The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1846-07-30

md broke up; have about 100 ncres 81 oak
timber, aud belt Of ash and fit about two
rods wide on each side Of the river, the rest
IL all prairie: about $50 acres ID riverbotsom
the rest upland, every acre Of which Is as
good as any bottom land in Ohio, and all
ready for the plough. II payment gave
one yoke Of oxen at $l2o, two COWS at $50,
each my Watch al $l50, and $40. The
Yamhill valley IS the best part Of Oregon
that have yetseen. The law here. allows no
man to hold more than one Section Of land,
which is enough Fifty acres of wheat (40
bushels, 10 the acre. FIVE acres Of corn, and
FIVE in potatoes and garden truck, is as much
as any one man wants to cultivate, as stock
Of all kinds keep fat the year round without
feeding So you have no use for corn
field. Igot a piece Of beeflast week killed
right from the grass, which was better and fat
ter than any corn fed beef ! ever saw in
Ohio.
We got about 100 Of our cattle over, they
are worth about $50 head, but we have no
coin in circulation here, taxes are paid with
orders on the Stores for goods; these orders
are also good tender for debts; and goods
are very high and hard to get! Common
cotton prints are 33 cents per yard; IA sheet
ing, 80 cents; coarse boots ST. All other
goods in proportion, with the exception Of
sugar which is 10 cents per lb. Feathers
cannot be had at any price except in small
parcels from the Indians. Noah and Creigh-
ton have each purchased claims adjoining
mine,
have not been sick an hout since left
Kalida. Swaine and Charles are quite heal
thy. They have both been bare footed all
winter, if il can be called winter when The
grass is green, flowers in full bloom, and we
living in a log cabin without its being daubed,
people ploughing and seeding every month,
provided always there should happen to be a
dry day in the month.
The great bugbear about danger from In.
dians vanishes as soon as you get here. No
tnan thinks OF carrying weapons in travelling
from one end Of the country TO the other,
there are few Indian villages containing
perhaps 80 or 40 families each, but these
indians are very harmless.
AS every one will give some description OF
the country, | will give only short one !:
The Twal.y plains-is the first Prairie south
ofthe Columbia river and is on tho west
side Of the Willamette, 25 miles N. w. Of
The city, watered by the Twality riycr,-the
good claims all taken. Then comes the
Yamhill valley adjoining TO and south of the
plains, mostly Prairie with groves Of Oak
aud Fir, but good timber rather scarce, the
valley is small, about six miles wide and 20
long; next on the South is the Reckreall
country similar in every respect to the Yam
hill, This the county Of Polk; next on the
South is the Lucky-mute and south of that
the Mary's river; all similar 10 the YamhiH
country. These rivers all rise in the range
Of Mountains running along the seacoast and
empty into the Willamette. lam three miles
from the Mountains and seven from the Wal
lamette. The mountains are covered with
timber, mostly Pine, Hemlock, Fir and Ce-
dar. Some ofthe trees are nearly 300 feet
high-4East Of the Willamette is, first, the
Klackamus, rising in the Cascade mountains
and running Westto the Willamette at Or
cgon city, down this stream we travelled the
last 20 miles; too muchtimber but the soil
is good next south is the Paden river good
valley but small, next is the Santa ana, a very
good valley and large, withan abundance OF
timber. There are plenty of vacant claims
ON all these streams, except the Twality and
Yamhil. Some of this Emigration have
taken claims north of the Columbia on Pu-
gets Sound It is said 10 be very good
country, and ! think the very best location
in the Territory. There is small valley al
The mouth ofthe Columbia called the Clat-
sup, in which Mr.. Taylor has bought claim.
The valley contains about Is sections. The
prairies are covered in summer with clover
and in winter with grass similar 10 the Tim
othy in the States. The Country immedia-
tely on the Willamette is too heavily tim
bered for farming, it is all vacant except in
the immediate vicinity Of the city.
22d. Spring has opened in fine style, mus