Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-01-28
T,etter From oregon.

PORTLAND, o. IT,, Feb. %, 1851.
Dear Brother:-I should have written
YOU from Oregon long since, but having
been continually travelling. examining and
Investigating the country for the past year,
and having lust returned this evening,
late, from my last tour North OF the CO.
lumbia River, Issit down to write home
/ have travelled much but have seen the
finest country North of the Columbia Xiv
er that ever saw in any country. ~ Is
a delightful timber and Prairie land, as
rich as man can desire, with hundreds OF
situations vet unouccpied that comes the
nearest a farm in natural state that man
can well immagine. Your cattle, horses
and hogs will keep themselves tat the
whole year round. You have no trouble
whatever to feed your mich cows in the
winter, as they will keep themselves fat
This country, vet unoccupicd, is North of
the Columbia River, on the Ghighalis
River, tspelled on Wilkes Map, Check
elies River, which has Bay and Har-
Dor on the Pacific Ocean, 40 miles North
of the mouth of Columbia River. The
best part of the land lies about 90 miles
N. W. from Portland, and is far the best
part of Oregon Territory: that part OF
the territory can be approached in two
ways. If you come across the plains from
the Missouri River, you then come down
the Columbia River to Fort Van Couver,
and continue down to the Cowtils River,
and up the Cowtils River to the head Of
the Ghighalis River. Should you come
to Oregon by water, across the ISthmus
and so on to San Francisco, then at San
Francisco take shipping directly for Chi
ghalis Bay. Grass Harbor, lat which place
l have now laid off city y then up the
River to the Prairie country: you there
have an unbounded scope to select farms
from, almost in state of nature, for your
self and all your children, You get a
half section free, (S2O acres) by settling
one yourself, wife and all the family, pro.
vided you settle any time between this
and the first day of December, 1853.
have just examined that whole country.
You may judge of the climate when tell
you that have travelled through all Jan
uary and all this month to this day, and
laid out on the ground by night, and have
never seen either frost or ice. Your
whole stock will live the whole year with
out feeding. You can raise from 500 to
a thousand bushels of potatoes to the acre,
worth to you in the field by the thousand
bushels, two dollars and fifty cents per
bushel. Wheat is worth to you at your
house $500; Onions 5000 per bushel.
You can SOW wheat any month Of the year,
and it will bring thirty bushels to the acre.
l saw many farmers last week sowing and
narrowing his wheat.
One acre here will produce you more
more than twenty will where you live; al
though have been constantly travelling
and lying out in the open air for the last
twelve months in Oregon, yet l am and
have continued to be in good health, am
now stout and hearty.
l will now give you my opinion as to
how think you had better come. If you
have stock you wish to bring, come
across the Plains by land. have eros
sed, and if you should conclude TO come
by land, do this way
First be sure and fix up three light two
horse wagons, with three yoke of oxen to
each wagon, then your COWS, cattle and
horses, and then nothing but clothing
plentifully, and cooking utensils no box
es or wooden things but buckct-go to
VIC OAIO 4NlNSIB Idhc Il I1lSdIIlDOhL lOI ~
Joseph, arrive there by the 9Th of May,
purchase your bacon and -four, be as light
loaded as possible, travel slow for two
weeks, and be sure not to form any band
or company consisting of more than six
or seven wagons, and have no captainship
about it. Have a young man to drive
each team, and whenever any two yoke
of your oxen give out or is lost, then leave
q wagon, and put the loading in the two,
and put the other oxen to the two wag-
ons, and so on to the last wagon. Do not
mind leaving a wagon or two, but be sure
to hold on to one wagon and all the oxen
you can. 1t is very easy trip to take
your time at first and be regular, not suf-
fer the dominering of Captainship.-
Do not go by Salt Lake but come to Fort
Clarke on the Columbia River. A very
good plan would be to come up to St. Jo-
sePh the fall before, there hitch in your
teams, go up to Council Bluff and winter
your stock, and then never cross the
Platte River at all, but keep on the North
side the whole way to Sweet water.
If you come by water come to New
Orleans, then to San Francisco, then ship
to Ghighalis Bay. Then bring no stock
but clothing.
Your affectionate brother,
J. B. CHAPMAN.
w. w. CHAPMAN.
For the Register