A.B. ROBLEY. – The figures which express the business of the Eastern Oregon shipping points are instructive and almost startling. Thus, by the record of Mr. Robley, Centerville shipped in 1888 seventeen thousand tons of wheat and seven hundred tons of barley. The average yield of wheat per acre of a belt of the country extending twelve miles around Centerville is about thirty bushels. The other grains and the vegetables are grown to advantage; and the fruit is a good crop. Centerville has excellent railroad facilities, being on the direct line of the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company’s road, which passes from Pendleton to Walla Walla; and it also is now reached by the O.W.T. Ry., giving connection with the Northern Pacific, – the first town in Oregon thus touched. The gentleman of whom we write is engaged there in the forwarding and commission business, and is well qualified to render a just and accurate view of its business.
He is himself one of the guaranties of the progress of the place. Born in Illinois, in 1845, he received his education in Iowa, and began life as a schoolteacher. In 1867 he started across the country to Oregon, wintering in Tintic valley, south of Salt Lake. Reaching Walla Walla the next year, the company with which he came was disbanded; and Mr. Robley continued his professional work, teaching for three years. Seeking a permanent location, he went to the Palouse country, reaching and stock-raising through one administration. He then returned to Walla Walla, soon finding his choice at Centerville. Walla Walla is, however, a favorite place with him. There, in 1875, he found his wife, Miss Eva Paul. Their three children are boys.