USA > Oregon > Marion County > Salem > Oregon and its institutions; comprising a full history of the Willamette University, the first established on the Pacific Coast > Part 4
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In Washington Territory, across the river, north and east from the Dalles, the country is, if possible, still more interesting and valuable than the one we have just considered. Thousands and tens of thousands of acres of lands of the richest pasturage, and of good arable qualities, are to be found lying along the eastern base of the Cascade Mountains, and extend- ing hundreds of miles to the line which separates Washington Territory from Idaho. In this region is the valley of the Klikitat, the Yakima, and Simcoe, the latter being the locality of the Yakima Indian reservation, which is under the agency of the Rev. James H. Wilbur. This portion of Washington Ter- ritory is capable of sustaining an immense popula- tion, and when the Indian title to the land shall be extinguished, which doubtless must be the case in the order of events in a very short time, these beau- tiful and fertile valleys, and these verdant and grassy
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hills, will become the theater of all the activities and the institutions belonging to civilization and Christianity.
The Yakima Valley of this region is very peculiar. The river rises in the Cascade Range, and runs east- wardly, nearly parallel with, and in an opposite direc- tion from the Columbia, but finally works its way around into that river. Portions of this valley are fertile and beautiful, but it is now included in the Indian Reservation.
As it is not the purpose we have in view to trace the Columbia River through Idaho and British America to its source in the Rocky Mountains, or to give a description of the valleys watered by its numerous tributaries before entering Washington Territory and Oregon, we shall here close our sketch of this great artery of the western slope by giving a short history of the circumstances by which this great river received its name.
Up to the year 1788, only eighty years ago, it was not known by any civilized nation that the great Columbia had an existence on the face of the globe. The citizens of the United States appear to have taken no part in the discoveries on the northwest coast, and in the trade opened by such discoveries, previously to the year 1788. At that time a com- pany of merchants from Boston sent two ships around Cape Horn, commanded respectively by Captain Robert Gray and Captain John Kendrick. The names of these vessels were the Columbia and Washington. These were the first American ships
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that visited the northwest coast. Both these vessels continued on the coast until the month of August, 1789, when it was determined between them that Captain Gray should take the command of the Co- lumbia and proceed to China and the United States with all the furs which had been collected, and Hen- drick should remain on the coast in the Washington. Gray accomplished this voyage in safety, and on the twenty-seventh day of September, 1790, again left Boston in the same ship for the Pacific, and some time in May, 1791, made land a little to the north of Cape Mendocino, near the forty-first degree of north latitude. While proceeding to the northward from this point Captain Gray discovered an opening in the shore of considerable width, in latitude forty- six degrees and sixteen minutes, from which issued a strong current which prevented his entrance. He continued off this opening for nine days, with an in- tention, if possible, to enter it ; but from the strength of the current, and the appearance of the breakers across the opening, he was unable at this time to accomplish his object. Though convinced that he had discovered the mouth of a great river, without waiting longer for an opportunity to enter it he pro- ceeded to the north, and in June arrived at Nootka Sound. From this point Gray continned his course north, and after making some important discoveries in the vicinity of Queen Charlotte's Island, returned to Clyoquot, near Nootka, where he continued during the winter. In the spring of 1792 the discoveries on the coast of Oregon were prosecuted both by the
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English and Americans. In the middle of April Captain Vancouver, an Englishman, arrived on the coast with two ships at his command, and commenc- ing at Cape Mendocino, explored the whole extent of coast as he proceeded to the north, and passed the opening which Gray attempted to enter in latitude forty-six degrees sixteen minutes, without considering it as being worthy of his particular attention on account of the forbidding aspect which it presented. In his progress northward he says in his journal that " the coast was so minutely examined that the surf was constantly seen to break on its shores from the mast-head," and yet that he "saw no appearance of an opening in its shores which presented any certain prospect of affording shelter." On his way up the coast Vancouver fell in with the ship Columbia, Captain Gray, who had just left his wintering place at Clyoquot. In their interview Gray in- formed Vancouver that, the previous summer, he had been off the mouth of a river in latitude forty-six de- grees ten minutes where the outset was so strong as to prevent his entering for nine days. In referring to this, Vancouver says that "this was probably the opening passed by us on the forenoon of the twenty- seventh, and was apparently inaccessible, not from the current, but from the breakers that extend across it." From this it appears that the English captain did not yet believe that such a river as was repre- sented by Gray had any existence. Under this im- pression he proceeded on to the north, while Gray, to assure himself of the reality of his discovery of a
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great river, resolved, if it were possible, to enter it with his ship. While proceeding southward from Clyoquot he entered a harbor which he named after one of his principal owners, Bulfinch, now called with more propriety Gray's Harbor.
