Union County, Oregon.—Union county is situated east of Umatilla. A small part of the northern boundary touches the state of Washington. The county reaches south along the eastern boundary of Umatilla, it touches the northern boundary of Baker on the south and reaches the boundary line of the state of Idaho on the east. Wallowa county was carved out of the extreme northeastern part of Union in 1887. The Union Pacific railroad runs through Union county in a northwestern and southeastern direction, and taps the most fertile lands of this part of the state. Union county contains 1,955,000 acres of land of which about 1,497,000 acres are surveyed. The unsurveyed portion of the country is principally mountainous, but is valuable for its timber resources, for its minerals and for grazing purposes. The largest single body of agricultural land in the county is the Grand Ronde valley. This valley contains 300,000 acres of highly productive land. The Grand Ronde river flows through this valley from southwest to northeast. The soil here is adapted to the cultivation of grain, hay, hops, fruit and vegetables. All these products of the soil, in addition to flour, bacon, wool, hides, horses, cattle, sheep and lumber are shipped in large quantities from the valley. The other smaller valleys, the soils of which are of the same high quality as that of the Grand Ronde valley, are Pine, Eagle, Powder River, Clover Creek, Starkey Prairie and Indian. The rainfall in Union county is sufficient to insure large crops each season, so that irrigation here is unnecessary. The climate is equable, the winters being dryer and colder than they are in the western part of the state. The soil here is generally of an alluvial nature and a sandy loam from 3 to 20 feet in depth. The average yield of wheat to the acre in the county runs from 20 to 60 bushels to the acre, oats 40 to 80, and barley produces 40 to 90 bushels to the acre. The stock interests in the county have always been large, and the mild winters, extensive ranges and abundance of water combine to make this a favorite part of the state for stockmen. The prices of land in Union county range from $10 an acre and upwards for improved valley lands, and unimproved land sells for from $6 an acre up. There is room in the county for a much larger population than now resides here, and this with other parts of Eastern Oregon is worthy the attention of the large immigration now pouring into the West. The Oregonian's Handbook of the Pacific Northwest Edward Gardner Jones, Editor 1894, The Oregonian Publishing Co. Contributed by S. Williams

 

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