Jannary, 1883.
THE WEST SHORE.
3
old mill man of experience, it the trusted super
intendent of tliis large establishment, including
the store, logging camp, steam tug and all other
interests of the firm connected with the mill on
thi sound.
The city of New Tacoma was laid out in a
most admirable manner adapted to the surface of
the ground, and with two great divisions separated
by Division Avenue, having a general direction
east and west. The city faces east and the direc
tion of its tiun.nered streets is east and west,
commencing at Division Avenue on either side.
Its principal business street at present is Pacific
Avenue, being on the lowest of the three distinct
benches. The cross or lettered streets beginning
with A run parallel to Pacific Avenue. The
railroad company is at present grading this
Avenue, using (or this purpose a temporary track
laid through the centre of the street, and a sub
stanti.il main sewer also is being placed on Pa
cific Avenue. When these improvements shall
have been completed according to the plans and
specifications this will certainly be the finest street
in the Territory. Next to Pacific Avenue in Im
portance comes C street, which is plainly destined
to be the next business street. Where Ninth street
crosses it two diagonal avenues converge into it.
Here, facing the bay, are located on the same
block, the Tacoma Land Company's office (a
large building), the fine new court house, and the
new brick office of the Tacoma Ledger.
Hut such are the location And direction of Ta
coma avenue thnt its prospects appear to be su
perior to any other thoroughfare in the city for
fine residences j and the belief is not uncommon
that it may lie ultimately used for business houses.
It is, like all of the other avenues, loo (ect wide,
running on the highest bench the entire length of
the city, from north to south ; and from any part
of this avenue the best views may be had of the
grand scenery, which of itself is some day des
tined to make this city famous. Tacoma avenue
over-looks the rest of the city lying below it, the
bay, including the wide scope of tide flats through
which the Puyalluy river meanders, the Puyallup
Indian Reservation and the valley and mountains
beyond it ; and this avenue is nearly on level
with and leads to what is known here as the
prairie, but which is in reality a more splendid
natural park than graces the environments of any
other city. We see in the future the evident ad
vantages New Tacoma will have over other
places in the pleasing impressions it will leave on
tourists and traveler seeking pleasure, from the
magnificent scenery ra ngin view of the carriage
as it rolls along. Tacoma avenue will sicedily
and permanently be reinforced by the pleasures of
a drive through this park. Pawing out of the
south end of Tacoma avenue into the county road
by drive of say two miles through the timlier,
you are carried to the boundary of the park, which
is indicated by a licit of evergreens and low scrub
oaks. The surface of the prairie is fine gravel,
so that your wheels may roll as smoothly in one
direction as another, there being short stubble
of tough grass rooted in the thin filling of black
vegetable mold which lies between the small
pebbles, and it gives to you a soft, smooth and
agreeable sensation suggestive of riding over
brusscls carpet. In the spring and early summer
the prairie is carpeted with wild flowers of beau
tiful hue, and, later on, wild strawberries tempt
desire all over the plainSr Separating this prai
rie on all sides from the fir forest which surrounds
it, is a belt of low evergreen trees of various
heights, arranged by nature at such Intervals as
to suggest the hand of art. This belt of ever
greens is from a quarter to half a mile in width
in places, and you may drive through it for twenty
or more miles. The outline of the prairie being
of course irregular, the scene may be varied In
your drive by occasionally venturing Into the
open country, the road-bed being the same all of
he entire distance smooth and delightful. There
are localities in this belt of evergreens where the
trees are arranged in such perfection of beauty
that the hand of art could not improve upon the
arrangement. By a ride of about eight miles
over this prairie we are brought to Gravelly Lake
and that portion of the prairie owned by Captain
J. C. Alnsworth, the Portland capitalist, men
tioned above as one of the commissioners who
selected the terminus. He has here bought a
large estate, including Gravelly Lake, which he
hn selected as by far the most Inviting of all the
rural retreats known to him In the northwest t
and in making the purchase of several thousand
acres of land, and this valuable little body of
water, he foresaw in addition to the pleasure and
recreation which it would yield to him and his
family during the summer months, the value which
would attach to it in the future by reason of its
close proximity to the terminus. From Gravelly
Lake we cross the prairie to the north and east,
pass through the belt of evergreens once more,
and enter the fir timber to Wapato or Tacoma
lakes. So that with the splendid scenery of New
Tacoma, boating on the bay, hunting on the tide
marsh, the large area of ground devoted to the
uses of a public park within the city limits, the
magnificent scenery, the drive from the northern
extremity of Tacoma avenue to the prairie, and
thence in a circuit by way of Gravelly lake to Ta
coma lakes, and back through the evergreens the
denitens of and visitors to this place will not lack
the meant of healthful pleasure, a from Hi ele
vation and location in general it doe not lack the
conditions of health.
