Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-01-13
RESOURCES
OF DALLAS
COUNTY SEAT OF POLK COUNTY
IN WEALTHY DISTRICT
A Few of the Advantages Presented
by Dallas and Surrounding Coun-
try.

The following was written for the
Oregonian by its staff correspondent
Addison Bennett:
Polk is not large county, geo
graphically speaking, compared witt
other Oregon counties. 1t has an
area of $50 square miles. If Oregon
was divided into counties of the same
size we would have 124 of them, in
place of the 33 we have. On the 9TH
er hand, if all of our lands were as
thickly populated as is that of Polk
County, we would have population
of about 100000, in place of the
100000 we have, or had in 1910
When it comes to prosperity |
think it is spread out over Polk about
as thickly as in any other portion of
the state. The average assessed
wealth, not actual, but assessed wealth
mind you, of Polk people is about
$1,000, which the best informed say
gives an average wealth for each
family of $4,000 If that is not a
good showing then tell me what con-
stitutes real prosperity.
Dallas is the county seat of Polk,
the metropolis of Polk so far as fl
nances and population are concerned.
Dallas gained the county seat perma-
nently after a most beautiful scrap
with Independence, lasting nearly 40
years. There was no bloodshed, no
knocking down and dragging out, but
little animostity-just truly Won
derful and lovely, but long-drawn-out
scrap.
Independence Fair, Brave.
In speaking of the past Cary Hay
ter, who for more than 20 years ran
newspaper here at Dallas, was fore
ed to say that the Independence peo-
pie are the best and bravest lot of
citizens, and also the fairest, that any
county ever possessed. "We only
won in the end by our geographical
position" continued Carey By the
way, Carey says while in the newspa-
per business, running the Dallas OBJ
server, which was one of the best of
Oregon country papers, he usually
kept only about two jumps ahead of
the Sheriff, financially speaking.
A couple of years ago he sold his pa
per and went into the book and sta
tionery business here and has one of
the incest stocks and neatest stores
in all Oregon-and is at least 100
Jumps ahead of the Sheriff. And
every one of Carey's hosts of friends
is glad that fortune is smiling on him.
If you want to know why the names
Dallas and Polk, just taks up some
political history and trace up the ca
reer of James X. Polk and his team
mate, Dallas. Then you will know the
why; also the when.
Polk County extends from the Will
lamette on the east to the crest of
the Coast Range on the west, from
Yamhill on the north to Benton on the
south. OF the 476,704 acres of land
in the county 281,70 acres are under
cultivation. Of the remaining area
much is timbered. And in this tim
ber belt, along the Coast Range, there
is wealth which puts most of the
mining sections of the world out of
the running. And when the mine
is worked out there is but trifling
value left; the forests of Polk along
the mountainsides will be reproduce
themselves continually until the end
Of time if proper methods are pur-
sued.
Wealth of Polk Increases.
Where is the best mohair district 1
in the United States7 In Polk.
Where are raised the finest Angora i
goats to produce this mohair? In !
Polk. Where are the greatest hop j
fields in the country1 In Polk. I
Where is the finest prune district !
n the Northwest2 In Polk. Where d
10 they raise as fine cherries, apples,
english walnuts, pears, peaches, v
loganberries, raspber- a
les and all other fruits as are pro- v
luced in the country In Polk. c
/ might go on and "poke" such s
acts at the reader all day-and then I
lot tell all of the truth. The horses, I
mules, sheep and thoroughbred live b
took of all kinds raised in Polk have p
AIKEN blue ribbons enough to start Il
ribbon factory of vast dimensions.
md every year Folks livestock is in
reasing in numbers and in quality. S
7ou see the Polk County agrieultur- S,
sts and livestock breeders are as pro- 81
ressive as any in America. They a
re universally progressive. l do not IL