The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-05-02
Oregon Letter.

has not misrepresented his land in any
important particular. The letter was
addressed to resident of Bay City,
Pierce county, Wis.
OlsTERvILLE, Oregon, Mar. l4.lS77.
Dear Sir: Yours of the 9th was
received last night. In answer to your
questions in reference to my farm, first,
it is about five miles from the ocean
beach. There is not much of a chance
for a settlement, only few claims along
the Columbia river, or Bakers Bay, the
land back is broken and not likely to be
taken up for settlement for a long time
yet. About half Of my farm is tide
land, all Of which is overaoweo at the
highest tides, in the winter when it is
stormy or high winds; portion would
be overtiowed on the highest tides in
calm weather.
Chenook river is what's called a tide
land stream. It is 200 or more yards
wide at its mouth As it is crooked, it
may be two miles to the hills. There
it is only a mountain stream The up
land is sandy and not more than FIVE to
ten feet higher than the tide land.
There is no cultivated grass on the place
but the high land grass is frstrate for
making butter. There is no orchard on
the place, but orchards do very we'll on
on the sandy land and you can also
raise vegetables and that is about all,
as l think it is too near the coast to
raise grain.
The fact is, the only thing the place
is fit for is 4 dairy f;trm Gas stock or
beef is low now Butter here IS gen
orally from 80 10 3715 cts. per ID. and
it is the incest place to make butter and
cheese there is in the whole country.
You ask whit time we have to feed
stock, I can hardly answer that ques-
ton, as | have few tons of hay in the
barn that I have had there 6 or years,
but COWS should be fed in March and
April if they have calves. have 80 or
80 head Of cattle on the place now and
have not fed them nor do I expect to.
think | will sell quite little beef
this spring.
Once in u while we have winter that
the snow lays on the ground or
weeks, but not very often. This has
been a first rate winter. Now if you
want a place where you can have first
rate dairy and not much of anything
else, you would 6ud my place to suit
you better than any place I know Of.
You would not have many neighbors.
consequently, for schooling and church
it would be lacking.
Now for marketing: Astoria would
be your market, distance ten or twelve
miles, but no landing near my farm. A
steamer runs twice a week from Astoria
to Unity, Is miles, then you have to
come right back up the river or bay to
my place. You have neither mud in
the winter nor dust in summer. AL
though it is very pleasant and good
place, yet if you have young children to
r school you would do better somewhere
else.
There are some places on government
land near here, but the Humbug rail
road Co. have an interest in it and YOU
can't tell much about it. There is q
Dutch settlement in Aurora, Oregon
that owns ten or fifteen good farming
claims in another part Of this county
and I think they are for sale. You car
address John Geisey, Aurora, Oregon.
Price of my farm is $500.
Some of the stock is wild and moi
worth much. I have some good COWS
worth from $4,000 to $4,000 each
You may think strange that there should
be wild stock, but have never lived on
the place, my business being in Oyster
vile. l bought the place about fifteen
t years ago, about ten years ago had l,
contract for supplying beef, so I fenced
:, the place and beef came down so could
not make anything selling beef, and
many of my cattle went wild. The
barn on the place is good enough for
what you would want, but the house is
small and it would take a month or two
to put the fence in repair.
Yours truly.
:, Al Arnou c+@r.s