I ought here to remark that the wheat of this country is of a superior quality. It is free from all those attending evils very common at the east, such as smut, rust and wheat sickness.—The weevil is not known here at present. The wheat of this country grows with a very stiff stalk, which enables it to stand erect for a great length of time. This furnishes the farmer during the dry season of the year an opportunity to secure his abundant crop.
The mineral resources of Oregon hitherto, have receivd but little attention. Gold has been discoverd only sparingly.—Copper is said to exist on the Cowlits, a small tributary to the Columbia river, on the north of it, having its source in the direction of Puget’s sound.
Lead has of late been seen upon the Santyam. It is thought by some persons that it may be obtaind there in considerable quantities, but as the minds of the Oregon people are at present directed to the gold mines of California, little attention will be paid to mining operations at home. Iron exists in large quantities in the Cascade mountains. Along the emigrant route, I have seen iron probably as rich as 80 per cent.
The soil of the whole division west of the Cascade range is tingd of a reddish color by the red oxide of iron. This oxide in some places is so abundant as to injure the soil. In other places the soil is not materially injurd by it. In some places along the rocky bluffs of some of the rivers, iron ore is quite rich. I observd one of those places in the bluffs east of the Willamet falls, at the south end of Oregon city, where the road, leading to the top of the highest bluff is excavated. From my own observations in traveling over the western division, I am confident that there is no lack of iron ore in almost every part, and so soon as the inhabitants are ready to turn their attention to it, their necessary supplies will be furnishd from their own country.
The next subject relative to the Oregon country is its geological character. In remarking upon the geology of this country several departments of the science are presented to view. First, there are three ranges of mountains running nearly parallel with each other from north to south.
The eastern range which bounds the eastern side of Oregon, is along the dividing ridge of the American continent. If the question be asked, why this dividing ridge? the geologist alone attempts an answer. From the accumulation of facts hitherto adducd of the liquidity of the earth’s interior, and the discharge for ages of its internal liquid matter upon the already formd crust, it is evident that its nucleus must become less than at first, and thereby produce a rigid and furrowd appearance of the crust, by its conforming through the power of gravitation to a lesser surface than that on which it was at first formd. Altho’ isolated peaks of mountain ranges may be formd by accumulation of lava, and considerable districts may be raisd by the pressure of gasses from beneath, yet so considerable an elevation as the dividing ridge of the American continent can never be formd in such a way.
