.66
THE WEST SHORE.
The f illowing account of a prospecting trip
through the Upper Nooksack portion of Whatcom
county is ennden-ed from the Reveille. As they
are the first known white explorers of that region,
their report is especially interesting. From the
east end of Whatcom lake they journeyed east'
ward, and after crossing a low range ot hills, en
tered a v.iiley three miles in width, through which
several small streams were running. On investi
gation these streams were found to head in the
Nooksack valley, near the river, and flowed in a
southerly direction. Whether they were tribu
taries of tho- Skagit or Samish is not definitely
known, but presumably the Samish. This valley,
which is only four miles east of Lake Whatcom,'
is pronounced by them to be the finest for
ngiicullural purposes they have seen in the terri
tory. The soil is a rich black loam, covered with
vine maple and alder. Although the streams that
How through the valley are but two Icet below the
bottom laud, yet the valley is not swampy or
marshy, except where occasional beaver dams
occur, There arc occasional patches of bench
land on which is found heavy lir timber. Kern
land, with a few white pine, were also found in
the valley. On the west side of the valley, and
especially on the bench lands, no underbrush ex
ists. Considerable biiclt was found in the valley,
which is another indication of the superiority of
the soil. On the cast side of the valley the land
is covered with gravel, and for agricultural pur
poses is entirely worthless. However, strong
indications of c ul were found in this immediate
section. At the north end of the valley, near the
Nooksack, was found the finest body of lir and
cedar timlier that grows in the territory. The
excellence of the timliei may be inferred when it
is staled that here the Indians procure the mate
rial from which their best and largest canoes are
made. Its proximity to the Nooksack river ren
ders it valuable to loggers, as the timber can be
cut on the banks and at high water rafted down
the river and into Itellinghain bay. As yet the
land is unsurveyed. Fifteen miles above the val
ley, cast, me the foot-hills of the Ked mountains,
southeast of Mount llaker. The foot-hills afford
the finest summer grazing and pisture lands on
the coast. There i plenty of grass and but very
little timlier, Came, such as mule-deer, black
and white-tailed deer, elk, bear, mountain shsep,
whistling ermine and white grouse or ptarmig in,
are here found in great abundance. These mead'
ows aic above the timlier line, and beyond these
are the tic Ms of perpetual snow. Although but
very little proswciing was done, yet the party
without any particular cfTon, found convincing
evidences of the existence of gld in ptyinquan
lilies. On the headwaters of the s mill foik of the
Nooksack, coloi was found in two diff.Tem local
ities. Another and better equipped expedition
will soon continue the explorations. The lands
about Wlutcom lake hive recently been surveyed,
and the surveyor teiwrts that lo.ooo.uco feel of
limlwr can lw felled and lund-locd inll) ,ne
Ukr. while vast forests surround it fllr miles.
The timber bor.le.ing on the lake is nearly all
claimed by actual settlers. l:,lensive and valua
able coal deposit, exist, the cropping h.aicalin -t
quality intermediate between the New Castle
and Carl dale. Tar agricultural land bordering
the lake is limned, but far more extensive than a
first view of the country would suggest. The soil
u excellent. There are several very beautiful fer-
tile little nooks among the hills, and a number of
small lakes or ponds swarming with the finest
mountain trout. Lake Whatcom is the most pic
turesque lake of water on this coast. Dark and
fathomless, with bold, rocky shores, the gray
sand-stone sculptured and polished by the action
ot the somefimes turbulent waters of the lake
the fir-crowned summit of the mountains towering
two thousand feet over the lake the bold, rocky
points and promontories, and the little castle-like
island, together make a picture worthy the pencil
of a Bierstadt.
The National Park Improvement Company will
have sixty large tents set up in the Geyser basin,
nicely floored, carpeted and furnished with hand.
some bed-room sets. A large kitchen tent and
another for fine liquors and cigars will make of
me camp a complete hotel. The same accom
modations will be uflbrded on the shore of the
Yellowstone lake.
The Upper West Gallatin and Boj;nun Canal
Co., was incorporated nearly a vear am wirh n
capital stock of $40,000. The object is to build
Junjl twenty-live miles long and twenty-four
feet wide, running from the West Gallatin riv.r
and following such a course as to be able to irri
gale the whole of Gallatin valley. It will pro
bably cost $00,000 and will be of incalculable
oeneiit to the valley and to, the city of Bozeman.
