The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-09-25
FROM OREGON.


PORTLAND, Oregon, Sept. 10. 80.
ED. GAZETTE: The story that Tacoma's
mayor advertised in Boston for wives for
500 young men in his city, ii true, would not
be a surprising fact, as there are many thou
sands of young men seeking fortunes, fame
and homes in ibis western wor1, and how to
furnish them with wives from the scant sup
ply of young women on the hCme market is
question which well might puzzle Inc mayor.
A better field for the Y. NJ. Z. A. would be
hard to find, and the report given at the an
nual meeting of the association cid recent.
ly, shows great work is being done for the
young mon in Portland, 900 having visited
the association rooms during the past three
months ana several hundred have been fur
niShed with employment and boarding places
Portland is a beautiful city, with broad
streets shaded with naples, except in the
business portion, regularly laid out, well
paved and well lighted. 1t is built on the
west bank of the Willamette river, II miles
from it's mouth in the Columbia. and l22 miles
by these rivers from the Pacific Ocean. 1t is
the head of ship navigation and is built on a
plat eau rising gradually from the river to a
range of fir covered hills surrounding it in a
semi-crclc on the west. ard commanding fine
cade mountains in the distance. A park ex-
tends most the entire length of the city and
there are several others. The city park occu-
pies tract of land on either side of deep
ravine, across which some Of the renowned
fig trees have fallen, and on the tops of these
rustic bridges have been built. Fountains
and flower gardens, a pit with four grizzly
bears, pond and seals, and in fact quite a
menagerie of birds and animals are attrac-
tons found here
A trip to Portland heights amply pays a
visitor for his trouble. The terminus of the
cable car line is $40 feet above the river AMI
an additional $50 feet are climbed by means
of steps. From this point most excellent
views arc afforded of the city, the valley, and
beyond the snow caps. From here, In clear
weather. can be seen the peaks of seven
mountains, but the forest fires now raging
prevent their being seen.
The Chinese have taken possession of a
large portion of the city. Across fro m the
printing house of Bates S Co. is Joss House
where the heather worship their Gods. Be-
side this is Chinese theatre, and could you
hear the weird music in its vicinity you might
think dozen regiments of the Salvation
Army were all playing different tunes at the
same time. The Chinese funeral is an inter-
esting proceeding. The mourners are hired
to make as much noise as possible, and with
great cymbals they succeed in making what
sounds like the rafting of hundreds of tin
pans and the ringing of COW bells. Behind
the mourners are men throwing many slips
of colored paper to the breeze, each with
small hole in the center. The evil one must
crawl through all these holes before he can
reach the spirit Just departed. At the ceme-
terry he is covered with tea aud buried, his
belongings are burned on his grave, when
months afterward his bones are dug up and
returned TO the land of his fathers.
This is the land Of fruit and flowers the
paradise of the west, so much sung about by
railroad companies and real estate Dealers
but it has its Objectionable features. The
rainy season is long and dsagreeable-thati is
why the inhabitants are sweb-foote ed and
there is considerable malaria There are no
alleys in the city Of Portland, consequently
the streets are Uttered with wood-piles and
rubbish in the residence portion, while in the
wholesale districts the walks are almost i'm
passable. If the address of friends of Red
people in Oregon could be had some items of
interest might be furnished to your readers .
w. L. A.