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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1885)
THE WEST SHORE. 63 THURSTON COUNTY, W. T. THIS is one of the oldest and most important countios in Washington Territory. It was oreated January 21, 1S52, by the Legialulure ol Oregon Territory, of which "Washington was then a portion, and was named in honor of Samuel W. Thurston, first Dolognte to Congress from the Territory of Oregon. It was the third county north of the Columbia River, and embraced the flint American settlement on Puget Sound In 1845 Colonol M. T. Simmons, who had crossed the plains the yoar before, located, with a few companions, where the Dos Chutos River empties, into Budd's Inlot Their little settlement was called " New Market," now the town of Tumwater, less than two miles from Olympia. During the next five yearB many Americans located about the head of Puget Sound, and the town of Olympia was founded, which, being the only one on the shore of that great inland sea, was given the custom house when the Puget Sound collection district was creatod Fobruary 14, 1851. It was naturally made the seat of justice when the county was oreated the following year. In September, 1852, T. F. McElroy and J. W. Wiley bogan the publica tion of the Columbian at Olympia, the first pajer within the present limits of Washington Territory. Whon the Territory was creatod by Congress, by the Act of March 2, 1853, Olympia, being the most important Bottlomont, was made the capital, and rotains that honor to the present day. Thurston County is of irregular shape, lying along the shores of Puget Sound, whose long arms, suoh as Budd's Inlot, Oyster Bay, eta, iudont it dooply in several places. It has an area of COO square miles, including a large water frontage and much exoellont agricultural land Its watercourses consist of Black River, a tributary of die Chohalis; Dea Chutes River, flowing into Build's Inlet, and many smaller streams, which, with uumorous springs and several beautiful lakes, give an amplo and never-failing supply of water. The surface of the coun try is gently rolling woodod hills, reaching, in places, quite high altitudes, especially on the western end, where it bordors the Coast Range Mountains. There aro many small valleys, flats and Btrotchos of bottom land along the streams where agriculture may be carried on, whilo sev eral tracts of prairie laud add considerable to the arable area.' Those latter contain a number of the finest farms to be seen in Washington Territory, and have been culti vated with uniform success for many years. The entire area, in its natural state, is densely wooded with fir on the hills, and cedar, oak, maple, ash and aider on the lower levels. This vast quantity of tnorchantuble timber, combined with the facilities for handling and transport ing logs oiTored by tho many miles of deep water adja cent, has ronderod luraWing one of the leading indus tries. There are cut annually alsmt 9,000,000 fwet of lumber in the county, whilo a largo quantity of logs cut within its limits are made np into rafts and towed by tug boats to mills located at various joints on the Sound Imj yond the county limits. Besides those brought by water, logs are taken to the mills at Tumwater and Olympia by the Olympia A Cholmlis Valley (narrow gunge) Railroad, which penetrates oue of the best timbor tracts in tho Territory. What is said in the accompanying description of Lowis County about tho valuo of these forest lands, whon cleared of timbor and proparod for the plow or soodod to olover, applies with equal force to lauds similarly situ ated in Thurston County. For divorsifiod agriculture, dairying, raising cattlo, hogs, poultry, oto., they are twioo as valunblo as he boHt open prairio land to be found any whore. The best of grain, vegetables, buttor and fruit are produced thoro, challenging competition with any region on the globe. To Thurston County wheat was awarded one of tho premiums of tho Contonuiid Exposi. tion in 1870. There is much vacant land subjoot to entry under tho land lnws of tho United States, which, when olonrod for cultivation, will equal tho best now under plow. It requires onorgy and persistent labor to carvo out a farm from the forest, and no one should undertake it who does not fully appreciate tho task before him. If he does begin the work with full knowlodgo, ho will un doubtedly have, in a few years, both a homo and a valu able farm. This, of oourso, applies to ouo who depends solely upon his own lalxr for suoooaa. lie who can afford to have all or a portion of his clearing dono by contract will escape tho personal hardships of tho poorer Bottler, and have a productive farm bo much tho sooner. Tho game is certainly worth tho powder, as any of tho older settlers will testify men who hnvo onoountorod difficul ties which do not now exist, suoh as no sale for timber or wood, poor transportation facilities, and almost no market for produce, Thurston has now a population approximating C,0()0, and an assessed property valuation of t.'l,M!),2.'l(I. Ac cording to tho Assessor's roHrt in 1884, thero were 50,000 bushels of wheat raised in tho oonnty, while at tho same timo thero were 15,000 head of livo stock. Tho oouuty was divided into thirty-four school districts, and oontainod 1,475 children of the legal school age. Tho culture of hops has boon undertaken in Bovoral localities, and is meeting with good success. Oysters, clams and fish are taken from the Sound and find a ready market in the interior. Olympia oystoni aro well known on tho Coast, and though much smaller thau tho giant bivalve of Atluntio waters, its flavor is preferred by many. The clam of Puget Sound is of Titanic proportions and ex tended reputation. Tho city of Olympia, besides being tho oldest on Puget Sound, is, in many mmmwU, the most attractive, and has tho most beautiful location. Lying at tho head of Budd's Inlet, with woodod hills closing it in and rising gradually alsive it, it extend back along the extremo arm of the inlet nearly to the mouth of the Des Chute, at the town of TumwnUtr. This jMirtion of Olympia lies on a high and gradually rising tulilo laud, which termi nates in an abrupt bluff on the edge of the inlet Across this runs the well-traveled road connecting Olympia and Tumwater, along which the town is so rapidly spreading that the two plueos must m united Ijofore many years.