THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
175 
basalt cliffs between which the Columbia forces its way to the 
sea. Waterfalls more than 800 feet high drop down these 
precipices and break in wreaths of mist below. Forests cover 
the mountains through which the Columbia rushes, and, 
although this great scenic section is so near Portland that one 
short day’s trip takes the tourist there and back, the beauties 
of the gorge are absolutely natural, with a primeval wildness 
that appeals to all. Words fail to describe the grandeur of 
this great canyon—it must be seen to be properly understood. 
Tourists may visit it from Portland either by a comfortable 
steamer trip of one day, or by train up either side of the river 
and retirm the same day. 
The view to be had from Council Crest, an eminence to 
the west of Portland, is one of the most unique sights to be 
found anywhere. This vantage point is reached by street car 
line in 20 minutes from the heart of the city, following a route 
that winds along the hillsides, giving many delightful views 
of the city below. Arrived at the summit of the Crest, the 
traveler finds a marvelous panorama spread out at. his feet. 
He overlooks the whole city and its environs, the Willamette 
and Columbia rivers, and follows the latter stream with his 
eye far on its way to the sea. He looks over into Washing¬ 
ton, and five snow-capped mountains stand in a row along the 
Cascade range on both sides of the Columbia, forming a back¬ 
ground for the tremendous picture. 
On the top of Council Crest one stands 1200 feet above the 
city. On one side is the city and on the other a wonderful 
expanse of farming country, mountains and rivers stretching 
away to the horizon. Several counties are seen and forests 
and farms alternate in the picture. Vancouver, across the 
river in Washington, is in plain view. Oregon City, to the 
south, and Hillsboro, to the west, eaeh in a different county, 
are also in sight, and various small hamlets throughout the 
farming country make up a delightfid landscape. One would 
have to travel the world over to find another such prospect. 
Naples has a somewhat similar one, not as good according to 
experienced travelers. Lookout Mountain, near Chatta¬ 
nooga, offers a fine lookout but like Mount Tamalpais, in 
California, is less accessible than is Council Crest. 
The nurserymen mil be interested in Portland because of 
its claim to being the Rose City. It is the contention of 
people of this city that nowhere else on the continent are 
these flowers grown so extensively as here. Rose hedges line 
the streets in the residence districts and they bloom in 
riotous profusion almost the whole year through. During 
the annual Rose Festival each June, countless roses are used 
in parades, in decorating automobiles, vehicles and horses 
and prizes are awarded for the best blooms grown in competi¬ 
tion by amateurs. The lavish display of perfect roses during 
the Festival seems sheer extravagance to Eastern visitors, 
who never see such perfect flowers outside a greenhouse. 
There are many points of historic interest near Portland. 
Vancouver, Washington, an hour away by trolley, was an 
early Hudson Bay Post and is now a military post. It is 
beautifully located on the shore of the Columbia River. 
Oregon City is another nearby point that is closely linked with 
the early history of the state. The Hudson Bay Company 
long had an outpost there and that wasThe^home^of the 
beloved Dr. John McLoughlin. Falls in the Willamette 
River at that point make it a manufacturing center and much 
of the electricity used in Portland is generated there. 
The beautiful Clackamas River, where Kipling fished, as 
told in his American Notes, is reached readily by electric cars. 
This rapid stream has been harnessed in several places to 
furnish electricity for Portland and the .surrounding country. 
The ocean beaches offer an attractive trip for a day from 
the city. The traveler follows the Columbia River, either by 
rail or by boat, and the Oregon and Washington beaches are 
widely known for their rugged beauty. 
Salem, the state capital, is an hour and a half away by 
intcrurban train. This trip takes one through as fine a farm¬ 
ing section as can be found anywhere. Steamers that ply on 
the Willamette and Columbia rivers offer pleasant excursions 
and one may enjoy the beauties of Oregon Landscapes in this 
way with a minimum of effort. 
Great forests of fir, pine, spruce and cedar form one of the 
chief sources of Oregon’s wealth, and Eastern people are 
usually much interested in seeing these forest giants standing 
in their native state. Little journeys from Portland will take 
one into the heart of these forests where he can see logging 
operations carried on, and visitors will also be interested in 
seeing the giant logs cut into lumber at the- city sawmills. 
Visits to some of the famous orchard tracts along the 
Columbia and Willamette Rivers are well worth while; 
Portland parks have a natirral beauty that is unique in city 
park systems on the continent. The Chinese quarter offers 
quaint sights for the tourist, while a tour of the harbor where 
ships of many nations are seen loading and discharging freight 
is of much interest to those from inland country. 
One of the greatest charms Portland has for the visitor is 
the home spirit that prevails everywhere. There are no 
tenements. The pride of the home-owner is evident through¬ 
out the city in the wealth of roses in every yard, green, well- 
kept lawns and the shade trees that line the residenee streets. 
The visiting murserymen will find Portland’s climate a 
delight even in Mid-Summer. One never suffers either 
extreme of temperature here. Destructive stonns are 
unknown and nights of hot-sultry discomfort become only a 
memory to one who spends his Summers here. 
Visitors to the nurserymen’s convention here next June 
will find Portland and the surrounding region to have many 
varied attractions for the traveler and that this city deserves 
to rank with Los Angeles as a gathering point for tourists on 
this Coast. 
THE CONVENTION 
Secretary John Hall, has issued the convention folder. If 
you have not received one, write to 204 Granite Building, 
Rochester, NewYork, and be sure that if you have not already 
renewed your membership do it at the same time. Adver¬ 
tisements for badge book must be sent in before May 15th. 
Hotel Multnomah will be the headquarters, and the rates are 
very reasonable. Delegates west of Rochester write to Mr. 
M. B. Fox, care of the Rochester Lithographing Company, 
Rochester, New York, concerning your tickets. 
