Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-12-18
A Complete Description of the
Proposed Route.
A BEAUTIFUL ROUTE TO TRAVERSE
A Gentleman Well Acquainted With the
Route Pictures IL Out in an
Interesting Manner.

and knows what he is talking about
Leaving Salem, the projected lint
of the Salem, Tillamook & Attoris
railroad would run almost diagonal
ly across the richest portions of POLL
county and along for some distance
up the uDrivaled South Yamhil
river, to the Grande Ronde resrva
tiou. Here would be the first mount
ain contract, but 1t scarcely amounts
to that, for the route follows up q
creek at a minimum grade, throug b
low wooded hills, south of Mount
Hebo, for distance of eight or nine
miles to the Dolph postoffice. Here
1t strikes the waters of Three Rivers
II considerable tributary of the Bis
Nestucca, and there the divide has
been crossed.
Down the Three Rivers the road
would descend with the valley, W hich
is u moderate grade considering
that it Is keeping the company of q
coast stream. At its mouth the
road would defect to the north, up
along the east side of the Nestucea,
the percentage of grade and grading
being small for about five miles.
Here it would strike the mouth of
the Great Beaver, having crossed
the other stream at one of several
favorable bridging points, below the
mouth of the creek. Following up
the fine little valley of the Beaver,
the route, after ascending the West
Fork a short distance, would cross
oyer few miles of alternate fiat and
rolling country to the valley of the
Tillamook.
After the traveller has puzzled his
brain not a little in trying to dis
cover where the one left off and the
other began, once on the Tillamook
riverside, the road would begin the
traverse of an interval of twenty
miles, ofa level, well-settled country,
touching neither hill nor mountain
until 1t reaches Bay City on Tilla-
NOOK bay. This run would be in d
general northwesterly direction,
having followed down the Tilla-
nook until 1t reaches the westward
bend of that stream. There 1t would
leave the river and strike diagonally
across the south prairie instead OF
down that prairie as many might
suppose. This latter course would
involve some trouble in getting
through some low country, which
would be Stunned altogether by
going higher up, crossing the Trask
river about mile or so above the
county bridge.
1t would touch the town of Til
lamOOk at it's eastern edge. Here
would be the first contact with salt
water Passing on north from the
town, 1t would unavoidably have to
traverse some low country at the
head of tide water, also crossing the
Wilson and Kilchis rivers, streams
easily bridged, as they already have
county bridges spanning them. A
few miles beyond the last named
stream, over alternate prairie and
timber lands and Bay City, before
Is then reached.
Touching salt water again at this
point the route may proceed north
ward, either down the beach by way
of Jacksonville, and the mouth of
the Miami river, and within one
and a half miles of Garibaldi, or it
may pass eastward of Jacksonville,
through a low gap in the hills, and
gain the Miami, mile or so above
It's mouth. Either route is perfectly
practicable. Up this stream It
would run for about eight miles,
when 1t would abruptly leave it and
turn to the northwest over on to the
waters of the Foley, tributary of
the South Nehalem, but here, again,
80 gently Is the change through |
his remarkable pass, that you
are not really aware of 1t until |
you strike the Foley some |
distance along its northerly flow.
Five miles beyond you reach the
Nehalem. Crossing 1t at the head |
If the tide water, 1t may be followed
lown In eastern bank for short
distance, and then across to the
North Nehalem, or the route could
perhaps more easily, on account of
owland, cut acioss from its inter-
section with the South Nehalem
llong the foothills, toa point on
he North Nehalem, a few miles
lbove the mouth of Coal creek,
Here 1t would probably cross the
iver,and my personal knowledge
# the route ends, but what has al
vays been understood here as fact,
nd from what l could gather from
loosely questioning hunters of the
Nehalem, n fine pass does exist from
he North Nehalem through Il low
.ap In the mountains down the Me-
creek to the seaside, TO
which point the railroad Is now
from Astoria.
There Is your route-certainly not
1hat u cursory glance on clear
ay, ut the coast range from the
lains of Polk and Yamhill might
reclaim II To be-a chain of MeXi-
an barrancas, with frow ming peaks
nd beetling walls, down vi hose can
ons rush the streams in thunder
ig cataracts to the sea. Not so; the
asses ofthe Three rivers, the Beaver,
ne Miami aud Foley, are valleys OF
lore or less width, along which To. |
ny exists solid string OF settlers. /
Capes Lookout, Mears, Arch,
carney Mountain, Tillamook head $
Id the high hills between the I
outh OF Tillamook bay ard Ne $
ilem are In one sense, disintegrated I
agments ofthe coast range, shaded n
as IL were, 10 set up a sort of geo. z
gical autonomy of their own. In
ct In the rear OF capes Lookout and [
ears, the hills are low, and are of p