Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/251

 possession of the land grant for the route to California. Citizens of Benton and Linn Counties wished for a railroad to Yaquina as well as to Portland and called for aid therefor. The Yaquina railroad idea then appeared in a joint memorial of the Oregon Legislature (Oct. 15, 1868) to Congress, urging aid for the Corvallis and Yaquina Railroad Company, 45 miles (session laws, page 128). The Legislature in 1870, by joint resolution, asked for a land grant for that purpose (session laws, page 199).

In 1871 Colonel Hogg first visited western Oregon and initiated the project. By this time a toll road for wagons had been opened between Corvallis and Elk City. In October, 1872, Hogg incorporated the Corvallis and Yaquina Bay Railroad Company. Two years later, for a larger purpose, he formed the Willamette Valley and Coast Railroad Company, to build a narrow gauge line, with extension into Eastern Oregon, incorporated July 2, 1874. For a subsidy, the Legislature granted to the company "all the tide and marsh lands situated in said county of Benton" (Act of Oct. 24, 1874; session laws, pages 51-62; Lincoln County not created until Feb. 20, 1893) and exempted the company from taxation for twenty years. Acceptance of the terms of this act was filed with the State by B. W. Wilson, President of the Company, and R. S. Strahan, secretary (November 10, 1874). This act required completion of the road within five years, but in 1878 the Legislature granted six years' longer time. For an additional bounty citizens of Benton and Linn Counties, headed by Green B. Smith and Dr. J. R. Bayley, raised $35,000 in 1878-79 (Oregonian Feb. 23, 1878, page 1). Directors of the company included W. B. Hamilton, Ashby Pierce, I. B. Henkle, M. Jacobs, Sol King, J. M. Currier, T. E. Cauthorn, J. Harris. In 1878-79 about $40,000 was expended for construction of the first ten miles west of Corvallis. Ground was "broken" May 17, 1877, at Corvallis and grading began May 6, 1878.