Woodland is Rich as Dairy Center
Little City on Lewis Enjoys Fine Train and Water Service to Portland
Bank Deposits $111,600
Good Weekly Newspaper and Two Good Hotels Help Wonderfully in Making Vicinity One of Most Progressive In County

The Morning Oregonian
November 8, 1915

Woodland is the biggest town of its size in Cowlitz county, and is a 'humdinger" of a little place. And not so very little, considering that before the people got busy with civic pride a couple of years ago and paved and side walked the place, there were only about 400 people here, when there are now fully double that number, and more coming right along, why should it not be a good town?

There is not a reason in the world, but all manner of reasons why it should go on growing and prospering. In the first place it has in the center of a little valley of as fine land as one can find in the West, said valley containing about 24 square miles, or 15,360 acres. But that is only a tithe of the number of acres in other contiguous valleys of practically just as good land. And so far as Woodland is concerned, these valleys are nailed to it commercially, that town being the only natural trade outlet.

Woodland is situated on the Lewis River, at the head of navigation (Some actually went as far as Cedar creek.). By the way, I remember writing a few days ago about the Cowlitz river and the smelt annually taken from that stream. The Cowlitz flows into the Columbia about 18 miles below here. The smelt come up the Columbia late in the fall and turn up the Cowlitz. This they do for six consecutive years.

On the seventh year they nose around the mouth of the Cowlitz and then come on up to the Lewis and up that stream to the vicinity of Woodland. Last Fall was one of these seventh year periods and the people hereabouts grabbed about 1,000 boxes of those little fishes, and passed them on to market. Now the Woodland people must go "smeltless" for six long years, for during the interval not a smelt will run into the waters of Lewis river. 

Bank President Big Aid

One always finds some clever gentleman in a live place who is a sort of a gold mine of information. Here it is L. N. Plamondon, the president of the Woodland State Bank. He not only gave me liberally of his time in the way of information, but took me in his fine automobile for several miles in every direction about the town. 

And I can tell you the signs of prosperity are written large on every hand. It is a dairy country which means the best of all agricultural sections. The farms show that their owners are abreast of the times in every way. I think we passed a hundred farms. If we did we passed a hundred large patches of kale. As to silos, I did count them, but was told that within a couple of years every dairyman in the vicinity would have one or more. 

Hogs are not as plentiful as I expected to find them, but there are ten here now where there was only five, years ago. It is a wonder there are not more, for most of the dairymen sell their cream, either to the creamery here or ship it out by train. There is also a branch creamery here of the Damascus Company, of Portland. They buy whole milk and on telephonic advices each day make it into butter, into cheese or ship it to Portland, this being a sort of evener station for that company. 

One of the things Mr. Plamondon showed me with pride was the waterworks belonging to the city. The water is pumped from the river into a reservoir on an adjacent hill. "It is better than your celebrated Bull Run water," said Mr. Plamondon. "I will compromise by saying it is as good as any city needs." 

Bank's Deposits $111,662.41 

Mr. Plamondon's bank is one of the finest institutions of this part of Washington. It has a capital of $25,000, surplus and profits of $1794.63 and deposits of $111,662.41. George E. Cochrane is the cashier.

There is a good weekly newspaper, the Cowlitz County Chronicle. E. H. Tarter is the owner and editor, but I think Mrs. Tarter has a lot to do with seeing that things are done just right about the establishment. The Chronicle has a good advertising patronage, enjoys a large circulation and does a big job business. One does not often see so prosperous a sheet in a city of this size.

Of their school the Woodland people have high praise. There is only one building, but that is a fine one. All grades are taught up to to full high school branches with all the frills, such as domestic science, business courses and other latter day adjuncts. Professor Frederick Stuckert is in charge as principal and he has an excellent corps of teachers. There are three churches here, the Presbyterian. Catholic and Christian. Regular services are held, but only one has a resident minister, the Presbyterian, which is in charge of Rev. J. T. Stewart. The Catholic and Christian are supplied from nearby churches. 

Town Has Two Hotels

The traveling public is looked after by two hotels. The Hotel Martin, run by Minnie Martin, and the Swart Hotel, kept by J. W. Hicks. There is a mighty good eating place run by Jessie Lee. It is a sort of boarding house, but takes transient trade. Mrs. Lee sets a good table, as I can testify truthfully. 

Woodland is in close touch with Portland through a daily steamer between the two places, which makes a round trip every day except Sundays. As to train service, the town is on the double track joint line between Portland and Seattle, over which trains are run by the O. W. R. & N., the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern. There are 18 passenger trains each day. 

The Pacific Highway passes through the town, crossing the Lewis river just to the north over a splendid bridge, which was recently built at a cost of $60,000. The town has an active Commercial Club, C. J. Heffman being president and L. W. Field, secretary. When it comes to commercial houses of all sorts, with large and well select stocks, it is doubtful if any place of the size in Washington is equal to Woodland. And they all seem to be doing a large and lucrative business. The merchants enjoy good credit, which is only to be expected in a dairy section, where the money rolls in regularly and the land owners are making good in every way.