The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1890-06-05


Editor and Proprietor.
WoafnrHeron. MIN. JuxE 5 1880.
FROM OREGON.
MEADOW r. o., Lane Go. Oregon.
Nay q, 1890. .
Ed. ADvANcE:-Belteving it to be .
duty l owe to my old friends aud
neighbors Of Worthtneton, and it, vi
eiaity, now write you lettor, after
feas years residence here. 1 am still
receiving letters containing inquiries
abeut this section OF country, tho last
Q very interesting ono from Ar. Frank
Saxon, Of Indian Lake.
I wpote some letters to the Worth
ineton papers soon after arriving here
bot I know more about Oregon now
than I did then and it is the most dif-
aealt part of eur country to UNDER
s4aud that ever lived in. 50 different
10 everything here. climate, timber
fhoosof the country, and all. rs. -.
lasy psople have written to me for:
lnformation with . view Of coming. I
have Invariably said to all, II think
1oa are better OF where you are" l
havs done fairly we'll, but have worked
hard for It. We have q fine ranch Of
river bottom land, with some forty
aesss In cultivation, in hay principally.
with f3ne young orchard, just Begin
ming to bear. Will have this year ap-s
plss, peaches. plums, prunes, cherries,
grapes, SC. We have horses, cattle,
hogs. &C., moIe than we want and no
sale for them. We have fine spiary,
with . number of swarms of the large
yellow bees. Their boxes are we'll
stored with the best of honey, aud now
are having new swarms.
could continue thus writing and
give you . flattering account of this
great Oregon. But l do not like this
state, and have been over much of it
too. We usually have no rain worth
naming from the first of May till Nov
ember. Pastures dry up and turn
brown, and Are would run wild on
meadow stubble. Then it rains \ great
deal for about six months, sometimes
steadily for two weeks, day and night.
The first winter we were here we kept
. rain guage. and there were II Inches
Of precipitation. Last winter there
was much more. Think of sheep here
In six months of rain. How many
pounds of water they must carry In
their flsec+s day and night. Cattle, too,
are injured by so much rain. An ex-
cess of dust in summer and of mud in
winter is not pleasant. Last winter
was said to be hard winter here. The
Oregon papers acknowledge that fifty
poE cent Of the live stock died of hun
ger One neiyhbor had nine head of
cattle, last seven, has two calves left.
One had sixty head, has ten left. An
other had II sheep, has five left. 1 had
plenty of hay and lost no stock.
A great many people are still arriv-
ing from all parts of the east aid south,
from California. from Texas, Arkan.
sss, Missouri, Virginia, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois.
Wisconsin, Iowa. Minnesota, and all
over. Perhaps one half or more seem
to like this part and stay. Many buy
from llve to fifty acres in the William
ette Valley, and pay from $35 to SIS
An acre Of mostly very badly worn out
land, and expect to raise'prunes and
other fruit. Many pass below US and
locate on or near the ocean. They all
have to spend much money In getting
started, and do not know how they
will got much Of it back. Horse sorre]
and tarwesd soon take = new ranch
here, and the more one tries to kill
them tho better they grow. 1 like Or
sgon ~ we'll as did at any time. and
1 do not like it at all. In al my hes
peEian peregrinations Oregon Is the
poorest place ever lived in. People
hsre now would have hard, dull time
only for tho money brought in by new
comors. All of this vast section west
Of the great Willamette valley con
sists of the coast range, and is al
rough mountains except the very mar
row valleys along the streams. East O.
the Willamette it is tho same till yot
get into the eastern part of the State
There 1t 10 droughty in summer, an,
veey bleak in winter. with wood an,
water scarce. This is an excellent frui
place, and also is good for bees, root
and grass until the sorrel comes.
think there Is no climate in the worl'
that will compare with this climate
nights cool oil summer, and the ther
mometer indicating only about freez
Ing point in winter. Corn and vine
do poorly here, the nights being to-
COOL.
1 suppose most Of: your readers hav
read Of the terrible foods we had her
about the flrst of last February. Th
damage to this county and to wester
Oregon was immense. Nearly all tn
bridges were carried away. I've an
our ueighbors were compelled to va
cato our houses, and 60 on the noun
tain side and remain there three day
and nights. Our fences and paling'
with their posts torn out Of the eartl
together with everything loose, wei
carried away. We sustained heav
loss considering our worth. The watt
here WAS Is feet 8 inches higher tha
it had been since We lived here. o.
aew house stood it well, being pret,
largo, heavy, two story frame. An IN
mense amount of drift floated dow,
Whole fir trees, from six to ten fe
through at the butt, and moro ths