The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1871-08-12
he railroad system of the State.

in the first place continuous line from
Portland to Sacramento, California, with
branch diverging at the head of the
Willamette valley, or at some point near
the southern boundary of the State east.
ward, and connecting with the trunk line
of the Central Pacific at the big bend of
the Humboldt. Work on the Oregon
end of this line was commenced at Port
land late in the season of 1869. The first /
section, of twenty miles, was completed
that year, and during the year 1870 it
was pushed on to Albany, 7S miles from
the starting point. The present spring it
has been completed to point 100 miles
south from Portland. The work is being
prosecuted with vigor, and it will proba-
bly, reach the head of the Willamette
valley the present season. The California
end of the road has been completed to
Tehama, about 140 miles orth from Sac
rameGto. This road passes up the Will
iamette valley from Portland on the east ]
side of the river. In Oregon it is being
constructed by the Oregon and California
Railroad Company, and is known by that
name. 1t will pass through the three
great valleys of Western Oregon their
entire length, and will give railroad IA
cilities to a very large section of South
ern Oregon and Northern California,
known as the valleys of the Klamath and
Goose Lake. The Oregon and California
Railroad Company have received from the
general government grant of land equal
to 12.S00 acres per mile to aid in the
construction OF the road.
| On the west side of the Willamette
river the Oregon Central Railroad Com
pany have commenced the construction
of road from Portland up the west side
of the Willamette valley, with a branch
to extend to Astoria, at the mouth or the
Columbia river. This company also have
-treeeived grant of 1880 acres of land
per mile in aid of the road. The first
twenty mile section is to be completed by
May, 1877. m
THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY
The series of valleys lying between the
Cascade mountains and the Coast Range
of Oregon composes the most important
port of the State. On account of the
great fertility of the soil, and the remark
able mildness and salubrity of rhe cli-
mate, those valleys are capable of sup
porting population as large as that of
any country in the world of equal area.
They arc nearly alike 10 soil and climate,
except that the Willamette, the most
northerly of the three, has the greatest
rain fall; Rogue river valley, the most
| southerly. of them all, has the dryest eli
mate; and Umpqua valley, lying between
the other TWO, being moro of medium
in that respect. The Willamette valley,
the largest of the series, is not only the
finest agricultural district OF the Pacific
slope, but one of the best of North Amer
lea. Its area is not great as that of
the Sacramento valley, but at the same
time it contains more arabic land. 1t Is
remarkable as having little or no waste
land. There is hardly an hundred acres
of land in one body anywhere in the Will
lamette valley that is not susceptible of
being pat to some agricultural USE 1t is
about l25 miles long, counting from the
valley proper to the Columbia river, with
an average breadth of about 40 miles,
counting from the base of the mountains
on each side, exclusive of small lateral
valleys diverging here and there. Its
entire area is about 5000 square miles.
or something larger than the State of
Connecticut; or il we admit the entire
of the Willamette river in the estimate,
the area would be about $4,000 square
miles---about the same as Connecticut and
Massachusetts, put together. The valley
is politically divided into nine counties,
having an aggregate population of 81 147, I,
or little more than two thirds the entire
population of the State. 1t contains the
eldest settlement in Oregon. In the
early history of the country the Villa
mette valley aoas Oregon; and even now
the phrase s.down in Oregon" as used by
people drifting around through Idaho aud
other localities east of the mountains, is
intended to refer particularly to the VIII
lamette valley.
/ From the time when the colony of
American settlers, clustering around the
Mission, on the banks of the Willamette,
came 70 outnumber the British traders
north of the Columbia, to the present
hour, the Willamette valley has been the
center of political and commercial power
on the northern coast. Mankind has the
same history in every country. 1t is on
the rich alluvial lands that population in
creases and wealth and power accumulate
The valley Of the Nile and the plains of
Italy in former times. aud the valley Of
the Mississippi at the present day, serve
as the most magnificent examples of the
capacity of people to attain to great
wealth and power when located upon a
wide extent of rich alluvial soil. Agri-
culture is the basis of all prosperity. The
soil and climate that produces the great
est number of bushels of wheat to the
acre will support and will eventually attain
the greatest population to the square mile.
OF easy access from the sea by the
channel of large navigable river, with a
J nayigable stream In the middle and line
of railway on each side. the commercial
J facilities of the Willamette Valley are
unsurpassed IN any part of the United
States. It's adapted by soil and climate,
and its geographical position, as well as
its resources Of timber, iron, coal and
other raw material, fit it to become the
center of large manufactures. 1t is suit
ed to become the homes of men, and the
seaf of en,nirc The surface of the