The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891, February 01, 1884, Page 37, Image 5

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    THE WEST SHORE.
37
W ,,Mml' 'county ?f
er
KITTITAS Valley,
the chief agricul-
. tural portion of the new
Kittitas, in
thirty miles long
fflrirfc"?b6p; by eight to ten wide,
i4vAVrtLt and lies on either side
of Yakima River. The valley is a succession of small
hills, but level enough to answer all the purposes of
agriculture. There are several small streams, and two
rivers nearly as large as the Puyallup, which empty into
the Yakima. ' Along the creeks are found willow, quaking
aspen and Cottonwood trees, varying in size from Binall
brush to trees a foot in diameter, and occasionolly a cotton
wood or quaking aspen is found eighteen inches through.
Away from the streams sage brush and bunch grass cover
the soil of the valley to the base of the lnrge hills sur
rounding it, where bunch grass occupies the whole land
uutil timber is reached on the tops. The view is rather
fine as the eye passes from sage brush to brown bunch
grass and pine-clad hills, and in the distance the lofty,
jagged peaks of Swauk mountains, covered with snow
nine months in the year. The Cle-elm and Te-an-a-wan
are rivers joining the Yakima in the upper or northern
end of the valley. The bottom landB of Te-au-a-wan are
narrow, but several claims have been taken and the soil is
said to be productive, each year bringing additional set
tlers who feel disposed to remain, which is the best evi
dence that they are satisfied. Still farther north and
over Swauk mountains flows the Wenatcho, a stream of
considerable size, pouring its waters into the Columbia.
Several settlers have located in Wenatcho Valley. They
report the sou good and grazing excellent
The valley of the Snoqualmio, in King County, will
average one and one-half miles in width by ton in
length. The Snoqualmie River rises in the Cascade
Mountains and flows northwesterly until it empties into
the Snohomish. Besides the rich body of valley land
along the river, there are a number of smaller valleys on
, the tributary streams and an extensive area of fertile
hill land, covered with pino timber, adjacent to the river.
The whole is a country very desirable for settlement, and
affords ample room for a large and prosperous commun
ity. It can be readily reached by intending settlers by
; way of the Snohomish River, which is navigable nearly
to the mouth of the Snoqualmie. The celebrated Sno
qualmie Falls are at the junction of these streama The
river precipitates itself a distance of 270 feet into
rugged canyon, the water being dashed into spray against
, huge masses of rocks, while tlio roar of the cataract re
sounds through the surrounding forest
which are supplied by a weekly mail, carried by steamer
leaving Tort Townsend every Monday. The prineiwtl
industries are general farming, dairying and Rotting out
saw logs for lumber, and tho inhabitants are gonorully
prosperous. During the past year prices for all kinds of
products have boon high, materially anointing tho set
tlors. In the Quillouto Valley is a llourishina voumr
urmmg and stock raising settlement Plenty of exool-
ont arable land can still bo found in the vicinity, and
settlors with moans to develop the country are dosired.
The commerce of Tugot Sound is yearly increasing in
volume and importance. The shipments to foreign ports,
chiefly consisting of lumbor in its various forms,
amounted to $1,001,147, of which threo-fourtlm were car
ried in American vestals. Tho countries to which tho
greater portion of thoso shipments was made are China,
BntiHh Columbia, Australia, Hawaiian Islands, Chile,
Peru, Colombia and Belgium. The coastwiso exerts
amounted to 8,500,(X)0, as against $7,700,000 in 1882,
H450.000 in 1881, and $3,100,000 in 1880. There wore
shipped, chiefly to Sun Francisco, 213,499 tons of coal.
The total of cool shipments from Pueot Sound now
amounts to 1,900,000, of which 1,300,000 were from the
mines of King County, and tho remainder from Puyallup,
Bollinghara Buy and other point.
' Clallam County occupies the extreme northwest cor
; ner of the Territory. It has a coast line of eighty miles
; on the Straits of Fuca and fifty on the ocean south ol
Cape Flattery. Dungeness, the county seat, has the
! largest and most prosperous farming settlement About
: half a dozen post offices are located in the county, all oi
The most northerly port in Washington Territory is
Draton Harbor, in Whatcom County, and it is ono of
the best on the coast It is com plotoly landlocked and
has an area of 3,700 acres at low tide. The Ixmndnry
lino of British Columbia touches the bay. Tho country
lying between tho Nooksack and the boundary is one of
the host agricultural sections on Pugot Sound, and is
receiving many Bottlers. It is naturally tributary to
Draton Harbor, from which a good wagon road is being
constructed. A large store has boon erected at Draton
and a town will doubtless spring up.
A now town in Yakima County is that of Prossor
Falls, on tho lower Yakima. It is in tho center of a fine
agricultural district, which is now receiving many settlers,
and several stores and other building have recently boon
erected there. The fulls are not only beautiful but use
ful, since they supply a splendid water power which will
soon be utilized. Tho town is on the stage road from
Ainsworth to Yakima City, and the railroad will pass
through it
The Cimr (tAhtne Miner is a now publication issued
at Spokane Fulls. It is devoted to disseminating news
in regard to tho new mines, especially in reference to
their relations to Spokane Falls.
Atlanta is a town recently laid out on tho Samish
peninsula, in Whatcom County, where the post office of
Samish is located, A hotel has boon built and a store
will soon be erected
In 1883 thirty vessels woro built on Puget Bound to
engage in local traffic. They aggregate 3,910 ton and
are valued at $-117,000. ,