Passing on, he arrived on the eleventh of May, 1792, opposite the bay which, by a former English- man by the name of Captain John Meares, who visited the coast early in 1788, was called Decep- tion Bay, immediately south of Cape Hancock, and in latitude forty-six degrees ten minutes north. Though the breakers presented a formidable obstacle before them, and they did not know but that they were rushing to inevitable destruction, yet Captain Gray and his gallant comrades dashed bravely on, and discovering a narrow passage through the breakers, passed them in safety, and, as Gray had anticipated, found themselves in a large river of fresh water, up which they proceeded the distance of twenty miles. The natives, in their finely constructed canoes, flocked around the strangers, and manifested the utmost surprise at what they saw and heard. A traffic was opened with them, in which furs were re- ceived from the Indians in exchange for coarse goods; and after having continued in the river for eight days, making repairs, trading with the Indians, exploring the river, and taking observations of the surrounding country, Captain Gray again passed the breakers at the entrance, and put to sea through the dangerous and intricate channel, prepared to an- nounce to the world the most important discovery
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that was ever made on the northwest coast. Before taking his departure Captain Gray bestowed the name of his vessel upon the majestic river which he had discovered, calling it the Columbia, a name which, in honor of the generous captain who bestowed it, and the gallant ship that first anchored in its waters, it should forever retain. It has been asserted by one very popular writer* that the existence of this river was long known before Gray or Vancouver visited it. Doubtless, it was known to the Indian tribes that roamed upon its banks. But if any white man ever saw it, he was not permitted to survive to tell of his discovery. From a thorough investigation of the whole question, it most clearly appears that Captain Robert Gray, of Boston, is entitled to the credit of being the original discoverer of this great river of the western slope; a river which, when viewed as the only convenient or practicable channel to and from one of the most extensive and fertile valleys on the American Continent, will bear com- parison, in the natural advantages which it affords, with almost any river in the world.
* Washington Irving.
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CHAPTER V.
THE COUNTIES OF OREGON.
THE state of Oregon is divided into twenty-two coun- ties, and in describing them separately we will com- mence at the northwest corner of the state and pre- sent them in their regular order, so as to give a more distinct idea of their precise locality.
CLATSOP COUNTY.
This county is bounded north by the Columbia River, east by Columbia County, south by the county of Tilamook, and west by the Pacific Ocean. The topography of this county is wonderfully variegated. Within its limits are embraced the beautiful Clatsop Plains, already noticed in the general description of the country. This county is mainly covered with a heavy growth of fir, spruce, cedar, and hemlock tim- ber, offering magnificent opportunities for lumbering purposes, though but little in that line is now done. The soil is of a good quality on the low lands, and, though some of the mountains are rocky and precip- itous, yet generally the soil is good on the mountain sides, and even to the very tops of the mountains. We can only arrive at an approximation toward the
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precise area of the county, as its exact limits are not fully defined. It is not far from two thousand square miles.
