3
III
VOL. S-No. 2.
PORTLAND, OREGON, OCTOBER, 1877.
WHITE RIVER, KING COUNTY, WASH
INGTON TERRITORY.
BY RtV. G. l. ATKINSON, D, I).
This was the valley of slaughter in
1S55. Of the few settlers then living
there, several were slain by the Indians
111 the war then waged against the
whites all over Oregon and Washing
ton. Others were driven into the fort
at Seattle, which was in part defended
by them, but mostly by the U. S. war ,
vessel, whose commander nobly stood
by the few settlers until relief and safety
were assured. It was one of those
many cases in which both our Army :
and Navy have defended our extending
frontiers, winning few public laurels for
theft own brows, yet having the satis
faction of guarding the home of the
lonely pioneer. This is largely their
mission as soldiers of the Republic.
Here have been drilled the officers and
men who, on call, led in the Nation's
defence until civil war ended in the
Union preserved.
Twenty-two years finds the White
River settlements extending up nearly
to the mountains and through all the
tributary valleys. The forests arc slowly
giving way to farms. Fine meadows,
well set in the tame grasses, on which
bands of choice dairy stock are thriving,
contrast with the dense woods and tan
gled undergrowth of wild nature.
Houses, barns and fences show a good
degree ofcomfort and thrift on part of
their owners, 'yet the depth and rich
ness of the soil is the most marked fea
ture. What has been cleared and cul
tivated in patches reveals the wealth of
what remains in large areas in its prim
itive wildness. The river winds grace
fully with gentle current, bending now
to the range of hills on the right and
now to those on the left, much like the
beautiful rivers of New England. Au
tumn and winter storms of rain and
snow often raise it quickly bank-full '
and overflowing, and occasionally fill
all the valley, and enrich all the land
with mineral and vegetable alluvium :
from the mountains and hills. This !
process has gone on for ages, until the i
whole valley, from the tide waters of
the Sound to the base of Mt. Rainier 1
and the lower peaks, is formed into a '
continuous bed of choicest soil for the
grasses, the cereals, the vegetables and
the fruits, which grow large and abund
ant wherever tested.
This geologic formation of the White
River valley is a type of all the others,
as the lilack River, the Cedar River,
the Squak, and the Stuck, which are
tributary to it. Steamers run up the
' river from thirty to forty miles, bring
ing produce and lumber daily to the
; busy wharves at Seattle.
HAII.ROAP COMMUNICATION.
The uarrow-guage railroad, com
menced three years ago, and now in
the hands of J. M. Colman, Esq., is
I vigorously prosecuted by him, already
taps the Talbot & Rcnton coal mines
and brings their products thirteen miles
to the ship's deck and drops them into , manufactory on the Roy and at the R
the holik The six and a half miles of, R- depot, to make furniture from theie
continued railroad, now in process of , ftti w! for. thc. San fffllkS
construction! to the Washington Lake
1 goods. They Mad from So to loo bed-
or Seattle mines, so-called, is nigged 5iCads per steamer, every ten days, Id
hill climb of 460 feet to thc large coal , thc market below, which begins to ex
bunkcrs at thc mouth of thc long tun- , clul: those fr0' E"s,1- MoreUboc
1 m .ij 11 1 j 1 ui crs are thus employed here and nfrV
ncls of this well-tested and invaluable , , . 1 ,' , ,,. . . ..
. , ., , homes of the people made comloruwe,-
deposit of domestic and railroad steam , mi mora m . Jjj kcpt circulation.
coal. When completed, two months among us. It is truly a noble enlr-
hence, and when some old rails arc rc- , prise for them and for the whole com-
placed by new ones, thc road will hove , im" ' 'stcd of b"W mir mr"',
r ... , . toft from BMtom mhntnttcturc-ri t such
a capacity 01 carrying a tnousanu ions ; wc mnk(. ourKh, of
a day from the mines and discharging ) )Mc miterjjdl and employ boys and
them on board the ship at a cost of 55 ( men at home.
cents down to 30 cents per ton. This 1 Messrs. Stitson & Co., just opposite,
will be from one to two hundred per t hove a large manufactory of sash,
. ., . ... 1 doors, mouldings and other building
cent, cheaper than the present rates, ; which aM
and will place this coal in ban I ran- , home trule nd l0f cxpott , ralM ,mt
Cisco in very close competition with thc . will arrest in part the large drain of
most favored coals of thc Coast, and do funds so long suAeied far thc import
much to displace foreign coals even in , these things.
ballast. HEATTI.K.
This city is thus building up itself inr
V ALT ABLE LUUHKB. , jjj ,,y &&jm
The lorests ot these alluvial valleys Its enterprising nun take hold of work
i arc mostly of deciduous trees. Ash, I that will employ the people and bring
maple and alder, of excellent quality , tribute to all classes of workmen. he
I ', .... , , , n . ' ' example is a noble one for all our cities,
for house furnishing, and for turmturc gjl it oug,t , rrcM ,hc wonton
in their natural colon, abound. It i destruction of these valuable finishing
Ajuml.thst lb brown and white ash, and furniture woods with which our
1 anil tha curly add bird's eye maple, and forpta on the alluvial land abound. In
11.1 e v l. ti. a short time a maple, an ash or an alder
even the a dcr, take a fine polish. Thei ... , .11 ,1 1 ii.
r 1 .1 1 1 1 i . . 1 will he worth as much 11s the block
former rival thc black walnut and thc , . " in- 1 , 1 n 1
n , 1 . . t 1 1 1 walnut is 111 II hums and Indiana. It is
French wa nut, in variety of style, """""" , e ...
. . . , . ' it,- c wrong to make fence null of our line
richness of lustre ond delicacy of gram. h ' 111
1 j a . cu(jar, or cut up our oak, ash, maple,
A change m kitrnituhf. iikamnd; Jogwood, or older, into lire wol. The
i from iMPOitm TO exportb. ,iy , c0ing (jiiickly w hen these him-
Messrs. Hall A Paulson have ven- 1 her trees will be worth from ten to one
tured, this season, to erect an extensive hundred dollars standing.
LUMBERING IN
Felling ihc Mhlf Gianl cf (he Foiesl.
WASHINGTON TERRITORY.
Hakd, Wharf, lx)g Sckle aid IVjooi i SnulK.ai.h Cily, W. T. I'butj by W. II.