The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1883-03-02

past twenty years are 30 to IS feet in
hight. Alder timber grows very
rapidly along all the water courses,
there is no oak timber in the coast
country, the timber being fir, cedar
alder and Immediately on the coast
spruce, with the addition of few un-
important varieties. The timber, a
number of years since, was destroyed
by fires, which has left forest of dead
trees which everywhere meets the eye
giving mountainous appearance to
the country. These dead trees are de-
caying and are now rapidly disappear
ing. These fires reach from the Sum-
NIT to the coast and extend for miles
along the coast. These fires while
they have destroyed immense quanti-
ties of timber have opened the country
for settlement. -
The precinct is but sparsely settled
the population being almosS entirely
confined to the Yaquina river, being
little over 100. Oats, hay and differ
ent kinds of vegetables have been cul-
tivated and have been universally sue
cessful. A number of orchards are in
bearing and give good promise of sue
cess. A traveller through the country
will see here and there few head of
cattle or sheep always fat, with rich
herbage on every hand growing up but
to decay on the ground. But the
country is interesting not so much for
what it is as for what 1t can be made.
Owing to the heavy growth of vege-
tation fire can be made to run through
the country in the fall when by sowing
seeds of the tame grasses good pastures
can be had ina very short space of
time - Owing to the immense fires
that have run over the country vast
quantities of ashes have been left upon
the ground, this, with the decay of the
immense vegetable growth from year
to year has produced a rich black
friable soil extending to the top of the
highest hills. -
Most travellers over the Yaquina
road will remember the place of Mr..
M. L. Trapp, and have seen what
little energy will do towards making
farm in these hills. A number of
years since a wagon road was built
from Corvallis to Elk City by the Cor
Wallis and Yaquina Bay wagon road
company for which they received every
alternate section by odd numbers for
6 miles on each side of the road. This
corporation was desolved and the road
now is under the direction of the coun-
ty and is free road. The lands of
the company have gone into other
hands and we believe are now offered
for sale. -
The town of Elk City Is situated at
the junction of the Yaquina and Elk
rivers and is high up as boats now
ordinarilysrun although, they can as
cend Z miles further This is the ter
minus of the mail route as carried by
land, being taken from here by water.
At this place are two hotels, one
owned by Holmes Blair and the other
by M. w. Simpson; there is also a
saloon kept by Alexander Gillian.
Two miles further up the Yaquina,
near the old Pioneer town site, Barney
Morrison keeps a grocery store. From
Elk City there is road leading over
Elk hill four miles, where it joins the
road up the river, past Pioneer, giving
a choice of roads, the road over the
hill being two miles nearer. The pre-
cinct is as yet without educational
facilities. .....
The following contains list Of the
names of the persons paying tax upon
property in Elk City precinct No. H.,
and the amount of tax paid by each.
as shown by the last assessment roll
for Benton county:
E. A. Abbey. .................$44 81
J. B. Chitwood. q SO
Alfred Cloaks 4 81
J. E. Dixon / As