The population is increasing, and taking the last census as the basis, it does not vary far from eight hundred. The number of voters at the last election was one hundred and seventy-nine. Acres of land under cultivation, seven hundred and sixty ; value of assessable property in the county, two hundred and eighty thousand dollars. Astoria is the seat of justice. This town derived its name from the late John Jacob Astor, who established a trading post here as early as 1811. The town is beautifully and pleasantly lo- cated on the left or south bank of the Columbia River, ten miles above its mouth. It is ninety miles northwest from Portland, and by the way of the Wil- lamette and Columbia Rivers it is one hundred and forty miles from Salem, the capital of the state. The town occupies a very salubrious and healthy locality, and at present it wears all the appearance of grow- ing prosperity. The custom-house is located at this place, besides which the public buildings are a ma- sonic hall, and a church. A public school is in suc- cessful operation, and the population generally are highly intelligent and refined. Astoria and Clatsop Plains, on the other side of Youngs' Bay, are becom- ing a frequent, as they are a very pleasant, resort for the people from the interior, especially during the warm part of the season. The fresh breezes from the bosom of the great Pacific are pleasant and exhilarating.
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TILAMOOK COUNTY.
This county is bounded on the north by Clatsop, east by Washington, Yamhill, and Polk counties, south by Benton, and west by the Pacific Ocean. The gen- eral character of this county may be described by the terms rough and mountainous. It is large in extent, embracing not less than two thousand five hundred square miles. Its western limits are washed by the waters of the Pacific, and there are a number of points of interest along its coast. Tilamook Valley, on a river of the same name, is a beautiful and fertile valley, and opens to the ocean by the way of Tila- mook Bay. The valley contains most of the popula- tion of the county at the present, though many other portions are susceptible of settlement. Tilamook Bay affords for the county a port of entry, and con- stitutes a safe harbor for small vessels.
The population of the county amounts to about three hundred persons. Lincoln is the county seat.
BENTON COUNTY.
This county is bounded on the north by Polk County and Tilamook, on the east by the Willa- mette River, which separates it from Linn County, on the south by Lane County, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. This county contains an area of about one thousand seven hundred square miles. It is one of the most beautiful, fertile, and picturesque counties in Oregon. It embraces a very romantic
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section of the Coast Range of mountains; and near the center of this section, and rising above every other elevation for many miles around, stands the graceful form of Mary's Peak. The eastern portion of the county, lying on the Willamette River, is an extended prairie plain ; the western, extending to the Pacific Ocean, is mountainous. The plains are rich and beautiful, and much of the land in the mount- ains is naturally very fertile, but covered with tim- ber. The population of the county by the last census was three thousand and seventy-four. Number of voters at the last election, seven hundred and twenty- six. Assessable property, one million two hundred and ninety-three thousand and forty-seven dollars. Corvallis, a name signifying the center of the valley, is the county seat.
The public buildings are a court-house, a college, owned and conducted by the Methodist Church, South, and three churches, a Presbyterian, a Catho- lic, and a Methodist Episcopal. Here is published, by W. B. Carter, Esq., a sprightly and valuable news- paper called The Gazette. Corvallis is beautifully situated, just below the confluence of Mary's River with the Willamette River, and on the west bank of the latter stream. It forms the center of business for a splendid agricultural country, and is really among the flourishing towns of the state. The other points of special interest in the county are Monroe and the Belknap Settlement in the southern, Liberty and King's Valley in the central portion of the county, and Yaquina, Pioneer City, and Oysterville on Ya-
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quina Bay. Benton County has received a wonderful impetus from the construction of a good wagon road, which has been recently opened from Corvallis to Yaquina Bay. This road has tended greatly to pro- mote the advancement of Benton County in popula- tion, wealth, and importance.
LANE COUNTY.
This county is situated in the central part of the state, and is bounded north by Benton and Marion Counties, east by the Cascade Range of mountains, south by Douglas County, and west by the Pacific Ocean. It is about one hundred miles long from east to west, and thirty-five broad, containing three thousand five hundred square miles. The county is unsurpassed by any in the magnificence of its scenery, and it comprises one of the finest agricultural portions of the state. The population of the county by the last census is five thousand five hundred and twenty- seven. Number of voters in the last election, one thousand three hundred and eighteen ; acres of land under cultivation, thirty thousand six hundred and eighty-three, about one seventieth part of the land em- braced within the limits of the county. True, much of the unoccupied, uncultivated land is hilly and mountainous ; yet vast portions in the smaller val- leys, and on the foot hills of the Coast and Cascade Ranges of mountains, are eligible to settlement. The value of assessable property in the county is three million dollars.
