The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-10-14

cation, culture and art are found here
and the inhabitants are always plan
ming for great and glorious future.
All Americans are and ought to be,
proud of Portland
Toseburg, Ore, Sept. 22.-I have
just completed daylight ride through
the famous Willamette valley, from
| Portland to Roseburg. The term val.
! ley Is rather misnomer The Will
| liamette basin would be more appro.
pirate, This magnificent river tum.
| hles over the rocks at Oregon City,
few miles south of Portland and
the immense water power Is being
utilized for electric energy. \ sNs
TEN of locks is used to promote the
navigation up the river. AS you pro
Ceed southwark up stream the valley
widens into a great basin, in some
places fifty miles wide, of level prairie
lands. This is the greatest agricul.
tural section of Oregon. The South.
ern Pacific railroad runs through this
basin, the towns being, along the rail
road only few miles apart Some
of the prettiest towns in the United
States are found here.
This has been the driest year west.
ern oregon has experienced since the
advent of the white man. The pastures
are brown and the trees show the
effects of drouth. Fruit, however,
seems abundant. The apple trees near
the road are propped to prevent the
weight of the fruit from breaking the
branches. Flowers bloom in the open
air. There are wheat fields as far
as the eye can see and the yellow
stubble indicates a good yield. Farm
ers are plowing for fall wheat.
/ met on the train an old man who
told me that he had been in Oregon
since 1854. He was a morose old
fellow. When | asked him the price
of Willamette lands he tried to evade
the question. l finally asked him if
there were any homesteads left near
the railroad that | could file on. Then
|, he laughed and laughed and volun
teered to say that land was worth
from 500 to $500 an acre. Cut over
lands in the hilly districts you can
get at your own price. | will tell you
something about Roseburg in my next.
Roseburg, Ore. Sept 25.-As the
: name would suggest, the roses are in
bloom here, beautiful to behold. This
is a city after Roose yelt's own heart.
Teddy's name, translated from Hol-
land Dutch to English means rose
plain" Roseburg means a rose vii
, lage." Children are numerous here.
, No danger of race suicide for the eX-
, president to worry over. The night
) | arrived | was an interested specta.
, tor at school meeting in the court
house, where it was decided to build
I new high school building to cost
not less than 100000, during the
present year. Although a city of only
, G,OO0 population, it has two daily pa.
pers each of them printing a semi.
, weekly also. At the present time the
sewer system is being extended a
mile or two.
This is one of the best fruit dis
tricts of Oregon, both in quantity and
quality. The prune and hop industry
is growing fast. Most of the prunes
: are dried and sent to London. Bart
} lett pears reach perfection here and
. peaches are certain crop. Fruit rails
ing, farming, dairying, mining and
, numbering are the resources. The
\. city is putting down a lot of paw
ing. The county of which Roseburg
t is the county seat, went dry last
spring and the costo keeping and
: prosecuting criminals has been great
: ly reduced thereby. The elevation is
= 4SS feet above the sea and distant
l about sixty miles from the coast.
. This is a railroad division point and
2 the monthly pay roll is large. A
I United States land office is located
2 here.
: Hemmed in by low range of noun
tains, this part of Oregon is sheltered
and the winter rain fall is not eXces-
l sive. Grass is green and flowers bloom
2 nearly all winter. There is no wind
I at any time and to the dust covered
ears of a Nebraskan the calm is like
the hush that comes before the rush
: of tempest Oregonians are making
desperate efforts to populate the wild
lands of the state. To farmer raised
t on the broad and level prairies of the
a middle west, this is rather forbid
: ding country. The moss backs" how
S ever, like a mountain for back
Y ground to their landscapes. Those
0 who desire a model western city need
a not look any farther, for here it is
= Metford and Ashland are cities OF
l. about the size of Roseburg. The
f country near these two towns is bad
t ly dried out this year and it will stop
n or check their growth.
: Grant Pass is also rival of Rose
burg and that, too is suffering from
: lack of moisture.
!, Washington and Oregon have their
0 drawbacks in climate which will not
!. change as long as the earth revolves
S 1t is too wet in winter and too dry in
: summer. Fields that are drained in
: the spring are irrigated in the fall
= and it will be ever thus, 1t is be
= | tween the mountains and the deeu