Tillamook headlight., August 03, 1899, Image 24

■SNM
«
SPECIAL EDITION OF THE TILLAMOOK
TILLAMOOK CITY
boundary of said city of Tillamook westward to and including Dry Stocking bar.”
The powers of the commission are: Full control, so far as the state can give
it over Hoquarton slough; to raise funds by levying a tax not exceeding 2 mills
on the taxable property w’ithin the corporate jurisdiction: to collect wharfage
and tonnage dues not exceeding 10 cents per ton; to appoint a superintendent, and
to appoint a port warden to take charge of shipping and collecting wharfage
and tonnage dues.
A Progressive, Enterprising, Wide Awake Town Right
Up to Date
Tillamook City is a live, progressive, wide awake town of some 1500
inhabitants, with enterprising business men, who are not only keen competitors,
but who take a lively interest in the progress of the city, both as to its general
appearance and its local government. An illustration of this can lie seen in the
substitution of old store buildings by new and commodious structures, which
have been erected the past two years, with other improvements to follow.
Tillamook City is pleasantly situated, is the county seat, and the city of most
importance in the whole of Tillamook county. It is destined to become an
important shipping and trading point, for it is at the bead of navigation on
Hoquarton Slough, au arm of Tillamook Bay, where coasting steamers ply
between Astoria and the city. Nearly all the freight for the county comes in that
way and is discharged at the wharves, right in the heart of the city. Appropria­
tions were made by the government to improve Hoquarton Slough and Tillamook
Bay, it having been decided by the government engineers to cut through the bends
of the slough and make a straight channel. When this is done, larger coasting
5 steamers and schooners will be able to reach Tillamook city and compete for the
trade that is assuming larger proportions every year.
Progress of Tillamook City SI mcc
Commerce of the Bay.
The transportation business has lieen conducted into Tillamook bay in two
classes of boats, steam schooners carrying lumber to San Francisco, and small
coasting vessels drawing about eight or nine feet. The tonnage to and from
Tillamook Citv is estimated at 200 tons per month. In 1885 it did not exceed
more than+50 tons in 12 months. Lumber shipments from Tillamook City last
year amounted to about 2,000,000 feet. Added to this is a comparatively small
amouut of general freight to the lower bay points.
The Port of Tillamook Commission was created at the last session of the legis-
ture. Mayor B. L. Eddy nominated as members of the commission William Olsen,
P. W. Todd, Frank Wheeler, D. T. Edmunds, F R. Beals, Claude Thayer, A. J.
Cohn, P. McIntosh and H. Aiderman, all of which nominations were confirmed by
the city council. On March 1, 1898, the commission met and organized. Afier
several meetings the commission elected William Olsen president, A. J. Cohn vice-
president, Claude Thayer secretary, and C. & E. Thayer treasurer. Joseph Lah-
mon was appointed port warden.
The low rate of assessment fixed by the law precludes any present hope of
really important work being undertaken by the commission.
The utmost that
the commissioncau ex|>ect to do is to gather information which may lie of assist,
ance to the government engineers to supplement their work, to effect some im­
provement upon Dry Stocking bar and to straighten Hoquarton slough at its
worst points. The commission will also deem itself at liberty to collate and
supply to the Oregon delegation and to the United States engineer's office such
information as may be required in order to procure the improvement of Tillamook
bar and bay generally.
The main objection urged against the expenditure of public money upon Tilla­
mook bar has been that the commerce of Tillamook City is not sufficient to justify
the inauguration of so expensive a project, und that any vessel which could come
up to Tillamook City could cross the bar with impunity. The commission
will be compelled to accept as well founded both these objections.
But Tillamook City and its commerce are very small considerations in this
question. The present commerce of Tillamook bay is equally as unimportant.
The decisive factor to be considered is not a at all the commerce, as it is, but
what it will be when the opportunity is offered for expansion. This view of the
matter it will lie the duty of the commission to urge, coupled with the si atements
of the amount of timlier that will lie at once available for foreign shipment.
One thing is certain. The difficulty encountered by navagition companies in
crossing Tillamook bar audsteamingup Hoquarton slough was detrimental to the
dairying and lumber industry and the growth and prosperity of Tillamook county,
for this is the only means of transportation whereby the products can lie shipjied
to market. Hence the citizens of Tillamook county and city have demanded with
much success that the difficulties lie removed, and look to the Port of Tillamook
Commission to see that this is satisfactorily and practically carried out.
i 88 x .
In 1881 the population of Tillamook City consisted of 40 to 50 persons, among
? them James Quick, George W. Blackwell, Jacob Graham, B. F. Hutchins, now all
dead, and George W. Fernside. William Olsen, M. H. Larsen, John Day, William D.
Stillwell. Eli Goodspeed and H. Goodspeed all of them, except Mr. Fernside, being
still residents of Tillamook City.
/
!
I
J
'
•
>
There was no court-house and probably not over ten buildings. The school­
house cost about #200.
The city has now 1500 inhabitants with seven stores handling general lines of
groceries, dry good, hardware, clothing, etc., with a capital invested of something
like $50,000, with numerous other stores, a list of which will be found below.
Surrounding and adjacent to Tillamook City lie Hoquarton, South and
Burnt prairies, and a good many thousand acres of rich bottom lands. The
prairies are skirted with a range of foothills suitable for the growth of fine,
productive orchards. The whole arable portion of the county is framed by nature
almost exclusively for the industry of dairying and stockraising, and in these pur-
suits the agricultural population is devoting itself with that singleness of purpose
which invariable conduces to success in every vocation, and with the introduction
of creameries and cheese factories in the city limits and those in close proximity
in recent years, the dairying industry has assumed large proportions.
