlatlxc
clear title to the land to place no ship In the coming session In his 'und referendum, because of this fight
mortgage on It for Improvements or ' fl-st term h Justified tlio conft- nnd this veto, the lloguo river ro
othcrwlse, to build the orchnrd no ,onr- riven him b xeoiuan work f r nin ns todnj ctosed to mouopo'y. aud
faster than; funds could ho pledged tt-e Hoguo river valid' and the hor l'n P tho people Anx attempt to
forlheoutlfe gnwln,; period orocaru Hcullural Inf rests ucucrally in pro- roYcrso this posltl n of affairs at,thc about two and one-half inllos from
. l M.,.ir.,r.l li.lnlii.. III., in. I, nt lllllnriMl
I .... 11,1, ... J.'.I.IUM ' "'"'" ...i.
on bard, already world-fniuous. uud
n put I'd to bo tho flmt priidiiclng
romiuiMlal on hard oxer pluutiil In
Mill i-xiiiMuie. planting, and all oth
er I'.eiieial iioidltlous, the Monitor
and l.luiifii nrilmrds ruuiparo fuxor
ablx with tho olhr. and thoro seems
to lie no reaiHiu for doubtluc thu be
ll' f of tho prnwnt iiMiiera of the
lounger platitatloiiH that the), will
In llmo diiilliatt. tan wi'll-kunwu
fame anil the (iimmordnl siucoh nl
read) uiblexoil by their older neigh
bor Tlio soli for tho most part Is tho
fMiumi. 'black stick)' tho soli Hint
iievi wi iim nut. huh is Uto son
on wliirb nur Kouiilue old-tlmor nl
waxs lianked to proiluro a crop, with
out Irrigation mid without nrtllli'liit
fertlltsatlou. i'itr lu and your out-
aud the hlMnry of ngtlriiltiiro lu this
vallo KhonH tual jour old-timer was
ui'Xor dlxappolutotl.
This soil Ilea twiint) lu thlrt) foot
deep, on uverngo, over prnelli'till) the
i ntlro truct. Ho abundant Is thu sub
Irrigation from the slopes of lloxy
tut. and perfsrt Is tho roteutloli
of on Iniuro by tho blink stick), Hint
tftiT moutliH of iiiiluterriipti'd miiii
xhlii''. with never it cloud aoross thu
sky. a more scratching of tho stir
fare brings to view a molatiiro-ladcii
of Uoli that run be rolled Into it "iiiud
to I ball" between tho finger. Tho fro-
(Ut)iit. thorough and itiroful cultiva
tion that Is liMtowed uu thoso acres
conserve this priceless soil quality.
The Monitor and Linnca Orchards
TitiiiMill'JMhiii MiiiihTlliiTir--"-- lu ' -A" -t. .'V"o. . TT:xfV-t ". V 's BBKl 'H)7a3HP
iJWBMHffJMiiiiiii "' nil - T mSm 1
I 'TflfttMpJBBBBBiBBBn3BMHBM "T,?MrBBI
fBHHraBffiln9snKHilflHE
IHnHilLBBCflDiHB9sBBB0RI9snHHBsHKl-
IBBSPJ3BMaBffsrlBHlCTK2BBy55ir . jHVH
vich r
(cnt-ral
I.lniiea Oriiinnl Slioitin lounger t.riiii-s of fruit Tr iv,
ahead for each jnd every ncre plant
ed, as planted this was thu original
plan of this otiterprlse, and It has
remained Its guiding principle
throughout. Mr. Wosterlund hat
sought to get for his enterprise &
dollar's worth of value for every dol
lar expended for labor and supplies,
and to slvo his Eastern Investors
x'alue over their Iniestment for every
"ling the state experimental sta romlng mhsIoii In tii nt'-rcst
lion, now located m-ar latent, and In ;auj jirlxale mouonol). Is dostluod
iiushlng the bill eHtubllshhiK.u stand
nrd slbil fruit box. aud ProftMhor
O'tlara's bill to prevent vthe sale of
mlsbranded spraIug maturlal. Mr.
