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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1883)
October, 1883. THE WEST SHORE. 347 The completion of the Northern Pacific railroad from Lake Superior to Puget lounj, is an event of immeasurable importance to the entire I'aciKc coast country north, and especially to to the terri tory of Washington. It brings assurance of ear ly greatness, by placing us in the very van of commercial importance on this newly opened highway of nations, including us in its circuit around, the globe, and making our great waters the necessary counterparts of the seas of China and Japan, the North sea of Europe, and the bays of Boston and New York. Forty-five millions of acres of timber, coal, pasture and mountain lands; mines of precious metals, quarries of lime stone, marble, granite, slate, sand stone, and beds of mica; ocean front, and inland salt seas; many lakes and rivers af fording thousands oi miles ol navigable waters, all alive with an hundred varieties of fish, some of them of great value; water powers; a climate of even temperature, and healthful; grand scenery of water and mountains, facilities for manufacture ing the staples from our own material, wood, iron, wool and hides; maritime opportunities unsurpast ed for internal, cuast-wise, and foreign commerce; in a line to absorb the trade of Alaska in fish, (ur, cedar, and gold; to obtain the largest share from Asia in Coffee, teas, opium, porcelain, silks and ivory, all of these are our resources and advsnta ges which will straightway place Washington territory in the fore front along with the most prosperous countries on the globe. The assessment of taxable property in the ter ritory amounts for the current year to $44,107, 567. There are 32,000 children of school age, 24,000 of whom are enrolled upon the registers of the public schools, while nearly all the remainder attend private institutions or having acquired the rudiments of an education hive taken the offen sive in the battle of life. The steady but rapid increase of wealth is in dicated by the following table of valuations for the past eight yearn 1876 $IS.'39.78 1877 17,281,182 1878 18,678,437 1879 1,021,832 1880 J.78.587 1881 5.7K6.4I5 1882 3.5M.9' 1883 44."7.S67 C01.VILI.K VALI.KY. It Is seventy miles from Spokane Falls lo the head of the valley, which varies in width from nne-half lo three miles, and contains enough fowl land lo support populi lion of perhiiit 8,000 people. The present scan ty population is made up of whites including many half breeds and Indians. There is as per feet security for life and properly as lo many older states. The Indians indeed, are more civ ilixed than their neighbors, some of them being ouite successful Or men. possessing bands of horse and cattle, and unions lo enjoy the Ira nrovol methods of aericulUr which their while neighbors possess. Indeed, Considering Iheii ed vantages, their condition, taorally and intellect ally, It is surprising. The white generally are law-abiding people. Busy of them postcaalng soon thaa ordinary ability oad threwdneu. peculiar and important feat or of the valley fa that it coeiiias as abandinc of wood, wit ir and good mil la doe snoxiauty three cardiac! vir tues. Nature seems to have adapted it to stock raising. For this purpose immense quantities of timothy can be grown in the bottom lands. The luxuriance of its growth is remarkable. In some cases, we are told by reliable parties that it has been known to produce at the rale of five Ions to the acre. The cereals (except corn) do very well. Though fruit trees have not lccn thoroughly tried, it is thought they will thrive. W noticed a beautiful pitch of strawberries, which we sampl- ed and can attest their excellence throughout the valley. The timlwr, of which there is an abun dance, including fir, tamarack and pine, is gener ally distributed throughout the valley. Much of the wooded land is suitable for agricultural pur poses, much of it being free from the rocks which we ordinarily associate with timber. The winters are longer by two or three weeks, thin in the Spokane country, and the farmers calculate to feed stock for loo days. If we told the whole truth, we should not forget the mud which abounds in the spring, rendering Ihe roads impassable for a lew weeks. An Illinoian might not, however, consider it worth mentioning, None of the ranchers would concede that llieit are greater extremes of temieratur than along the SHkanc, loo miles further south. At any rale, there is plenty of fuel at one's door. The filings of four townships are at present 0en to settle' menl those in the immediate vicinity of old Col ville. The government surveyors are at present writing, working near the lower end of Ih valley, in the vicinity of