The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-11-14
FROM CORVALLIS TO THE SEA.

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neighborhood; and it is source of
sublime qualification, occasionally, to
look over the files of your local pa
per. For sixteen years the GAZETTE
has been faithful chrcnicler of cur
rent events, in this community, and
its pages are full of interest to every
citizen of the county, or those who
may become so in the future. But
very few families fully realize the inn
portance of their county papers, and
but seldom preserve files of the same.
This is great mistake, we think.
Corvallis is one of the most for
tnnately favored locations in this
State. This is no hasty or ill-advised
conclusion, but comes from careful
and deliberate study of its geograph-
ical position, climatic advantages,
beautiful location and healthfulness.
1t is, just what its name indicates,
i" the Heart of the Valley"
We have said this much as a sort
of prelude to an article in the Oregon
Weekly Union, published in Corval
lis, September lltb, 1860, Hon. james
Fl Slater, now United States Senator
from Oregon, editor and publisher.
Although published over nineteen
years ago, it has proved to be true
prorhesy, the fulfillment of which is
fully attested by the readers of the
GAZETTE. The Wagon road, of
which Mr.. Slator spoke, was built
and is to-day a monument OF the
nerve and energy of the early pio-
neers of Benton county. Instead of
an unknown and isolated cove, Va
qnina Bay is known to the mariners
of ali seas as a harbor of no mean
order. In its immediate vicinity are
two lighthouses and keepers residen-
ces, built by government at great
expense. Steamships and numerous
sailing crafts have tested its qualities
as safe and commodious harbor.
A railroad is now in process of con
struction thithcr, with the iron and
rolling stock for the first ten miles
already arrived in Portland and part
ly delivered and laid in Corvallis.
The progress Of the past nineteen
years has been, of necessity, slow.
But not SO slow, either, when we take
into consideration the vast improve
ments and large settlements made
upon our western border. But the
future is now bright, and the progress
of the next five years will astonish
the most sanguine. We take pleas
ure in reproducing the following
article from the Union, furnished us
from the files, by Que of Senator Sla-
tors sons. 1t is right to the point
On the outside we give an interesting re-
port of the party which recently visited
Yaquina Bay, which will be read with much
interest and satisfaction. The great diff
Guilty of getting the surplus products of the
interior to a point of shipment, is setting
the people to looking in every direction for
an easy and convenient way of egress for
our rapidly increasing export products
The Willamette river offers many advan-
tages, but the freights foot up at ruinous
rates, so much SO that the producer has but
little encouragement to exert his energies to
produce large surplus for export with the
certainty of low prices and enormous freight
age, leaving but little to compensate him
for his time and capital.
The time has arrived when rapid, easy
and cheap mode of conveyance for the sur
plus products of the great body of the
Willamette valley is an imperative necessity.
Corvallis is practically the head of naviga-
productive part of the valley the only mode
of egress for freight is the Willamette, dis
tant from shipping point of near two hun
dred miles water carriage, hard portage to
be made in that distance, and this point OF
shipping is another hundred miles inland,
involving many difficulties, making three
hundred miles of water carriage for the
products of the great heart of the valley to
traverse before they can be considered fairly
upon the highway of commerce yet Cor
wallis is not more than sixty miles from the
coast, and, as this report shows, only forty
miles from one of the best harbors ON the
coast, if Puget Sound and San Francisco be
excepted, and a natural pass through the
coast mountains, directly on the line from
here.
The Importance of this bay to the upper
Willamette cannot be too highly estimated.
If on investigation it should prove to be
what it is represented and believed to be,
the time is not far distant when all the
commerce of the great body of this valley
will pass through it, instead of down the
Willamette. The first point to be settled
is the practicability and safety of the en-
trance to this bay, and its capacity and
adaptation to commerce. These facts fa-
vorably determined, there need be no fears
entertained of the result, necessity will
soon press through a wagon road, and COM
munication by railway would not be far
demonstration to prove that Corvallis would
be the emporium of the valley.
The highest estimate that we have heard
placed upon the opening of road to the
Yaquina is ten thousand dollars this 1t is
said will make road equal to any valley
road now travelled. Wagons now travel
over one-half the distance with facility and
over the residue of the route, it is even less
difficult to construct good wagon road.
1t is believed that wagon road can be con-
structed with an average grade of not over
thirty feet to the mile. The opening of this
route will make available for settlement a
very considerable district of excellent agri-
cultural lands now entirely valueless. The
only obstacle to the immediate settlement
of this country is the Indian reservation.
which will have to be removed at an early