Wosterlund Introduced thesu nienn-
urcs in tho houe, uud slnjeil with
moot with tho mine ijliniilued oppu-
sltluu from Juekktiii county's senior
representative.
Horn lu lllliinli
Mr. Wusturliiml was burn at Orion.
Henry county, Illinois, where his bo)
. dollar entrusted to his raro As n ' ttioncli nuavallliial
., i .--t.
anu acres; a ery consumable part , rosult of this policy, the enterprise against the attempt of the reacMou
ot the latest purchases havo also been i
r ' - . . L 1 ' J-M M !'
f x .JSMbMl.'. it. ..' ,kA t r ifc "
"Vi" -.' "'"1 .j-,.-l
-HI L.
tha fla lit for them until they bueuine hood was spuiifou his father's farm,
laws He alr fought hard ixen until he outervd itetbauy College ut
at tho linn Liudsborg, Kansas, white ho spent
s x ars. graduating trout the class
and make It full) itvallablo for tho
grow lug xutinK trees, as thulr flour
UhliiK condition amply tostlftes,
i,lllll Mi'r. Itlght
Nntiim m'oiiis to haxo arranged
Hid laud lu mi Idisil way In faxiir
the plmitlug of an unbard on thesu
slopes. Tho r.ruit. lounded "liilgos"
mid lulorxiwlug "draws" lie like tlio
spioud-out (Inguhi of a human hand
Pointing miuwiinl iIoimi the uioiiii
tulusldo. Tho natural result ot this
formation, iiiiipled with Hid high ole
xiitlou of Ihu iiitlre tract. Is a con
tinuous ilri'iiluttoii of uu upward cur
rent of warm air. whlib guaranteen
thu front-proof loudltloiis Jimtly
ulnliued for thoso orchards. And
more than Unit. Hit temiHirattiro In
the sprlim, In blossoming time, Is al
ways from six to eight degrees warm
er tlinii In tbe valley Im'Iiiw. Htrnw-
lint lies ilpeu lu thu plot nhovii thu
suporluteudi'iit's Ijimioo at least ten
day ulii'iitl uf any nlhers lu tho val
ley; and fur ou Hit upper end of tho
iHsl-'ilaiitvd in rut. Just under Hut
north I In of tho property, overlook
ing oxvty otlnr fruli tree planted In
thu lloguo itlvor Viitiy. thorn Is a
trnet of two lures of uprlcols, whosn
fruit has no piM'r lu point of stie,
flavor, quality or color, produced nt
an elevation of JUKI feet above sen
litxol lll)il llllln hundred feet aboxn
tho city of Medford. No part of tho
orchards Is Ions than four hundred
fetit aboro thu town. These apricots
won the gotd medal at the Hcaltfc
Imposition, lu tin )ear when tho
Itiver Valley took tint (Irani! Hwcnp.
stakes Prlao at Spokane on a car-lot
exhibit of apples.
Kinds and Variety of Fruit Planted
sot out in orchard, so that today
the planted acres run well over tho
thousand mark.
Thu development ot such un en
terprise has been no small task, In
deed, either from tho financial point
of xlew, or that of tho horticulturist.
Suffice It to say for tho latter, at
present, that tho Westcrlund tracts
will bear comparison today with any
similar plantings In tho valloy, aud
that fruit already produosd has taken
first or second prize, aud sometimes
both, at all of tho leading national
apple shows, durlun tho last four
jeurs.
Ilujs Kupplic Hero
It is au easier task, comparatively
speaking, to raise a thousand or more
acres of orchard, than It is to ralto
a huff million and moro of dollars to
put into tho first named pioposltlpu,
Mr. Westerluud has douu both, and
(lis enterprise stands today, as it has
Stood from tho very beginning, built
and paid for, with novor a mortgage
on it, and never a bill for supplies
furnished or douo without tho mouoy
pu hand to meet tho obligation. It
Is worthy of, mention hero that prac
tically every dollar of this Investment
has been spout in Jackson county,
and most of it In Medford. Kvory
tree bet out has been purchased from
resident nurserypioii, and Medford
murchauts have profited from prac
tically every purchase of supplies.
