Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1898-06-17
A LETTER FROM WISCONSIN.
itor LINCOLN COUNTY LEADER:


the trip did me very much good in all
respects. The way out / went over the
Northern Pacific railroad. This road
runs through many places of strange
and rich scenery on its way to the coast.
Take, for instance, through North Da-
kota, with its rich and fertile prairies
and its beautiful lakes and its wonder
full Bad Lands with buttes that vary
from small size to $50 feet high, with
rounded submits, steep sides and deep
~ravines +; Montana with its broad, rolling
plateaus and pleasant valleys, with the
thousands of horses, cattle and sheep
that are kept for ~fattening on the fertile
bunch-grass with its cottonwood groves
along the rivers and streams, and with
its Peak of G~alletine; Idaho with its
beautiful lake Pend d. Oreille; Wash
ington, with its great evergreen forests,
Its snow covered peaks in the Peshastin
range, and its Mt. Tacoma. These are
but a few Of the many magnificent nat
ural scenes that with good opportunity
can be observed from the train, going
from st. Paul, Minnesota, to Portland,
Oregon. Natures sceneries that are
worth travelling hundreds of miles to see.
Portland, Oregon, is a beautiful city,
situated on the banks of the Willamette
river. 1t has many handsome business
blocks, many fine churches, structurious
exposition building, fine residences and
a fine park. The streets are shaded with
ornamental trees, and the residence lots
have fine lawns decorated with beautiful
flowers.
From Portland I went on the steam
boat up the Willamette river to Corval-
lis, and then over the Corvallis & East
ern railroad to Toledo, Lincoln county,
Oregon. Up the Willamette river 1 had
a very pleasant trip. The weather was
fine, the sky clear only a little cloud
around the top of the mighty Mt. Hood.
The air was warm and laden with odor
from the flowers and trees on the river
banks. Especially I enjoyed the voyage
up the locks at the falls of Oregon City,
where the river makes a steep leap of
between so and go feet, and where the
locks are cut out in the solid rock.
About twenty-five miles up the river I
stopped off to visit an old friend from
Wisconsin. e has been out there for
about eight years and likes Oregon well.
He owns a -four mill and farm, and he
seems to prosper. That gentleman took
me around with a horse and buggy and
showed me some of the beautiful Will
lamette valley.
All in all l am very we'll pleased with
what l observed in the state of Oregon.
Especially do l think very much about
Lincoln county. 1 have not yet seen any
country in America that was more like
Old Mother Norway than Lincoln coun-
ty, with its bays, rivers, valleys and for
est clad hills. The soil, of course, is
much richer and the climate much mild
er out there. The land is billy, that is
true, and people that used to live on
level lands or p~rairies, probably at the
first glance will think the hills too steep
and valleys too small and narrow, but it
must be taken into consideration that
the land will have a far different look
after being cleared and laid out into
fields and meadows. So far as 1 could
learn, the soil is fertile and cultivatable
as we'll up on the tops of the hills as in
the valleys. The large prairies and
wide plains may be all right, but for my
part 1 like land with lovely valleys, lofty
hills, and where there are plenty Of fish,
rich rivers and streams and sparkling
brooks of crystal, clear, pure water. If
everything be taken into consideration l
don't know about any country with more
attractive scenery, purer and healthier
climate, and 30 plentiful Of all necessary
as in Lincoln county. And
then the majestic Ocean 30 close by
only a little distance over the summit
from Toledo. The oceans roaring can
be heard at Toledo, as the waves break
against the shore. I thought it was very
strange, the first evening l was in Tole-
do, and heard the mighty roaring from
the old Pacific. 1t sounded something
like far away thunder. remember one
evening I was standing on n Of the
highest hills south Of Toledo taking a
view Of the country before me. Thought
there was something great about. There,
far in the northeast the snow-clad noun
tains here, nearer, mighty hills with
abundant, evergreen forests; down there
lovely in all directions, running valleys
with rivers and streams, and then the