5
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Eugene City is the seat of justice for Lane County. It is situated seventy-five miles south of Salem, near the conjunction of the Coast Fork, the Middle Fork, and the M'Kenzie Fork of the Willamette River, and at the head of steamboat navigation. Eugene City is a place of growing importance, and from its cen- tral position in the midst of an agricultural country rivaling in excellence any other in the state, must become one of the finest inland cities in the country. A wagon road has been recently constructed, con- necting this city with the valleys of De Chutes and Jolin Day's River east of the Cascade Mountains. The road is quite practicable through the mountains, and already beginning to be much used.
The public buildings of Eugene City are a court- house, academy, one Episcopal church, one Catholic church, one Cumberland Presbyterian church, one Presbyterian church, Old School, one Baptist, and one Methodist Episcopal church. The population of the town is about one thousand five hundred, and is well supplied with public and private schools. Be- sides Eugene City there are many points of interest in other parts of the county which are worthy of notice.
Lancaster is a somewhat flourishing little town on the west bank of the Willamette River, sixteen miles below and north of Eugene City.
Franklin, Long Tom, Pleasant Hill, Willamette Forks, Cloverdale, Cottage Grove, and Siuselaw are all beautiful and pleasant localities.
Springfield, three miles above Eugene City, and
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on the opposite side of the river, is a point of some importance from the facilities which it offers for mill- ing operations.
DOUGLAS COUNTY.
This county is bounded north by the county of Lane, east by the Cascade Range, south by Josephine County, and west by the Pacific Ocean. It contains an area of not less than three thousand five hundred square miles, or what would be equal to two million two hundred and forty thousand acres of land. Of this, but twenty-one thousand four hundred and four acres are under cultivation. Douglas county contains a population of four thousand. The number of voters at the last election was eleven hundred and thirty- nine. The value of assessable property is one million three hundred and thirty-one thousand two hundred and eight dollars. The county of Douglas is, per- haps, the most wonderfully diversified of any portion of this most wonderful country. The main body of the county is comprised in the valley of the Umpqua River with its numerous tributaries. The level, or lower parts of the valley along the streams, are not extensive, though they are very beautiful and fertile. The whole valley, extending from the Callapooia Mountains south to the Canon Mountains, and from the Coast Range east to the Cascade Range, com- prises some fifteen hundred square miles. To a proper understanding of the nature of this valley it must be remembered that at least three fourths of this whole extent is composed of innumerable hills,
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many of which aspire to the dignity of young mount- ains, and that these are scattered promiscuously over the whole valley. This being the case, one in passing through the county is impressed with the idea that the Umpqua Valley is nowhere, or, rather, is no val- ley; whereas, if he will take the pains to place him- self upon the top of some one of the highest of the elevations which abound in the valley, and cast his eye around him, he will not fail to see to the west- ward the Coast Range, to the eastward the Cascade Range, to the northward the Callapooia, and to the southward the Canon Mountains, all towering far above the hills that immediately surround him, and distinctly marking the outlines of the grand, though uneven amphitheater known as the Umpqua Valley. This valley is finely watered by the numerous limpid rivulets, and rivers that come leaping down from the mountains by which it is environed, and which, with the salubriousness of the climate, render this one of the most healthy and delightful portions of the state.
Roseburg, situated on the direct road from Port- land and Salem to Sacramento in California, and one hundred and fifty miles south of Salem, is the county seat. It is a sprightly little town containing a popu- lation of about five hundred. Its public buildings are a court-house, a public school-house, an Episcopal church, and a Methodist Episcopal church. The town stands upon a beautiful location at the conflu- ence of the Deer Creek with the south fork of the Umpqua River, and is sustained by a good agricul- tural and stock-raising country.