Savon or olght families have always
lived ou the tract, and fi'om twenty
to forty men have boon employed.
whoso wages were wrcxs.trll) spent
i i ' ' ' ,
Tf 3 i.
"6"f
To write a detnllsd .doscrlpllon of
the various plantings throughout n
tract of this size would require fur
more space than wi haxo at our com
mand. A brief nntli o must suffice,
and for mi) ftitthur and moro par
ticular report we eau only quote the
manuger's own werds: "Wo dou t
want any Inturustnd person, rltlzou
of Medford or any ollior, to take (ho
miiiiagurH word for tho merits of
thoso trt'os. Wo want tliuin to tomv
out huiii uud see for themsulvos.
Whenever wo sell a part of this trnet
wo ahull want tno buor to sou xvbat
ho Is getting first, uud buy urtor
wards. No uoro-heads for ours. A
buyer well pluasud Is tt friend well
iukIii, mid wo want that sort of
filuudshlps (o mow nut "r "r '""'''
iiow IninmigloiiH."
Tlio cut 'published with this m li
ttle, shotljig "A turner of tho flist
planted applu treeH lu tlio Monitor
orchard," .loiiatliiuiH by tho wa),
lends point (o thuso words. Cer
taluly thoro uro no flunr looking
ties for thulr ugo uii)whuio olso lu
any coiiimeiebil oiiiianl; uud tho lat
er pliiutlugu nil glvo promlHo of tho
sumo gooi ruHiilta, 'Vho iimiuu;o
inunt'it oxpuiioiico Iiiih Hhown thai at
this olovaHou u longer (lino, from
two to lht;eo jours, la roqulrud to
bring a commercial apple or pear
tico to the first beaiiug stage, but
that this delay lu moro than roiupeu
sated by tho greater solidity or
growth ajtalned. As for longevity
ami friilt,fuliuss, tho old "family or
chard," iilunted by tho Tuylors njul,
other foiinor owums, glvg ump.lo us
sill unco us t,o thuso iiulllles. u ono
of thorn Is it flftj-oiie-ycnr-dld pour
tree which Iihk a reeiiit record of
flfty-foui buihi's of flue fruit; and
Included In thulr later plantings, now
a part of the Monitor orchard, nro
eighteen Newtown I'lppliiH which
huxii produced as high as ninety
throe bovos of the finest roimuerclul
fiull, which Mild hero for 1 83.00 or
nearly two dolluts pr box. TJiu
smallor frnltx. cherries and penrhes,
plum mid pruiion, haxo ulreudy
shown K,o.od promlso of becoming
prollfle hoitrois; wo havo elHoxxliurd
nollitd the romarkahlo record mado
by npiicots at (ho !ili;liot eeva(lou
on tho 1 1 uct.
(iii'iiy )in(il li ho
After hjuvlUK tho iiuilii oiitrnnco
gate, near thu lllllurest orchard, thu
drive Into the Wostorluud urchin tin
loads flist tluougli "(Miurry l.ane,"
thu loiigust ohvrD-llued uxuiiuo in
thu touiitry, and the prldu of (ho
munagor's oye. Tho )oiiug and
thrlfO-looklug trims atund uu either
sldu ot thu good auto road, for u
iiillo uud it half Into tho heart ot Ihu
orchmd, thuro tho mad turns south
eastward, and while tho cherry iowh
keep straight ou thinugli thu planta
tion, tholr pluco along thu road In
taken, fiom tun tut it to tho Hiiporlu
tonileut'H heudqiiuitei's, by serried
ranks of walnuts uud chestnuts. It
requires little effort of (ho Imagina
tion to picture tho future beauty ot
this dilvo, when, ut no illstuut date,
l'o shado of thuKo uoblo trees shall
bo flung iiciohh tho loudway, with
their hrauchoH Intermingling from
sldu to side, lit one long, luoI, giuuu
vaulted' ennopy oveihead. Wo pro-
((,'onl Inii.l un I'ugo Seven,)
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