The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-03-14
Investors.
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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 are a 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 about
fifteen miles long and four miles wide, and is
well adapted to general farming. fruit growing,
dairying and stock raising. There are located
in this valley two grist mills, two salmon
neries, and several small lumber and shingle
mills. Coasting vessels ascend the river a
number of miles and ply a lucrative trade.
The Yaquina valley, further north, IS similar
country, and it has the advantage of being on
the railroad, which runs down the valley to
the bay. Yaquina is town of about four
hundred inhabitants, situated on the bay of
the same name at the mouth of the river, and
its shipping facilities as the terminus of the
Oregon Pacific railway tide water make it
an important place. 1t has the best harbor
on the coast between San Francisco and the
Columbia river and the nearest harbor to the
Willamette river. The government is i'm
proving this harbor to meet the growing de-
mands of commerce. The railway company
has a line of steamers plying between Yaquina
and San Francisco and coasting vessels do
more or 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 well patronzed every
season and is rapidly gaining in popularity.
Newport is an incorporated town about the
same size as Yaquina. 1t is few miles nearer
the ocean and is quite widely known as sum-
mer resort, The Siletz Indian reservation
| takes in a small portion of the northeastern
part of the county. The western slope of
Benton county is not SO we'll 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 not too rough for culti-
| vation. In the ,.orthern part OF the county
are Bodget's and Kings Valleys drained by
the Luckiamnte river. The Kings valley
settlement is the larger of the two, and in
| clu,ies considerable of well-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 twenty
miles distant. Then the Long Tom country
| occupies an important portion of the SOUTH
eastern corner OF the county. All these small
| valleys merely portions of the rich William
cite valley, the divisions between them being
somewhat imperfectly defined watersheds
trending from the mountains to the river.
| On the Willamette slope the forests decrease
as 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 and balm. Nearly
all localities of medium altitude bear light
growth of oak and maple. All the creek
bottoms have ash, alder and balm This entire
list of wood is suitable for manufacturing
purposes, such as lumber, furniture, wooden.
ware, etc.
! Benton county has 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 now has to till the soil. The land il
very productive. No section of the west ex.
| GELS this county in the abundance and variety
| of it's 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 aid
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 a single failure of
crops and the ordinary yields are proverbially
large. All the common grains, vegetables and
! fruits are raised, and even the more sensitive
grapes and peaches are successfully grown.
The fruit interests could easily be euadl upled
by the establishment Of curing facilities.
There are large quantities of cultivable land
| still unoccupied on both sides of the mountains,
| but the western slope has fewer settlers than
| the eastern, because it is newer section and
! has not the modern conveniences 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 OBJ
| tanned in good locations near market for from
$751; 10 to $4,000 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
| now manifesting desire to cut up these large
tracts and dispose of the surplus land to immi-
grsnts seeking homes in the west. This sec.
| tion has superior attractions for home seekers
| and it is that class of people more than any
| other that is becoming interested in Benton
county,