Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1847-01-05
From the S.. Louis Reveille.
OREGON.

ESQ.,, who recently returned from Oregon,
a very interesting descriptions of that ter
ritory north ofthe Columbia, up TO our
line on Puget Sound. All accounts, here.
tofore, of this portion of Oregon Territory
represented it as barren and sterile to
such degree that cultivation was almost
inpo; sible; and Mr.. Wall informs us that
when about t. start with some others to
examine the country in the vicinity OF
Puget Sound, numbers of the Hudson 5
Bay Company endeavored to dissuade
them from their purpose. DR.. McLaugh-
lin, in particular, as urgent against their
proceeding, because he arerred it was q
fruitiess journey to explore desert and
barren waste They departed, however,
and the results oftheir examination we
give below, in Mr.. WIS own words. 1t
will be found of great interest, as it at
once sets aside the false descriptions given
of that country to emigrants by the Eng.
Iish:
The right or north hank of the Column
bia, like the south, is one continued chain
OF high hills and bluffs, heavily timbercd.
from Cape Disappoint TO the mouth
Of the Cowlitz river, which enters The
Columbia, on the west side, about fifty
miles above the cape. Up to this point
there is little or no land Oh the Columbia
susceptible ofcultivation, with the excep.
ton of a creek bottom on the south side,
near the mouth, called "C.a,sup Plains, "
which is, perhaps, from a mile to q mile
and half wide, by fourteen or fifteen
!ong. and the islands on the river, which
are numerous, end from one to fifteen
miles long. cannot properly cali the
The soil alluvial, as the Columbia has its
source in a volcanic region. and passes
over. in its long course, little else than
basalsic rock and sterile sand; its dep0s
fertile soil. From this point up to Fort
Vancouver, and. in fact, for distance of
uear hundred miles, up to the gorge
where the river passes through the noun
tain range, the bluffs recede at some
places half mile or more from the river,
and at othe RS approach very close.
But we come now to speak more par
ticularly of the country north, and we
will, in the first place, notice the CowIilz
valley. From the mouth ofthis river t.
a distance oftaiuy miles up. on both sides.
are succession of prairies and low and
handsomely rounded and heavily numbered
hills. At distance Ofabout thirty miles
from the Columbia, on the west side of
the river, is a large and beautiful rolling
prairie, twelve or fifteen miles in extent.
Here is what is called the French set.
element. Most Of the settlers here are
French, formerly in the employ ofll.e Hnd-
son Bay Company, who, preferring the
peaceful and quiet lives of farmers TO the
more adventurous career Of trappers, de-
munity of their own, and selected this
spot for their habtation. The soil here
is of dark vegetable mould, partaking
much of the nature OF. the prairie soil in
the western part Of the United States.
| think in point Of fertility it is equal to
any land | have ever seen. Here, too,
the Hudson Bay Company have trading
post, and large farm. conducted on a
magnificent scale. ] was informed by the
gentleman in charge of the Fort at this
place, that the company took from their
farm eight thousand bushels wheat Of the
last years crop. The greater part of the
labor is performed 10y Kanakas (Sand-
wich IsIanders) and Indians, owing to
the cheapness their labor compared
with the whites. 1t is only about fifteen
miles from this place to the South Fork Of
the Chikales river. The country be-
tween these two points is beautifully d.
versified with small prairies and belts of
woodland; most of the prairies seem to be
of a warm. sandy loan soil-in nearly all
OF them abounds root called the cam
erus, which forms one of the principal
articles Of food for the Indians, and on
which hogs are said to fattcn more rap
idly than on any other food. The country
continues to be pretty much of the same
character TO the southern point of Puget's
Sound distance of thirty five or forty
miles, with the exception Of what is called
the "Mound Prairie" This prairie is
twelve or fifteen miles long, nearly in the
centre (which is large conical mount Of
perhaps one hundred and twenty-five feet
elevation. afording a view of the whole
surrounding country from its summit.
This mound is about half mile from
the Chikales river. The soil is ola black,
sandy loan, but full of small stones and
graval, and much inferior to the other
prairies we have noticed. The Indians
at this place say that there is a succession
ofprairies from this place to the mouth
ofthe river, and from GFay's Bay nearly
to Puget's Sound. At the southern ex.
tremity ofthe Sound the prairie soil is of
a rich black, sandy loan. Here a little
river called De Shoots descends down a
precipice of dark volcanic rocks twenty,
five feet into the briny element. The