Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1852-10-07
VOL A---NO. 46.---WHOLE NO. 2O2 s"

i Il
kind Of catch.penny trading place cali
ed the Cascade Company and they will
begin to cheat you from the time you ge
10 the Dalles, until you get to Portland
it is go miles from the Falls to Portland
and il just cost us 100 dollars to get 8 Of
our family with what little plunder we
had, freighted 100 miles.
Portland is on the west bank of the
Willamette, River, IL miles from lis
mouth, and Oregon City is "a miles up
the Willamette on its east bank, and q,
the great Falls of the Willamette River.
Fort Vancouver is l2 miles above the
mouth of The Willamette River, on the
north side of the Columbia, and only lG
miles from Portland. The general
course of the Willamette River is from
south to north. 1t forks about / SO miles
from lis mouth, and has number oil
tributaries running into it, on the easl
side from the Cascade range, also on the
west side from the coast range of noun
| tains.
am not well enough posted up in a
knowledge OF the country to give you an
accurate description of all the dlffereal
parts and streams, but some or most of
them, can give ;olerably correctly
The Tualatin River emp,ies into the
Willamette just above o. City, on the
west side, heading in the coast mountains,
and running across beautiful valley,
called the Tuaiatin plains. The next in
order up the Willamette is the Yamh i'll
River, II has two branches. called north
and south Yamhill. which head also in
the coast range, and run separately near,
ly across the valley, and unite near La
iayete, the County town of Yamhill
County. Salt Creek is branch of the
south YamhIll, emptying into i, on its
south side. This is the stream we live
on, and runs through the center of nv
claim, which is sixty miles south OF
Portland. The next is Lacreole creek,
q miles above, and the next the Luca-
mute, and the mex, Mary's River, and
the next Long Tom. These are all
western tributaries of the Willamette
Then on the east side is the Clacamas,
Santam, and numerous others heading
IN .he Cascade range, and running thro'
the Willamette valley. These all have
fine valleys of land ranging from 6 to 10
miles In length, and to 8 ia width in
terceP'ed by rolling Oak ridges, clad
with the most luxuriant growth of grass.
the Willamette valley, or lha, which lies
between the Cascade Mountains, and the
coas: Of the Pacific Ocean. is what is
called western Oregon. We can 90 up
on the top of one of those Oak ridges,
and looking off eastward, see the whole
Presidents range of snow capped peaks
towering TO the clouds. There are sew
en- OF them that can all be seen at one
glance of the eye, and although they are
from fifty 10 one hundred miles apart, and
the nearest of them one hundred miles
from US, they do not appear over twenty
miles Oft; so clear is the air in clear
weather.
The Puget's Sound is said TO be a
good country, have never seen it. The
Umpqua River aud valley is the next
south of the Willamette valley and they
are separated by the Calapooia Noun
tans. 1t has some good valleys of land,
but they are not so large, and the hills
are much higher and timber much scar
Ger, though it is great grazing country.
Rogues River is still south, and has some
very fine valleys, and gold is found in
considerable quantities, and there are
several hundred persons engaged at this
time in mining on that river, and many
of them doing well. Now, as regards
the soil and productions of lhis country.
There is a diversity of soil. some is a
black soil. and some a chocolate color,
varying frequently and suddenly.
To be continued.