Litchfield Enquirer

Oregon—The Route—State of the
Country, &c.
The Lancaster, (Pa.,) Farmer publishes
the following portion of a letter from a na-
tive of that county, now in Oregon, to his
father, written in March last :
* * * I am now in Oregon City, near
the Pacific, 4,000 miles from the place of my
nativity.
* * * * I have a claim of 640
acres of land, situate four miles distant from
the city of Oregon, and as soon as a title,
properly executed, is obtained, I intend to
sell out to emigrants who are constantly ar-
riving.
On our way to this place we passed thro'
the locale of many tribes of Indians—saw
multitudes of Buffalo, Deer, Antelopes and
Mountain Sheep, and other wild animals.
Our route lay within seven miles of the
"Solitary Tower" and "Chimney Rock,"
the former looking very like a Court House
and the latter like a large building with
chimneys rising above the roof. Both of
these peaks are about 600 feet above the
plain, and from a distance, wear the appear-
ance of being the habitation of civilized
man.
The "Hot Spring" is truly a great na-
tural curiosity. The water which contin-
ually boils up from this inexhaustible cal-
dron is sufficiently hot to cook a piece of
meat. Our dogs immediately ran to these
springs to slake their thirst, but soon with-
drew, with their noses so much scalded that
the skin peeled off. The Soda Springs are
also worthy of note, being a natural and in-
exhaustible soda fountain on a large scale
producing soda water in abundance without
the aid of artificial instruments. The water
is quite similar in quality to the mineral
water sold in the shops with you.
While traveling across the Cascade Moun-
tains we became short of provisions. We
ate supper, but had nothing left for break-
fast, save three pounds of flour. In the
morning, however, while some of the party
were hunting our cattle, a deer was seen and
shot. We now had plenty of meat, but no
flour. We soon fell in with a man from the
settlements having in charge several pack
horses loaded with flour, from whom we
purchased sufficient for our necessities.
We are now at war with the Indians, and
are fully able to fight our way through.-
This war was originated by the following
circumstance. While Mr. Whitman and
his man were employed in slaughtering a
beef, the Cayuse Indians approached with
their guns concealed under their blankets,
and before the whites apprehended foul play
fired, killing Mr. Whitman, wife, and eleven
others, and took the women prisoners. This
occurred at a missionary station. We all
turned out and started in pursuit, and after
killing about thirty of the Indians, succeed-
ed in re-capturing the women.
The Winter has been remarkably mild
and open, and no snow in the valleys, tho'
there is plenty of it in sight, all the year
round. We can see the growing crops in
the valleys and snow upon the high peaks
of the mountain at the same time The
prairies are large with groves of white oak,
pine, fir, cedar and ash timber. The coun-
try is much broken and fine farms may be
found.
Farmers are under no necessity of
making hay, as pastures are good in all sea-
son of the year. Garden vegetables—Cab-
bages, Turnips, Peas and the like, grow all
winter. I have seen turnips here weigh 50
pounds. Wheat produces on an average
from thirty to forty bushels per acre, if well
got in. It is customary when the first crop
is harvested to drag the top of a tree over
the stubble, when without farther cultiva-
tion, a crop of from 15 to 20 bushels is ta-
ken off the following year. Corn does not
produce well—the seasons are too cold, and
without sufficient rain.
The Columbia river is as large as the
Susquehanna, and navigable for ships and
steamboats—there are now seven British
and American vessels in the river. Willa-
mette river is about one fourth of a mile in
width, and the falls are about thirty feet
nearly perpendicular. Here we have a wa-
ter power equal to any in the world almost.
There are now two flouring and two saw-
mills, six stores, and two or three hundred
dwelling houses in Oregon City.
Goods are very high—Pantaloons $8 per
pair. and other clothing in proportion; Wheat
$1; Flour $9 per bbl.; Oats $1; Potatoes
75 cents per bushel; Onions $3; Pork $10
per 100 lbs; Beef $5; Butter 25 cents per
lb. ; Eggs do. ; Coffee 25 cents ; Sugar 10
cents; Tobacco 40 cents to $1; Molasses
50 cents per gallon.
Horses sell from $15 to $100; Cows $25:
Claims for Land sell for from $50 up to
$1,000.
J. N. METZGAR.