Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1846-11-17
JOLIET, ILLINOIS, NOVEMBER Il, 1916.

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have now large families of half breeds.
These people are very inofensive, do not
possess the keenness of the yankee in in
tellect; but the young men are fine look
ing, and many of the girls are quite beau
tiful. They are of the Catholic religion;
and it is here the Catholics have their
! Mission establishment. 1t is now alto
gether respectable IN buildings, and they
are this summer greatly enlarging it by
the erection of an extensive brick church.
The French have farms, cattle, horses,
hogs, orchards, &c. The apples, peach
es, pears, and p!ums, were seedlings, but
were generally fne-proving, incontesti-
bly,, that the Willamette valley is well
adapted to the cultivation of fruit.
Some distance above is the Methodist
Mission establishment. Ono of the bull
dings is offour stories, and presents quite
an imposing appearance. This mission
was designed to civilize and christianze
the Indians in the neighborhood. From
the lack of physical and intellectual abil.
ity Of the natives, the object could not be
accomplished, and the project was relin-
pushed. The buildings is now used as
as College, and the institution promises
much good for Oregon.
There are but few settlements above.
The country bears general resemblance
10 that Oh the west side of the river
beautiful mill streams, fine prairies and
excellent timber. When the Forks of
the Willamette are reached, the audi
ence was bro't to country, which, for the
beauty of its gorgeous, fertile and gently
undulaling prairics--its excellent timber
on the streams, its groves on the prairies,
and on tho mounds which, rise out fthem
could not he surpassed, and was entirely
beyond his powers of description. DR.,
White, in his enthusiasm, called this por-
ton of the valley, PARADISE and the
name was not inappropriate. This will
be the centre of an immense settlement,
and a large town will be likely to grow
up at the head ofnayigation on the Wal.
lamette.
From the point here spoken otto the
southern termination of the valley, there
are large prairies, and this is especially
designed by nature for stock growing
country. Here the stock grower will find
good water and grass for stock the whole
year round Here fortunes can be made
in rearing cattle, horses and sheep, and all
the cost will be in herding them.
The lecturer then led the way to the
Klameth and Umqua rivers. These riv.
ers empty into the Pacific Ocean; the
first near the southern boundary line of
Oregon, and the second degree or two
north. There is some good country in
the Klameth valley. The Umqua valley,
however, is far superior, and presents
country from ten to fifty miles wide, con.
Meeting with the Willamette valley, pos
sessed of all the advantages for sustaining
prosperous settlements.
Mr.. Davidson described the country ad.
jacent to Puget's sound as most valuable.
Forty rivers fell into the Sound. Those
rivers were filled with salmon; the val.
leys wero fertile, and the timber of the
country was not surpassed in any portion
of tho world. The country abounded in
the most desirable and valuable furs.--I
Puget Sound possessed harbors of unri-
vailed excellence. The navies of the
world might float in them with ease
Vancouver's island had many CONNER.
cial advantages, was three hundred miles
and fertile land for. cultivation. That is
land would have made an excellent State.
"When we heard in Oregon" said the
lecturer, "that Mr.. Polk had made the
declaration that our title to the whole of
Oregon was clear and indisputable,' there
was one general enthusiastic expression
in his behalf. Had we then possessed
the power Continued the lecturer, the
people ofOregon would have reared him
pyramid-would have elevated him up
ON its apex--and then surrounding him,
would haveraised such q shout as would
have convulsed the whole of Oregon, and
overwhelmed the British man-of war
which lay in the Columbia river, AFRO
gantly defying us. Our hearts leapt at
the thought that the whole of Oregon was
ours. But a change has come over the
scene. Our government has since deci-
ded that we have no claims north fforty-
nine. Why then did they fatter US in the
first instance that the whole ofOregon-
a country which embraced within her DO.
som the resources of nation--was ours?
"A great wrong has been done.--We
cannot fathom the conduct of oui public
men. We have been wounded in our
pride and in our ambition. 4 valuable
portion of orr territory is lost--the whole
of Vancouver is gone-the British have
an equal right with US in Puget's Sound
and an equal right with US in the free
navigation Of the Columbia river.
The lecturer described the second d.
vision ofOregen-that portion which lies
between the Cascade and Blue Mountains
lie said that there was good land in this
section, but it required irrigation to pro
ducc crops: esDeciallv was this the case