The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-12-10
THE OCmOCo MAIL ROUTE.
We clip the following from the col
umns of the Oyegonian


Tho NoWntaiaeer states that all the 0ehoco set
tiers complain very bitterly of the DAD from Al
bany through to 0ehoeo, rs not being practicable
for mail route six months in the year, on account
OF snow, and q rem1nstranee has been signed by
most all the settlers in the valley against such a
rUute, whilst the road RIA Dalles City can be
travelled the whole year without any Inconvenience.
It is 40 piles from Albany to Ocho-
co Valley, over one of the best noun
thin wagon roads in Oregon. The dis
tance through the mountains is fifty
one miles of this there are only TWEEN
ty miles liable at any time to obstruc-
ton by snow. BY establishing stations
and employing small force, as the
road company is already preparing to
do, this 20 miles will be kept open and
In use for purposes of travel every day
In the year. And not only will the
mails pass regularly from one valley to
the other, but travel will be kept up
without interruption. It is only few
days since gentleman drove 40 head
of cattle into this valley from Yakima,
finding the road all that could be de-
sired. This shows how baseless and
foolish the statement is that the route
Is not practicable for six months in the
year. This falsehood is circulated In
lieu of the one that the road was alb
solutely impossible, which had to be
abandoned when it became known that
an immigrant train came over it late
this fall.
On the other hand, the distance to
OchOco from the Dalles is about 200
miles, through rough, if not noun
famous country; from the Dalles to
Portland it is 120 miles by the Colum-
bia river. Between these latter points
communication other than by tele-
graph IS sometimes entirely suspended
for long periods by the freezing up of
the river.
We presume there are few settlers
In the Ochoco valley who have been
hun1bugged into believing that the
Road Company intends to deprive them
of the lands upon which they have set
tied. and from this source originate all
of this talk about opposition to the
road and remonstrances to the mail
route on the part of the residents in
that valley. When these few persons
(and they are only small proportion
of the residents of the valley, learn
that their lands when purchased from
the Company viii cost them no more
than when purchased from the Gov
ment, there viii he nothing more said
against the new mail route, other than
what will come from the most pitifu;
jealousy of certain individuals In Port
land and the Dalles.
Mr.. Underwood, Postal Agent. is
said to be deter1ninedly opposed to the
Ochoco route because he is largely In
terested in the rival military road lead
ing from Eugene City. We are not
prepared to believe that this is true,
and very much doubt if he will permit
himself to be Influenced by such con-
siderations.
We do not hesitate to say that this
route Is the cheapest, most easy and
natural means of communication be-
tween the Willamette Valley and East
ern Oregon and Idaho that can be
found. By it, Albany is $50 miles
nearer Boise City than Portland is. II
is indispensable to the settlement OF
Ochoco and adjacent Vallies. It is the
only means by which their herds OF
fat cattle can be brought to the mar
kets. Of the Willamette, and by which
their merchandise and other supplies
can be obtained and to be of any
practical value the road must be kept
open at all times. And it will be done.
Why do these gentlemen at Port
land and the Dalles exercise them
selves so severely about the road and
the mail route? The man who gets
this mail contract must give heavy
bondfor the performance of the serv-
ice.s We assure these gentlemen thai
there are men in Linn county who
are willing to, and viii guarantee the
uninterrupted transmissionof themailf
over the route every week in the year.
and they are capable of giving salts
factory evidence of their sincerity,
and their ability to do so.
The Department has advertised fo1