Some time ago a company was onranitoit with
a capital stock of $1,030,000, to construct a canal
from Tongue river for the purpose of irrigating
the dry lands in that region. The ditch i
half completed and conducts water to a natural
reservoir winch has a capacity of 11,000,000 gal
lons. As it now stands the ditch will o.,!
400,000 acres of land from a worthless condition
into extremely valuable farming land, valued at
from $30 to $100 per acre. Montana with her
irrigated larms will soon boast nf
never-fading crops, notwithstanding the opinion
of the poor numskull who recently wrote to a
leading eastern paper that he "did not see a foot
ui larmmg land in Montana."
The amount of fine agricultural and grazing
land locked up in the Indian reservations of
Montana is simply enornuus. Much of the fine st
lnd in the territory is withheld from settlement
and is under the exclusive control of a few hundred
Indira who make no earthly use of it and to
whom it does no good whatever. A few acres
near each agency are cultivated, and the remainder
is seldom even visited by the luy proprietors.
These vast area, would furnish thousands of homes
to indiMiinuf and thrifty settler, who would be
-nly too gh,l of an opportunity to go upon them
vuh thetr families. The Crow reservation oc.
eup.es many thousands of .quare mile, upon
"h.ch are the rich farm, of the Big Horn, Liule
. Ce'. Fork, Stillwater and many
lcWr b""u- - Miles, who has examined it
July, 1883.
thoroughly, declares it to be the best .
in the nolnoUZZ
lands and minerals. The Piegan and Bl 2
reservation, to the north of the Missouri, occu "
a vast expanse of the choicest of lands, the ik
river portion of it being similar in topograph
and in the richness of i soi, to Ule g
River valley of the North. Its altitude I, low
than the valleys to the south, snrf ;. .
..... , " "uwu seem
that its crop products would be less subject 'to the
blighting influences of frosts. The warm breath
of the Japan current penetrates to a certain extent
over us country, and as a result its winters are
many degrees milder than
r'"uuj 01
Dakota and Minnesota on the same latitude. The
bottoms on this reservation are known to be very
rich. The same may be said of the Fl.ui,..,! ...
ervation, in the extreme northwest, with the addi
lion that here the genial influences of the In
current are more perceptibly felt, and apples,
pears, p.ums ana other Jruits can be produced in
great abundance. It would seem that k.
bodies of land that should speedily be surrendered
10 me use and occupation of the incoming tide.
It certainly will not be many years befnr tk.
popular demand to have these enormous reservs-
uons reduced or abolished will be heeded.
At last an effort is beine made to utilize th
vast water power of the Great Falls of the Mil
souri. They have roared on in silence and wasted
their gigantic force for ages, but mu,t now submit
to the yoke and work for the good of mankind.
From the Benton River Press we learn that 1
town site has been selected and will soon he sur
veyed. The location is iust below the mouth ei
Sun river, taking in the Black Eagle falls, some
two miles below, and in one of the most delightful
spots in Montana. Here is the most beautiful
part ot the Sun river valley, a great, wide bottom
stretching off to the northwest, while the valler
of the Missouri partakes of the same character, the
bad land bank, disappearing entirely from view.
As far as situation is concerned, it would probably
be difficult to find in any part of this great ter
ritory a more delightful location for a town. The
name of the coming metropolis is Great Falls,
and a more appropriate one it would be difficult to
find. The crentlemen inter.'Rted have secured
title to about 6,000 acres on either side of the
Missouri, from the mouth of Sun river down, at
an expense of scarcely less than $100,000. The
head and front of the enterprise is J. J. Hill,
president and principal owner of the SI. Paul,
Minneapolis & Manitoba road, and its -various
important branches, and also president of the
Canadian Pacific syndicate. The simole fact
that Mr. Hill is the leading spirit in this en
terprise, and has interest enough in it to come a
thousand mile, to look the situation, over is ample
assurance the city below the mouth of Sun river
is to h fin fstnlilUtiArl fnrl with irriinrtpr OOSiibili
tie, than any of u, may have conceived. The
theory of the interested parlies is that there musi
be somewhere in thi, great northwest a manufac
turing center, and the magnificent water power of
the falls of the M i:;niiri. which cannot be excelled
in the world, clearly indicate, where that center
is. Great Fall, will lie adjacent to the great com
HictnVt 1 lint ituiA.. tit Kltccniirl tfl Belt
creek; the Sand Coulee mine, are but four or five
mile, distant, while the Deep creek coal, ac
knowledged the best that has yet been found i0
if . 1 . . ls mnfln'
luumana, u auiant out iweivc roues , n