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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1884)
THE WEST SHORE. 223 neighborhood of 8,000 square miles, 3,000 of which are fine valley land, bearing rich, nutritious grasses, while on the hillsides a very good quality of grass grows profusely, which would make 4,000 miles admirably suited for cattle ranches. Several small streams flow into the ocean, which abound with trout. The lowest temperature re corded by the United States signal station was 6 degrees above zero, and the highest hot term never exceeded that of Western Oregonwhile gnats and mosquitoes, so prev alent in other countries, are unknown here. Prairie fires are unknown, grass keeping green up to the first frost in December. The Japanese black stream, corresponding to the Uuu stream m the Atlantic, flows almost around these islands, making the temperature better than that of Great Britain. East of Mount Baker, and extending from Skagit Uounty, through Whatcom, to British Columbia, is a large valley containing much fine arable land. At present it is a sportsman's paradise. Bear, elk, deer, mountain sheep, grouse, partridge, geese, ducks, and such fur-bearing animals as beaver, otter, mink and marten, abound. Mountain trout swarm in the numerous streams and small lakes. The soil is rich loam, and it is not difficult to clear the land of the underbrush and somewhat scat tered timber. The timber of the valley and adjacent mountain slopes consists of cedar, spruce, fir, hemlock and a little white pine, the smaller growths being vine maple, alder and salmon berry. Placer gold has been discovered and some prospecting has been done on quartz lodges, which are numerous, and show assays from $20 to G0 per ton. At present there is no road nor pack trail into the valley, but one will probably be built from the head of navigation on the Skagit The scenery is grand beyond description streams, lakes, mountain canyons and numerous snow-crowned peaks of varying outlines combining to keep a pleasing picture constantly before the eye. Recently J. J. Hill made a careful inspection of the line of the proposed railroad from Butte City, via Helena, the Great Falls and Sun River, to Fort Benton. In a subsequent interview, after remarking that he would prefer the railroad business of Butte City to that of an Eastern city of 60,000 inhabitants, he said: " You can say that I think very favorably of the proposed road from Helena to Fort Benton.. Colonel Dodge, who visited this section a few days ago, came in my interest and has made his report I am well satisfied with the outlook. In a few weeks I will have a force of engineers in the field, and as soon as practicable the route will be deter mined upon. But what this section of Montana wants is cheap transportation, and that is best secured by direct railroad communication rather than that which is cir cuitous. By information I have gleaned from various sources, I know there is a country of groat resources and capabilities east of us (the region north of the Missouri in Montana and Dakota), and that is the direction whence your most important railroads will come. By that route Northern Montana can ship her grain and ore and cattle at a profit when it might not be possible to do so by any other. I am very mnoh interested in Mint country, and will watch with as much interest as any of your citizens the action of Congress in regard to the reduction of the immense northern reservation." NEW LANDS IN WESTERN MONTANA. rPHE Frontier Jmhv, published at tho now town of 1 Thompson's Falls, which is tho railroad shipping and supply point for the Cunir d' Alone mines, on tho Montana side, thus speaks of tho agricultural prospects in that region: "Our pooplo should petition that the lauds between Fronchtown and Pend d'Oreillo Lako be surveyed We have in this valley of the Upper Pend d'Oreillo River (properly called Clarke's Fork of tho Columbia, and generally so indicated on tho maps,) and its immediate tributaries enough acres of agricultural land to make good homes for 15,(KX) peoplo, with 1(10 acres each. As an instanco of what is going on right at our doors in the gardening line, wo will mention that James and Dunvor Laughlin relocated a ranch at tho mouth of Thompson River this spring, and that from volunteer potatoes that lay in tho ground all winter they have one acre that will givo us new potatoes on tho market by tho 4th of July. They havo corn two feet high that was planted in April. They are growing every varioty of vegetables that usually flourish in tho kitchen gardens of the Northwestern States. Wild clover grows profusely. Tho water is tho purest on earth. Winter wheat would bo covered with two feet of snow, and if tho grass is any index of tho growth of wheat this cereal will attain to a height of ten inches by tho time tho snow is fairly off, for that is exactly what tho grass does. Wo do not hesitato to say that tho valley of tho Uper Pend d'Oreillo and its tributaries, for '200 miles, is to-day tho choicest place on the American continent for a man to locate a homestead. Tho Northern Pacific Railroad runs tho full length of tho valley. As tho land is not surveyed, and may not bo for many years, unless settlement in rapidly made, all that it will cost to tako it up is a man's occupancy, as no money is required at the UniUl Htate Land Oflico until after survey. Should a jstrtion of any settler's farm be found to bo on an otld, or railroad, section after the Government surveys are made, tho rail road company will not tax any one more than t'KK) per acre, even if Congress finally decides that any portion of the land grant along here shall Imi confirmed. And what ever Krtion is found to lw on even sections will m am free to the homesteader as our mountain hospitality. The alfalfa of California is grown successfully in Utah, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. It cuts an avorngo of throe crojw per year. In this valley of tho Upjer Prml d'Oreillo this clover would do hotter than in any other part of tho inter-mountains, mainly liecauso tho snow will protect it in winter and becauso tho ground never freeze. Every jH'rson owning a farm along hero should put in a few acres of alfalfa this season. It will make a sure end rich crop of hay, and will be very profitable on this land, where clover it indigenous in great profusion,"
