The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1872-03-15
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tORRESPONDENCE.

give you a asynopsis OF my Journey
from the land Of much plowing and
grain gathering to this land Of tai
timber aud heal-of-navigation and
tniewateron the Puget Sound. The
embarcation on one Of Holidays
palaces was matter Of daily occur
renee, and therefore of no interest
to anybody. Suffice it to say We
landed at Portland in A hours,
muchly satisfied that Ben is not a
bad fellow. after all.
Portland and its surroundings
giyea stranger a favorable impress
sion and makes All Oregonlan feel
proud of the Commercial Emporl-
m of his State, and, in fact, Of all
north of San Francisco, for such
she is bound to be, being at present
the outlet of all the grain market
ofthe upper Willamette ard the
goods exchanged therefor, thcref r
these need no blow. The whistle
beran to belch and coachmenbcgan
to brag on the supreme excellence
ottheir several hotels. We were
induced to stop with Mr.. Patten.
Much thanks to his kindness; may
he long prosper in his calling.
On the morning Of the 18th we
embarked for Monticello, W. T.
Our trip down the Willamette and
Columbia in a little tub, is not OF
any great moment. The day was
misty and rainy, and the villages
were past without much remark
until we came to Kalama, on the
north bank of the Columbia, and
about half way between the mouth
ofthe Willamette and that of the
CowlitS. This town is nominally
the terminus ofthe extension branch
Of the North Pacific Railroad,
which runs down the Columbia,
thence mp the Cowlitz, and through
the pass dividing it from the Che
halls river, down this valley to
Mound Prairie, thence north to-
Olympia. This branch has twenty
Eve miles finished, and will be COM
pleted by next November to Olym-
pia. Mr. J. I. Haflett. Of your ac-
1naintance, has a contract to build
thirty miles, which is guarantee that
it will be made. if he pays hands as
well as he did .h Linn county on
l}en's road.
Monticello, OIL the Cowlitz, IS a
pert, sandy-bottomed little burg,
fast washing away. At this place
we shipped for Humphreys, the
head ofnavigation on the Cowlitz.
We took the mountain pass, known
as Paddy's Road, and made Pum-
phrey's by noon Saturday. Rain
ing is no name for the dampness of
this and next day. Of this little
town ] can't say much, only as to
the boarding house, and the kind
ness they extended to three we'll
soaked and unceuth Webteet The
divide from here to the head-waters
Of the Chehalis, is a chain Of sandy
ridges, which have been pretty we'll
burned off during the last Summer.
From here the soil begins to change
from sandy fern to clay loan. Heavy
timber. cedar, fir, ash, hemlock and
alder abounds. Claqnato, the coun-
ty seat of Lewis county, Isl pleas
ant little collection of houses, OH a
steep hillside, and at the head of
on the Chelalis. The
railroad misses this place three
miles, to the east.
Here we begin to find Ongoni-
ans and receive webfoot hospitali- |
ties. w. g. Scott and SONS, live on
large farms near here. Mr. Scott !
has a well cultivated, deep, loamy, |
situation. lie is farming as he did
of yore in Lirnrcmnty. His wheat
for the coming summer, issplendid;
may he prosper and live fat. We
took the stage road from this place
to Forl's Old Blockhouae, an I'M
couth old log structure Of '55--dur-
ing tie Indian troubles. The situ-
alton is magnificent, on the edge Of