Walker's prairie, and filingi will proliably be ready within a year, when Ihe whole country will be in market. The only set' tlcment worth mentioning lo which the word town, or even h unlet, could proierly U applied, is Chewelah, seventy miles from Sjwkine Falls. here are perhas a doten buildings, Including a school house, postoffice, headquarters of Ihe In dian agent, two stores, a physicist), and a black smith shop. Twenty-five miles north is a place of about the same site known as llelmonl, t town of recent origin. Near Ih laller arc a brewery and gtistmill in successful operation. Ily the way, the flour made in this part of the country not excelled In quality by any mails on tin coast Four mile from llclmont I Ihe gerrlson, dc sertcd village whose Inmate but a few year ago were removed lo other garrisons. SaJk$m ftlh Ckromtli. THE (jUILI.KUTK COUNTRY. Outside of Washington territory nothing known of the 'Juilleute Country, and but Utile known in ihe territory of il. It lies on the west era slope of the coast range of mountains, -sl-ml lot down lo lb waters of the Pacific ocean. The river of that mm empties about 30 mils south of dp Flattery, by rout of which the Cjeilhrate couniry I generally reached. A strainer fioea Ihe sound joe around whenever In twines will justify, while mor frequent trip ar mad by schooner s, especially ihuM ragigtd la ladiat) trading and fur scaling. The most ordinary of enmmunicalioa Is by lb canoe of lb India) to Neah bay, or by tramping over the rough! kind of trails lo that placa. or Inlet further ep ihe straits of Fata. From tillM la the cap tb coast lio Is of Ih bardeel character, anbfuk a rock Icwiag high, aad tsutssUaiag death aw) oettradlna. Heath from the Qailbwu Ik try lowers gradually until It becomes a Hat in th kinity of Shoalwater hay and th Columbia. The obstacle in th way of reaching and making horn in this land hav been many and almost insurmountably yet they hav been overcome by two scor of rough and hardy backwoodsmen. net men (and soon women and children) ar but the forerunners of a countless host, who will soon be crowding in by hundreds and thousands. he better land is up th river, where rich and beautiful prairies, all ready for Ihe plow, can b found to th exlcnl of thousands of acre. These Umls are said lo hav no iuirlix on Ih face of Ihe earth. The llmlier lands ar also good, iho' in fertility are not to be coniaicd with Ih prat rlcs. The Umber itself it valuable, and consist! rinrlpally of sprue, hemlock and lie. the latter lieing or smaller growth tlun (hit of the sound. The river Is navigable a mile and a half from lit mouth. Ileyond thai II Is very rapid, but It traversed by Ihe Indians in their canoe. Th finest of salmon abound, the Inhibllantl thinking them Ih best on th coast. Off th shore ar th fur teals millions of which iMirt In the waters, furnishing prufilabl employment la Ih Indians in Iheii capture. Hack nearer Ih moun tains ar th greatest bands of tk to b found In th world. The nobl animalt tltnd higher than cattle, th females weighing from 500 lo 700 pounds, and Ihe males loo, ouo ami vn ixm, A considerable traffic is enjoyed in their hides and anllrra, while Ih meat I a pslalahl at beef, Hear also almund, of lh blai:k or brown sixties, and bird and other gim. Th I ml lint ai of th original kind, but little tainted with the vices of the whiles, and ar hospitable In every thought nd act They us their own language generally, but few being acquainted with Chinook, ami few. with F.ngllsh. Th people dim ihert hav none of th luiurle and advantage of modern lime. 1 milled as Ibey ar, they ar never call ed Uton fur tastt, and know nothing u( rwdt, schools or courts. An occasional mall get In, and a potlofhc his been tttablUhed. There It talk of a county orgsniialion, A down yean ago a Qullleule county wat set oil liy Ih luUIlure but at time wer no people In complete lb or. ganiialion and fill Ih offiret, it (ih county) never reached I lie condition of actual tsUlunc. W hav received from Ih wall known pub. lUhlng house of 0. , I'ulnim't Hons, New York, a copy of "The Ureal Northwest " a guid hum for tourist and IraveUr over ih Northern I'a. clfie ami aasticial line. Typographically and artistically II It a vary ailraetlv volam, awl It Cualenl ar well cumpiUd. File $1.1). A new steam taw mill It bring rcl4 Iwtlv milt tooth of IUkr City, Oregon. Th oV mind Un lumbar la lhal region la I ncr taxing rcpidly tutder Ih Milam) of railroad approach log both from Ih t and watt, Th best photos, all stylet aad tit, r takta by Abtll. GsJUry, w-4 tide of First tirw, la wee Moerkwa aad Yamhill. To obtala Ik aval artistic views of scenery bs tb Facia Northwest, go to iMvtdsui, toalkwtwt const first sod YsmhilL II hat Ik calyeua alet astasias la Ibat si lie.