Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/179

 From Youth to Age as an American. 161 tliat a horse sinks hoof-deep in it. There are spots, however, on the east slopes where beautiful summer homes can and will be made, but not one-fourth of what can and will be made on and in the west side ridges and valleys. Over this country Massey's party went south on the level of the summit— he says fifty miles ; I would say forty miles— and turning west, crossed the extreme northern drainage into the McKenzie via Fish and Clear lakes, and through a low gap without having seen or noted either Fish, Marion or Clear lakes, reaching the head springs of the north or canal branch of the South Santiam, after having very nearly half -circled the head drainage into the North Santiam, within which, before the Oregon & East- ern Railroad Company sent its surveyors in to the valley, the writer and others estimated there was room for 1,500 home- builders to find homes. The Corvallis & Eastern Railroad was not the first named railroad in connection with the commercial use of the easy grade found. The man I have mentioned in connection with the grass country seen from the hill-top, with the aid of a ready tongue, secured the signature of influential citizens and covered the line of survey by incorporating the Astoria, Salem & Winnemucca Railroad Line. Thus, by filing papers at a cost of $2.00, the outlay of the county was held in abeyance four years, waiting for some party to buy the corporation papers. In 1878, residents near the mountains began a co-operative effort to open a wagon road or stock trail through the valley and pass. They appealed for help at the county seats of Linn and Marion— Albany and Salem. Only the latter responded. The capital named was $5,000.00; over $2,800 was taken in shares of $10.00 each, in cash or labor at $1,25 per day. The cash was largely paid for tools and food, and the mountain men did the work as no other men could, i They cut out logs and brush twelve feet wide, over half way to the connection with the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountains military road at Black Butte on the plain of the Des Chutes, eight miles west of Sisters Postoffice, and six feet (legal stock trail