The public buildings consist of a court-house costing about $5000 and a
public school costing $4-000, an opera-house, city hall and a good fire department.
The Methodists have their own church, so also have the Christians, the Adventists
and the Catholics. The United Brethren have a church building under way, and
the Presbyterians will erect in a few months a $3000 church building. St. Alphon-
sus Academy, conducted by the Sisters, is a good institution, with a large building.
Water is brought into the city from the mountains through a five-mile main
‘ and supplied with sufficient head to throw it from a two-inch nozzle over a three
j story building There is a well-organized fire department The city is lighted by
j a system of both arc and incandescent lights. It has graveled streets and
sidewalks, and is not in debt. It has a telephone system, local and long distance.
)
>
>
|
.
There is one saw mill within the city limits and another on the outskirts.
Two creameries within the city and several within a short distance from it. A
cannery is also within the city.
The city officials are: Mayor, B. L. Eddy; president of the council, Dr. C. E.
! Hawke; Councilmen, L. Hiner, L. Olsen and A. J. Cohn; recorder, W. H. Cooper;
> city attorney, T. H. Goyue; marshal, Jos. Lahmon.
Port of Tillamook Commission.
|
>
;
j
/
/
j
The citizens of Tillamook City, in order to secure the improvement of the
channel to the city, procured the establishment of a Port Commission. The legis-
lature, at its recent session, passed the Maxwell law (house bill 159) creating the
Port of Tillamook Commission, with the same general pow ers as those vested in
the Port of Portland Commission.
Tillamook Bay is 50 miles south of the Columbia river, and has a tidal area
of 13Vfc miles, with a mean tide of 6*4 feet. The entrance channel is one of the
safest on the Pacific ocean, being direct and stable. The greater portion of the
bay is uncovered at low tide, presenting a succession of sand and mud flats,
traversed by four channels of fair depth at the entrance, but shoaling to but one or
two feet at the head of the bay. The only connection between these channels is
near the mouth of the bay. Tillamook City, the chief town on the bay «»A ***
Tillamook county, is on Hoquarton slough, and is reached by the main or
j Garibaldi channel.
Commerce Amounts to 30,000 Tons a Year.
‘
j
!
}
5
J
j
t
j
HEADLIGHT
Import«
The commerce of Tillamook bay is 25,000 tons annually,
principally consist of general merchandise, agricultural implements, flour 1 and feed.
Leading exports are luml>er, butter, eggs, cheese and salmon. Lumlier is I the chief
item of commerce. Last year’s production was about 18,000,000 feet. Tillamook
county has 20,400,000,000 feet of standing timber, enough to last, on the basis
of the cut of 1898, for over 1100 years If the bay afforded good navigation,
the lumber production would soon increase to 150,000,000 feet annually.
An eight-foot channel in Hoquarton Slough at mean low water would be an
immense benefit to shipping. Such a channel the Port of Tillamook Commission
will undertake to make. The Maxwell law creates as the Fort of Tillamook “ all
that part (of Tillamook county) included in the present corporate limits of the
City of Tillamook, and 50 feet on each bank of Hoquarton slough, from the east
Officers of the Commission.
William Olsen, who was elected president of the Port of Tillamook commission,
is an old settler, he having lieen identified with the growth of Tillamook for the
past 20 years. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 18+5, and came to the
United States in 1869, coming to Oregon in 1876. From Astoria he came to
Tillamook in 1879, and engaged in coast transportation between Tillamook and
Portland, also in general mercantile business. He built several const schooners,
one of which, the Rosie Olsen, was wrecked on the Japan coast a few years ago.
Mr. Olsen has done considerable business in Tillamook City, having now a beef
and salmon cannery, as well as his general merchandise store. He is one of
Tillamook City's old and reliable business men.
A. J. Cohn the vice-president of the commission, is one of Tillamook City's
enterprising and progresive citizens. He is a memlxr of the firm ot Cohn & Co.,
and is always on hand to help along any improvements or industrial projects in
the city and county.
Claude Thayer, the secretary of commission, first agitated the question of a
port commission, and it was through his untiring energy and jierseverence that
the matter has assumed its present shape. Mr. Thayer is the banker of this city,
and no man is more versed in the requirements of the county than he. for he
has been a prominent figure for many years helping the develop the city and
county. Being full of business, progressive and enterprising, his brother commis­
sioners thought they could find no better person to act in the capacity of secre­
I tary, and if the commission fails to accomplish what it has set out to do it
I
? will not lie for the want of making n determined effort on his part.
Proposed Railroad.
The Port of Tillamook commission, although organized with the express pur-
jiose of formulating plans to give Tillamook county and city better navigation for
ocean steamers, has a proposition now under consideration from Mr. A. B. Ham­
mond asking for a right of way 150 feet wide for a railroad and a wagon road
from Clatsop county into Tillamook, 100 feet of this right of way to lie used for
the railroad and 50feet for a wagon road. This will lie something new in Oregon,
a wagon road on the same grade as a railroad. The request of Mr. Hammond is
made in good faith, but it is somewhat premature at the present time to foretell
» the route of the railroad or how long before work upon it will lie commenced. One
thing is certain, it connot lie a great many years beforea railroad will lie built into
Tillamook, for the county has more undeveloped resources than any other county
( I
(
i
The Business Houses and Professions.
Some idea of the amount of business done in Tillamook City may lie gained by