The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-07-01
IwRlrreN poR rar srArn Rlefrgs DEMoeRArl
NOTES FROM THE WESTERN
SLOPE OF THE COAST
RANGE.
MEMORANDA OF IN INDIAN
AGENCY.
The Alsea, siletz and Yaqaina
Country.
Neglected Port,Oaa Of the State with
Great Poas bilities.
The uar6ar wari.S Al ysausna ssay, etc..
e4e-. etc.


etc. etc.
About fifteen years ago met y
gentleman in Stockton. California, who
who had Just returned from San Fran
cisco after an unsuccessful attempt Co
negotiate loan by way Of mortgage
upon u large tract of land in one of the
Interior counties. In the course of the
conversation which followed he remark
ed With partonanle indignation Sir,
tie rxtrelnities of this state are wither-
ing; SIN Francisco Is gathering in tf:h-
mt. fro.u all parts of the state and doing
notl.ins whatAver to develop the interi-
,sr. TINS was, at the time alluded to,
reasonably true. This was moreover,
while the Central Paeiiic Railroad was
still being stigmatized as the "Dutch
Flat Sxindle" and before the compile,
tion of that magnificent system of in
ternai improvements which Is daily ad-
ding to the population. Increasing the
wealth and multiplying the resources
of our prosperous nti ,hbor. Writing
these notes IN farm house on 1aqulna
Bay and recalling certain expressions
OF a leading journal of the State OF
Oeegon, made within the past twelve
months, / am forcibly reminded of my
stockton friends remark at least 50 far
as regards this particular extremity"
of the State OF Oregon.
One of the expressions alluded to
was statement of the journal in ques-
tion. to the effect that Yaquina Bay
Uas u7lapproachable for nine months In
ia. wear: the other was deity
worried sneer at the land grant
ssf the Company which has been en-
s5eavoring to establish railroad com
munieation between Yaquina Bay and
tie interior of the State as consisting
of barren and useless mountBin tracts,
available for nothing. 1t would be
difficult to shape words into driselmsre
absurd or allegations more unjust than,
not only the expressions which / have
last quoted, but the articles from which
they were taken, to say nothing of the
general tone of the journal In question
when dealing with this region
About eighteen months ago, l made
a hurried visit To this section and con-
tributed several articles to San Fran
cisco paper, to the Cdrcallis Gazette and
the .State Rtylfs Democrat upon its re
sources, capabilities etc. A more
laisureIg and some what extended tour
ia this locality, just completed, has al
forde ms. an opportunity OF verifying
NV convictions, aud has satisfied me
that [ greatly underestimated the value
of this section as a factor IN the future
.row. h and development of this com
lnon-veaIth; although at the time !
wrote nay first article they were con.
sidered By many As partial If not ex
travagant. Oae of the first things
which attracted my attention during
my first trip down the. Yaquina to the
sea was the similarity between this
country and Humboldt county ,Californ-
Ia. and stated in one of my first let
ters that hills asmnIar to those alignine
the Yaauina, were cleared Ia Humboldt
county and sown III mesquite and other
grasses and converted lntO first class
dairy pastures. L. gave ma a great deal
Of pleasure a day or two ago to meet a
Hnmboidter on the Yaquiua, who after
the first greetings called my attention
to these same biiis and remarked, /" why,
IN HamboIt, all these hills would be
dairy pastures" | have sometimes
thought that / might have ogerstated
the case, llnt AIN now satisfied that j
was right from the first. But the faci
is there has been for years silly, short
sighted. selfish and eowardIy policy
pursued by the metropolis Of this Safe
towards Ibis whole aegion. II bal
been belied, fn4iigneJ and tradueed
and that to such an extent that th'
hardy, energetic aud Industrious people
who have made their homes here have
b ,en. and small blame to them, IN {
csrtqin degree, discouraged. do not In
tend these particular remarks as a
whine coming from them or IN thei
behalf; but If is should happen to b
c snstrued into an exPressi II of yerj
hearty contempt az their part for th'
uoliry. which III a1diEion TO giving
birth to the dr.yei abont Ya4uina har
b3r being unapproachhle tor nin'
months in the yea r, and the whole
country being barren mountains, found
quite recently, still further expression
in the assertion that the appropriation
of $4,000 for Gle improvement 0
Yaenina was merely the result of polit
icaI neces sity, it Is more than probabl
THAT the people IN this neck of wood
will conclude that whoever SO con
srues it possesses excellent jndgmen
in soma things if not IN others.
The geueral proposition which
shall seek to establish in this piper il
that between cape Perpetro, or tb'
northern boundary thereof, and, sa.
Salmon River an! from the Pacif
ocean to the sum nit of the coast range
there Is q region Of country adapted b,
attn -e in soil and climate to the sup
bort of 40 900 to sc, 900 people; regiol
IN which dairies, UNSURPASSED IN thi
world as to quality and quantity 0
products ought. to abound, orchards AM
Idfms ought to multiply, saw mills am
fisheries be numerous, mining enter
rises take shape and become remuner
aslveand fat cattle he produced IN sucl
q mbsrs as would taks away the re
preach of Willamette Valley winte