Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/255

 CORRESPONDENCE 243 Oregon City, Ore. Ter., Aug. 22, 1853. Rev. Benjamin M. Hill, Cor. Sec. A. B. H. M. Soc., N. Y. Dear Brother : I wrote you by the last mail describing as nearly as I could the geographical position and relative importance of Rogue River Valley as a missionary field. In that letter I recommended the appointment of Br. James S. Read as a missionary for Jacksonville (Table Rock) and vicinity. In this I wish to give you a brief definite view of the Umpqua Valley. The rim of this basin is formed by the Cascade Moun- tains on the east, the Umpqua on the south, the Coast Range on the west and the Calapooia Mountains on the north. The distance from the south base of the Calapooia Mts. to the north base of the Umpqua Mts. varies from sixty to eighty or eighty-five miles, and from east to west from twenty to thirty or thirty-five miles. This basin is little else than a concatena- tion of hills and low mountains interspersed in every direction with valleys varying in breadth from a few yards to three or four miles and in length from two to three miles to one hun- d'red and thirty, by the meanderings of the streams. The valleys are almost uniformly prairie, except occasionally a grove immediately skirting the margin of the streams, and are uniformly rich and well adapted to every branch of agricultural pursuits. Every twenty acres, under a good state of cultiva- tion, would produce enough to support any ordinary family. The hills are generally covered with a fine growth of nutritious grasses and studded with groves of branched oaks resembling in appearance large orchards of old apple trees more than a forest of straight, upright trees. These are interspersed with an occasional long-leafed pine, while here and there in the defiles of the high hills and along the water courses are found groves of excellent fir well adapted to fencing and building purposes. The valleys are generally too small to render all the purposes of religious society convenient, while each family claims from 320 to 640 acres of land. Consequently the min- ister must travel great distances and preach to small congrega-