The Pacific slope of the state west of the Cascade mountains is tempered by the cool waters of the Pacific, so that its extremes of heat and cold are not great. Mists, frequent rains, and but little snow, characterize its winters. The summers are not excessively warm, but are often long without rain. Thunder-storms are rare, and hailstorms unknown. At Portland the average temperature for January was 30.30'; the highest, 44.90'; 'average for .January is 39.5'; February, .larch, 45.5°; April, 52.4'; May,, 46.8°; June, 62°: July, 68.6'; August, 71°; September, 62.6"; October, November, 44.9'; December, 42.3°. The lowest temperature in January, 1875, was 3°; the lowest in 1876, 20°, in January; and in 1874, 26°. The interior mountain county of the state east of the Cascade range is relatively hot and dry in summer, with deep snows and intense cold in winter. In the Columbia valley, at Dulles, the mercury sometimes falls to 8° below zero. The annual rainfall at Astoria is :0 in.; in Portland, 52.8 in.; in east Oregon, from 12 to 20 in., most on the high mountains and least in the valleys; in the upper valley of the Willamette, from 37 to 44 inches. Observations front 1820 to 1876 inclusive, at Eola, near Salem, show an average of 37h in. yearly, which,is the same as at Cincinnati, Ohio. There are no diseases peculiar to the climate. In some places alluvial lands and narrow valleys are subject to malarial fever.
Eastern Oregon, like southern Idaho, exhibits evidence of volcanic action at no remote period. Clefts and canons afford excellent studies of geologic structure. The geologic formations of Oregon are eozoic, volcanic, tertiary, and cretaceous. The coast range and the mountains of the n.e. part are eozoic, and the Cascade range and southern mountains generally volcanic. A narrow strip of tertiary is found on the Pacific border, the Willamette valley, the upper portion of the 'Umpqua valley in • the and the northern part of the state e. of the Cascade range. On the upper valleys of the Des Chute, Crooked, and John.Days rivers cretaceous formations are developed. Minerals of nearly all kinds have been found in Oregon. Gold is found in nearly all the valleys of the streams flowing into the Snake river, and in the sands of the sea-shore. It was found, in 1852, in the s.w..eorner of the state, where mining is still carried on; but since 1861, when gold was discovered in nearly all the streams flowing into the Snake river, and in the upper part of John Days river, the eastern part of the state has been pinch the most productive. The easy diggings were mostly worked over in the ten years following, and railways have not yet furnished facilities for the machinery necessary to costly develop ments. Silver is said to'occur in nearly all the quartz ledges in the state, but extensive mining in quartz is in its infancy. Baker co., on the e. border of the state, hue the greatest show of gold and silver ores. By the census of 1870 there were shown to be 168 gold mines in Oregon, 126 of them placer. 26 hydraulic, and 3 quartz, employing 880 men, with a capital of $321,000. Yearly wages paid, $79,022; value of materials used, $29,930; of products. $417,797. • The commissioner of mining statistics, however, for the same year gives the number of quartz mills in the state as 15-1 for silver and 14 for gold—with 62 stamps and 19 arrastras. Many of these were then idle. Previous to 1870 nearly all the mining was for gold. The census of 18S0 will show a great increase in the number and value of silver mines, and in the value of capital and machinery engaged on them. Copper is found in oxides and carbonates in many parts of the state, and natives
in ledges principally in the eastern and south-western counties. Iron ore is found in nearly every part of the•state, but is not yet extensively worked. Six in. s. of Portland there is a bed at Oswego, in which the ore is 54 per cent pulse iron. Lignite coal is found in many places in the coast range, in the Umpqua and Willamette valleys, nnd.e. of the Blue mountains. Considerable quantities are shipped from Coos bay. Limestone, marble, granite, sandstone, slate, and syeuite suitable for are found in abundance all over the state. • Salt springs abound in the southern part of the state, and soapstone in the Klamath basin. Stories of chalcedony, agates, carnelian, and jasper are found along the banks of the Colaunbia river.
The native animals of differ little from those of all the north-western states. The grizzly, cinnamon, and black bears are probably as abubdaut in this state as in any other, but the former is seldom found of so great size as in California and Nevada. A large wolf, the cayote, the panther, and wild cat are the principal carnivora. Of the deer family are the black-tailed, elk, antelope, and big-horn mountain sheep. The latter are very shy and rare, and found only on the high mountains. The elk generally•herd on high table-lands :among time mountains. Their meat is the finest of all of the family. Bears are generally in the woods near to streams. Fur-bearing animals were formerly abundant. them are the silver foxes, beavers, otter, polecat, muskrat, martin, and weasel. Seals (not fur-bearing) frequent the Columbia up to the cascades.
Fish are the great river product of Oregon. The salmon and salmon-trout of the Columbia and its tributaries, in size, abundance, and high flavor, fresh or salted, are known throughout the world. All the small rivers that flow to the sea are also stocked with these fish. A large amount of capital is engaged in the catch and canning of salmon. The first cannery was established in 1868 by Mr. Hume, of Maine, who estab lished a wide demand in the United States and in England for his canned goods. There were, in 1878, 28 large canneries upon the Columbia, a majority of which were at Astoria, but scattered also along the river to 15 m. above the cascades. The catch of salmon that year was 1,230,000 fish, averaging about 23 lbs. They are caught in nets, of which about 40 m. in length are set for them nights. At Astoria 500 to 600 boats sometimes leave in the afternoon at once to go to the fishing grounds on the bar below. Twelve thousand is about the highest daily catch at the'Astoria grounds, and 62 lbs. the maximum size of fish. The canneries are built over the river on piles, and the work in them is principally done by Chinamen, except that clone with machinery, which is employed to the fullest practicable extent. The work must be pushed with the greatest possible celerity the height of the catch, which lasts in all about 100 days, but has its great days that tax all the. machine and hand power of the vast establishments night and day. Nine million cans were required in 1878 by the Astoria canneries, and put up in 450,000 cases containing 11,600,000 lbs. To Great Britain direct shipment was made of about 142,000 cases, and 271,000 cases went to San Francisco. The total export for the year ending July 30, 1879, amounted to $12,282,047; in 1878, $14,644,973; in 1877, $11,571,355. The fishermen earn five dollars a day (hiring. the height of the fish catch.