The Republican journal., 1901-12-26
LETTER FROM PORTLAND, OREGON


Englander, whirled rapidly across the
continent and landed in the great
! northwest, almost feels as if he, or
she, was inhabiting another country,
SO different are the people, customs
i and surroundings. Portland is called
the most New England-hke of any of
the Pacific cities, and as l gradually
become accustomed to western ways
! find that this is essentially true. 1t is
much less like continental cities than
San Francisco, or even Seattle, which
is sometimes called Little Frisco"
Until three years ago l, for one, knew
very little about Portland, Oregon. l
knew in general way that there was a
city by that name in Oregon. l knew
it was near the famous Columbia river,
and both city and river were associated
in my mind with salmon, both fresh
and canned. If l ever gave it a
thought, there were vague shadows of
a sparsely settled community, devoted
mostly to fishing, with plenty of
Indians wandering around in their
native garb. Of course if had really
tried to enlighten myself in regard to
it, the encyclopedia would have given
me the desired information, but in the
past, l, in common with nearly all
New Englanders, have interested my
self very little in regard to the great
northwest, whose wonderful resources
are hardly known, and can never be
fully realized in the extreme east.
Higher and more formidable than the
walls of China seems the wilderness of
prairie, the desert wastes of alkali and
sage brush, and the mighty walls of
mountains which divide the Pacific
country from our own New England
and Middle States.
There is no way to comprehend the
vastness of our country until we have
journeyed from the Atlantic to the Pa
cifc States. Hundreds of thousands of
Eastern people have made the journey
for business or pleasure, but the vast
multitude, after ALL have never crossed
the great divides which engineering
skill have made source of pleasure to
the true American who has desire to
see something of his own country
j oregon and Washington have always
seemed far more remote than Califor-
MIA, for the reason that these two States
have never attained SO much notoriety,
and are not so densely populated.
The time has now arrived when these
two States, unrivalled for climate
scenery, agriculture and mineral wealth.
are rapidly coming to the front. The
destinieS of the two States are indis-
Solubly bound together, and what bene-
fits the one, will have natural bearing
on the other.
1t was not many years ago that Ore
gon depended on the great Middle
States, wholly or in a large part, former
butter and eggs. Now ranch eggs
from this State are very plentiful and
moderate in price, and are the "real
thing" as one is always sure Of fresh
article, and much finer in flavor than
are the Eastern eggs, owing no doubt
to the plentitude of sweet grain and
clean gravel There are more than one
hundred creameries in Western Oregon
at present, and new companies are be-
ing formed every day. The Oregon
butter is sweet and delicious, and very
moderate in price, two pound rolls, full
weight, costing So cents. The milk
brought to city customers by the farm
ers is particularly rich, and far excels
that peddled in Eastern cities. Port
land has vigilent milk inspector, but
there is seldom any complaint rendered
to him. Personally speaking, l am will
ing to admit that Oregon milk equals,
if it does not excel, that which used to
be produced on the 'old farm"
1t is only recently that the State of
Oregon has awakened from the Rip Van
Wrinkle sleep in which she has been in
dulging for the last half century, or
nearly, since her first occupation. For
years the old inhabitants have been
called "moss-backs," and sleepy
heads by the few progressive people
who have realized the possibilities of
the great State. The early settlers of
western Oregon found that nature had
made everything easy for them. While
the early New England settlers were
obliged to dig and delve in hard soil
and in pitiless climate for that which
should give sustenance, the pioneers of
this region found a fertile and diversi-
fled country, with climate unsurpass-
ed anywhere on the American CONT
nent The warm winds which blow in
land from the great Pacific temper
the climatic conditions, and this warm
current of air is a sure protection
against any settled condition of cold
weather. True, it required courage and
perseverance to come over the plains
! in the early 40's and $685. and many a
faithful man and woman lay down to
their eternal sleep, using their bur
dens for pillow, ere the mountains