As to agricultural resources, New Tacoma Is
favored In marked degree that Is, for a city of
Western Washington. Puyallup valley, a view
of the lower part of which it commanded from
all parts of the city, is thirty miles long by from
three to five miles wide, and richer parcel of
ground for some uses is not easily found. It Is prin
cipally alluvial deposit and is supposed to have been
jn the past times remote, an arm of the bay, for
the deposit of sandy soil is very deep. At Puyal
lup town, which Is at a distance of nine miles
from New Tacoma, a well suak espostd at the
j depth of 100 feet a log of cottonwood. The na
tive growths are of Cottonwood, vine-maple and
alder. Scattered all over this valley are something
leu thsn sixty hop growers, erewhile imiecunious,
but now, by virtue of poor crojis in Kuru and die
where, highly pecunlous, that is, they sold
their hops at sixty-three and eighty-five cents wr
pound as against the ruinous depression to five and
eight cents a few years ago. But it is found that this
valley brats the whole world in xlnt of quantity
and quality of the yield per acre in hops. The
sixty hop growers with only an average of ten
acres each have thil year raited 1,000,000 pounds
of cured hops, on which they will realize 1 net
profit ff si out $400,000, which calculated for
(be profit per acre beats King Cotton It) hjj tul
cyon days, or any other crop. For the fifteen
years since hop growing began In this valley, It
is found that the price realiied has avernm-d wvit
jo cents per pound) while the cost of raiting has
been leu than nine cents per pound. This land
is peculiarly adapted for hop culture and has al
ready txcome famous even in Europe on this ac
count. This great hop garden, practically in its
infancy, is one of the resources of New Tacoma,
lieing tributary thereto, and it Is rich for fruits,
grasses, oats and vegetables. The hop farmers
are now Investing tome of their latge gains of
last season in lots in the city of New Tacoma.
The valleys of the Stuck and upei While
rivers, connected and similar in character, arc
also tributary to New Tacoma. Thry will sup
port a large farming population, South ol New
Tacoma are the Ncsqually plains, on which there
is a considerable farming population, and a little to
the east of these and Including the region of the
Tacoma lakes It a licit twenty miles wide and fifty
miles long running southeastward, of clay loam
soil, heavily limbered, strong and rich like that ol
the foot hills bordering the Willamette valley, on
which crntof from forty to fifty bushels of wheat
have been rased to the acre, and on which mine
of the best fruits of that valley are grown. This
belt of land it being rapidly settled iiMin, and lis
orchards will stock the fruit cars of the Cascade
division. Passing southward over the Pacific
division about sixty miles we come into Iwlt
county and the valley of the Chehallt river. That
county and that valley are and will In the future
more largely be Iribulaiy to New Tacoma, the
distance of the haul being short, and here is, and
here will In the future he, the market fur the pro
ducts of that rich and large agricultural district
of Western Washington.
We conclude a long and yet not exhaustive ar
ticle by brief reference to the great and only true
bituminous coal field found on this coast for which
New Tacoma is the shipping xilnl, and to the
relations of this city with the wheat growing re
gions of the Northwest,
Twenty-one miles from New Tacoma, up at the
head of Puyallup valley, discoveries were mule
tome half down years ago of bituminous coal.
These discoveries led lo the building by the
Northern Pacific comjmny ol the road to Wilkt
son and the coal measures. Here two mines
were ojiened, one operated by the cfiiany and
the other by Mr, F 8. Smith. Later, numerous
vein were discovered oa Carbon river, three
miles farther east In the high foothills ( the Cas
cade range not far from the has of Mount Rainier,
and after some trouble ami time espended, targe
capital was emptied In opening the mine there.
Tliis wasdone, coal was shipped, ami It astonished
the market of San Francisco, ami the mine was
sold lo the Central Pacific railroad magnates (u
three-quarters of a million dollars, ami thry art
now operating the property and roios lo ship
1,500 tons of coal per day, having to this end of
il.' id four new large Iron steam colliers of the
Int. 4 improved pattern and machinery, two of
which are now on their way from the eal. To fa
cilitate shipment In these colliers, the Northern
Pacific railroad company is now building large
and exprmlvtcoal bunkers, an engraving of which
Is presented in this issue. In addition to the three
mli mentioned, another has been opened at
South I'rairle, some twenty miles p the lry.
from "Men 't tipecterj heavy shipments wlj)