Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1910-08-12
NJ. j. ANDERSON INTERESTINGLY
TELLS OF THE SITUATION
TRANSPORTATION TO SEA
The Coast Counties the Land Of
Opportunity and Plenty for
the Homeseeker.

The railroad situation at Grants
Pass is attracting no little attention
That we will have an outlet to the
sea in the near future is reasonably
sure. There are two routes to
choose from, one down the Rogue
river and the other south to Crescent
City The country through which
either of these roads may run is ex-
ceedingly rich in a variety of re-
sources, such as mining, numbering
and agriculture. The great railroad
magnates have an eye on the situa-
tion and in due time will avail them
selves of the wealth of this great in
land empire to build a road which
will connect us with cheap steam
ship freight advantages, which are
among the things needed in the de-
velopment of the great Rogue River
valley.
M. ]. Anderson, who has just re-
turned from the mountains of South
ern Coos county and who Is familiar
with that country, was interviewed
by the Courier in relation to the pro-
posed electric railroad mentioned in
our issue of last week. He said:
"All the Courier has said as to the
Importance of such a road is true.
A line like this would open up Coos
and Curry counties which undoubt-
edly contain more undeveloped ma
tural resources than all the rest of
Oregon. Eastern Oregon, which is
now attracting so much railroad at
tention, Is a good country and a big
country-it Is a country OF big
ranches and farms and will always
be so when compared with the coast
counties Soil and climate are very
different east Of the Cascades, 1t
takes large holdings Of farm and
range lands and large investments to
protect the settlers there against be-
ing wiped out by failure of crops
from drought, or loss of stock by
hard winter Fortunes there are
rapidly made or lost, but 20 acres of
coast lands properly farmed will
come nearer making settler
model home and give an income suf-
ficient to make him Independent
than ten times the area in the semi
arid region; and with railroads to
carry his produce to market 20 acres
will make him rich The coast
country needs railroads to get its
produce to the interior markets and
Rogue River valley needs such lines
to equalize It's freight rates This
country will never come into its own
until II has direct railroad connec-
tion with the Pacific ocean, and
this means a railroad to Marshfield
direct or via Gold Beach and Port
Orford.
THE proposed line up the South
Fork of the Coquille would tap one
OF the richest regions in Oregon,
with It's virgin forests of Port Oxford
cedar and fir cruising as high as
20,0O0,000 feet TO the quarter sec
tion. and It's undeveloped coal beds,
which would furnish traffic for CEN
turtles.
81 know Of no pass through the
Devils Backbone 10 cut the length
of such a road to 115 miles; but be-
lieve a longer road perfectly prac-
ticable, and as II would not have a
barren section on II. It's length would
not be disadvantage.
81 do not know these people who
are proposing to build this railroad,
or whether they are familiar with
the proposed route but Grants Pass
and Southern Oregon needs such a
road and will some day have rail-
road connection with Marshfield
and the other coast towns. for the
wealth along any route that leads in-
10 lower Rogue River country viii
Justify the construction of q first
class railroad
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