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Oakland, situated in the northern part of the county, and on the Callapooia Creek, is a fine grow- ing town, and commands considerable trade from the country around. It is eighteen miles north of Rose- burg, and one hundred and thirty-two miles south of Salem.
Wilbur is situated midway between Oakland and Roseburg. This place was selected in 1853 by Rev. James H. Wilbur for the site of an academy to meet the future demands of the country. This academy has since grown into a flourishing institution. A little town has sprung up at this point which derives most of its importance from the school. Here is a church building, which is owned by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The academy is in the hands of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and, doubtless, at some future day will become a college. Rev. T. F. Royal, A.M., has been for many years the efficient principal of this academy. The country around is fertile, and the scenery delightful.
Scottsburg, at the head of tidewater on the Ump- qua River, and about twenty-five miles from the Pacific Ocean, is a place of some importance, as it forms an entrepot to the interior of the country.
Cañonville, situated in the southern part of the county at the mouth of the Great Canon, is also an active and flourishing little town, sustained by a combination of agricultural and mining interests. Besides those already named, there are many other places within the limits of the county that, if space would permit, would be entitled to particular notice.
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such as Yoncolla, the place of residence of the Apple- gates, Garden Bottom, Coles Valley, Lookingglass, Myrtle Creek, Cow Creek, Ten Mile, and Cammas Prairie. These, and many others, are all fine local- ities, and the last mentioned is one of the most beauti- ful little valleys that can be found on the Pacific Coast.
The water-courses of this county, which are numer- ous, from the rapidity with which they fall afford almost boundless facilities for manufacturing pur- poses, but are not yet being very extensively em- ployed. Some lumber and flouring mills are in operation in various parts of the county, and measures are being taken to set in motion the spindles and looms requisite to convert into cloth the immense amount of wool that is annually clipped from the sheep that subsist upon the thousands of hills that checker this singular but interesting and promising county.
COOSE COUNTY.
This county is bounded on the north and east by Douglas County, on the south by Curry County, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The population, ac- cording to the last census, is one thousand and twenty- four. The number of voters at the last election was three hundred and thirteen. The land under cultiva- tion does not exceed one thousand acres. The value of assessable property is two hundred thousand dollars.
Empire City is the county seat, and is situated on Coose Bay, about five miles from where the bay con- nects with the ocean, one hundred miles directly
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west from Roseburg in Douglas County, and two hun- dred and fifty miles southwest from Salem, the cap- ital of the state. Empire City will, doubtless, become in time quite a town, though its growth has been very tardy. It occupies a beautiful site, that will admit of an indefinite expansion of the town whenever the abundant mineral, agricultural, and lumbering re- sources of the country back of it shall be fully opened and require an enlargement. The town contains a population of about one hundred and fifty. The principal objects of interest are an extensive lumber manufactory, and a very nice and commodious public school-house, newly built.
Coose Bay is but an enlargement of Coose River, and forms a safe and convenient harbor for vessels that are not of deep draught. The bay extends up into the country about forty miles, and upon its shores are erected a number of extensive mills for the man- ufacture of lumber. At North Bend, some ten miles above Empire City, is a fine establishment of this kind, owned and conducted by Captain Robert Simp- son & Brother. Here also ship-building is carried forward to a considerable extent. Some eleven vessels of from two hundred to four hundred tons burden have already been launched, and others are in process of building. The Simpsons own a steam tug, which they employ in towing vessels out of and into the harbor; and in shipping lumber to San Francisco and other markets, they also use their own vessels. Many other vessels, however, visit the bay, and find cargoes at other establishments.
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Randolph is in the southern part of the county, and important mainly as a mining town. There is also a settlement on Coose River, likewise on the Coquille. The Coose River and the Coquille River valleys are connected with the Umpqua Valley by two trails across the Coast Range of mountains. The valleys of Coose county are narrow and con- tracted, and generally covered with a dense growth of myrtle and maple timber. The soil of these valleys is good. The principal resources of this county are its lumber and mines. Of the latter, here are found gold, copper, iron, and coal ; the last men- tioned in abundance.
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