| Title: | Letter from a Mr McCarver Describing Business in Oregon [U.S.A.?]. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3755 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | mccarver/7 |
| Year | 1845 |
| Sender | McCarver |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Oregon, USA |
| Destination | unknown |
| Recipient | unknown |
| Recipient Gender | unknown |
| Relationship | unknown |
| Source | The Vindicator, Belfast, 7 May 1845. |
| Archive | The Linenhall Library, Belfast. |
| Doc. No. | 9410001 |
| Date | 07/05/1845 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 06:10:1994. |
| Word Count | 422 |
| Genre | |
| Note | (description of business in Oregon) |
| Transcript | The Oregon Territory. - The Peoria Register gives a letter from one Mr. McCarver giving the particulars of business in the Oregon:- "The harvest is just at hand, and such crops of wheat, barley oats, peas, and potatoes, are seldom, if ever, to be seen in the States, that of wheat in particular, the stalks being in many instances as high as my head, the grains generally much larger; I would not much exaggerate to say they are as large again as those grown east of the mountains. The soil is good and the climate is most superior, being mild the year round, and very healthy, more so than any country I have lived in the same length of time. Produce bears an excellent price - pork 10 cents, beef 6 cents, potatoes 50 cents, wheat one dol. [dollar?] per bushel. These articles are purchased at the above prices with greast avidity by the merchants for shipment, generally to the sandwich islands and Russian settlements on this continent and are paid for mostly in stores and groceries, the latter of which is the product of these islands, particularly sugar and coffee, of which abundant supplies are furnished. Wages for labourers are high. Common hands are getting from 1 dol. [dollar?] to 2 dols. [dollars?] per day, and mechanics from 2 dols. [dollars?] to 4 dols. per day. It is with difficulty men can be procured at these prices, so easily can they do better on their farms. The plains are a perpetual meadow, furnishing two complete new crops in a year, spring and fall, the latter remaining green through the winter. Beef is killed from the grass at any season of the year. If you have any enterprise left, or if your neighbours have any, here is the place for them. Dr. McLoughlan has just commenced a canal around the Willhamette Falls, which he expects to complete in two years, at a cost of 30,000 dollars. Our legislature (the lower house of which I have the honour to be Speaker), which has just finished its session, granted the Doctor a charter for twenty years, he entering into an agreement to complete the canal for boats of thirteen feet in width to pass in safety, the whole to be completed in two years as above stated. He has a number of hands now engaged in its construction, and no doubts are entertained of his ability to complete it. He is constructing a large flouring mill, with four runs of [burn?] which will be ready for business this fall. He has already two saw mills in operation at the Falls. Everything is flourishing in this country." |
