The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-02-21
HON. les 8 EEl Z!lllEl[!l is is ID R s
Investors.

Benton county has an area of about twelve
hundred square miles. and extends through
from the Willamette river to the Pacific ocean.
The coast mountains traverse the county north
and south through the middle, thus giving it
widely diversified characteristics. On the
western slope there q number of small
valleys that are considerably improved. Chief
among these is the Alsea valley. in the south
western part of the county. which is I'll lont
fifteen miles long and four miles wide, and 10
well adapted to general farming. fruit growing,
fairving and stock raising. There located
in this valley two erist mills, two salmon can.
neries, and several small lumber and shingle
mills. Coastng vessels ascend the river a
number of miles and ply lucrative trade.
The Yaquina valley, further north. similar
country, aud it has the advantage of i,eing
the railroad. which runs down the valley to
the bay. Yaaui,,a is a town Of abont four
hundred inhabitants, situated on the bay of
the same name at the mouth of the i,er, and
its shipping facilities as the terminus of the
Oregon Pacific railway on tide water make it
important place 1t has the hest harbor
on the coast between San Francisco and the
Columbia river. and the nearest hnr to the
Willamette river. The government is i'm.
proving this harlor to meet the growing de-
mands of commerce. The railway company
has line Of steamers plying between Yaquina
and San Francisco. and coasting vessels i"
less business there. The only bank in
the county outside Of Corvallis IS located there.
A few miles down the beech is the Seal Rock
summer resort, which is wei patronized every
season and is rapidly gaining in popularity.
Newport is an Incorporated town about the
same size Yaquina. 1t is few miles nearer
the ocean and is quite widely known as sum-
mer resort The Siletz Indian reservation
takes in small portion of the northeastern
part of the county. The western slope of
Benton county is not so well settled as that
portion in the Willamette valley but it con.
tains many choice tracts of farming land and
vast forests of valuable timber.
In the Willamette valley portion of the
county there are several sub. valleys. separated
by low hills that are not too rough for cult-
vation. In the Lorthern part OF the county
are Bodget's aud Kings valleys. drained by
the Luehiamnte river. The Kings valley
settlement is the larger of the two, and in
clutes considerable area of weil-developed
country. The Mary's river valley is the
largest in the county and comprises the
country about Corvallis and extending west.
ward into the mountains fifteen or twenty
miles distant. Then the Long Tom country
occupies All important portion of the south
eastern corner OF the county. All these email!
valleys are merely portions of the rich William
cite valley, the divisions between them being
somewhat imperfect!y defined watersheds
trenhing from the mountains to the river.
On the Willamette slope the forests decrease
the river is approached. The mountains
are for the most part, heavily timbered with
white fir, cellar and yew, and down the slopes
are maple, ash, oak, alder aud balm. Nearly
all localities of medium altitude bear a light
growth of oak and maple ALI tie creek
bottoms have ash, alder and balm. This entire
list of wood is suitahe for manufacturing
purposes, such as lumber, furniture, wooden
ware, etc.
Benton county hns by no means reached
state of full development. Its agricultural
resources. which are chief, are susceptible of
great growth, and it needs many more people
than it row has to till the soil The land is
very productive. No section of the west ex-
GELS this county in the abundance and variety
of its farm products. The climate is mild and
healthful, with the same pleasant features that
characterize the climate of the Willamette
valley in general. The summers are dry aLd
moist and extremes of temperature are un-
known. The climate of the portion west of
the mountains is little more moist than in the
valley. and Vegetation is green there the entire
year. Sometimes there is snow in the valley
for very brief time in winter. During nearly
half century that Benton county has been
cultivated there has not been single failure of
crops and the ordinary yields are pr"verbialy
large All the common graius vegetables and
fruits raised, and even the more sensitive |
grapes and peaches successfully grown.
The fruit interests could easily lie quad, upltd
by the establishment of curing facilities
There are large quantities of cultivable land
still unoccnpied on 10th sides of the MOUNTAINS
hut the western slope has fewer settlers than |
1.-THE EASTERN because it is a newer section and |
has not the modern conveHences of the valley
For grazing purposes, the foothills of the |
mountains contain the choicest lands; but for
cultivation the more level surface down in the
valley is preferred, and such farms may be OH
tained in good locations near market for from
$500 to $1,000 per acre. Improved farms, Of
course, cost more than the wild lands Many
of the land holders now own hundreds of
acres more than they use and they are
manifesting desire to cut UP these large
tracts and dispose of the surplus land to immi-
gr lnts seeking homes in the west This Sec
tion has superior attractions for home seekers,
and it is that class Of people more than any
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