Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1911-02-07
the purchase of a single animal.

Center of Angora Industry.
Dallas is the center of the Angors
goat industry in Oregon. The poo
of mohair marketed here each year il
the largest in the state and its sale
is an event of importance in the live
stock world. The pool usually amount!
to from 10000 to 100000 pounds OF
choice mohair. and It's value ranges
from $25, 900 to $4,000. Heretofore
this pool has been sold to oregon buy.
ers for shipment to textile mills in the
New England states, but now that g
mohair mill is in operation in Port
land it is altogether probable that flu.
ture pools will find market in Ore
gon.
Polk County ranks fifth among the
goat counties in the Union. The show
held in Dallas each winter is officially
recognized by the National Angors
Goat Association, and is second in i'm
portance only to the National show
held in Kansas City.
Horse breeding has been neglected
in this county for many years but with
the steadily increasing demand foI
heavy draft horses more attention is
being given to this industry than for
merly. Within the last few years sew
eral Belgian, Percheron, Clydesdale
and Coach horses have been imported
from Europe. The purchase prices OF
these animals range from $4,000 to
$4,000. Few purchases have been made
by individuals, the farmers preferring
to form a stock company and thus di-
vide the large outlay of money neces-
sary to secure the best animals.
Polk Has -Four Railroads.
Polk County has excellent transpor-
of the Southern Pacific provides COM
munication with Portland, which is
only SO miles north of Dallas, the
county seat of Polk. The Salem, Falls
City & Western Railway crosses the
county from east to west This road
is owned by Portland capitalists. Logs
are hauled from the western terminus
at Black Rock to the mills in Dallas
and are also dumped into the William
cite River at West Salem. The road,
originally Is miles in length, was ex-
tended from Dallas to West Salem last
year. The company now has 29 miles
of track, with modern rolling stock
In addition to the heavy logging traf-
fc, the trains handle large volume
of freight and passenger business an
To- q
mouth Railway, owned by local capi-
tai, handles all of the Southern Pacific
business south of Dallas in the county
and also maintains two miles of its
own track between Monmouth and In
Thirty-two trains arrive
at and depart from Dallas daily.
Polk County has no debt notwith-
standing the fact that Courthouse
was erected only a few years ago at
cost of $4,000.
Excellent educational advantages
are offered to the children of families
settling in Polk County. Besides the
normal school at Monmouth and Dali
las College, at Dallas, high schools are
maintained in Dallas, Independence,
Falls City, Monmouth, Perrydale, and
Ballston. There are 81 school districts
in the county.
Modern road building is receiving
more attention with each succeeding
year and the county now has hundreds
of miles of well-improved highways.
The county owns a rock crusher and
road roller, which are kept busy the
greater portion of the year.
County Towns Are Growing.
Dallas, the county seat and princl-
pal town, is located in the geograph-
Ical center of the county. 1t is IA miles
west of Salem, and two miles east of
the foot of the Coast Mountains. 1t is
a busy, thriving town, with numerous
mills and factories, which furnish a
arge monthly pay roll. Dallas has cleo
trio lights, macadamized streets and a
splendid water system. Pure mountain
water is piped from Canyon Creek, a
distance of eight miles. The town has
modern business buildings, handsome
schools and churches and many beaut-
ful homes
Independence, the second town of
the county. is located on the William
atte River, ten miles southwest of Sa-
lem. 1t is the center Of the hop indus
try and is a prosperous, growing town.
II has all the modern improvements
enjoyed by many cities of greater size,
he latest public improvement being an
extensive sewer system. Like Dallas,
which built a s4O.O high school last
summer. Independence has just COM
pleted one OF the best high school
in the state.
Monmouth is an educational center.
Here is the oregon State Normal
School. a high school and a largely at
.ended public school. Monmouth is a
1omelike town, with broad. well-kept
streets, handsome homes and substan-
.iaI business buildings. 1t is rapidly
coming 20 the front as a manufactur-
ng town, having recently built a cam
lery, -four mill. fruit evaporator and
,reamery.
Falls city. the youngest town In the
iouuA1s u idpihi4 AttNiht hS WY AhNp
he front rank in point Of growth and
importance. II Is situated
It the head OF the Luckiamute Valley
md Is the gateway to the vast timber
-egion Of the Luckiamute and the
siletz. Il has large lumber mills and
= the supply point for numerous log
ring camps. II Is also destined 70 be-
.ome the center of an important fruit I
rowing district. the mountain land
IL being unexcelled for
richard purposes.
Hawley's BIN Elrst.
SALEM. Or. Jan. 31.-Governor
Vest today signed two bills. enacting 4
hem into laws One Of these Il HaW-