Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1886)
260 THE WEST SHORE. Reaching HX)kiino Falls our firut glance indicates a pleasant town, with a bluffy hill thinly clad with pines on the south and a large plain to the north and cant, bor dored with picturesque mountains. We find the busi ness part of town built largely of brick, and very sub stantial for a town only seven or eight years old. There are many elegant residences here and there, especially among the picturesque rocks piled around like Lay stacks south of the railroad. The ground on which the town stands is gravelly, not good for agriculture, but of the Ix-st for street wear, neither dusty nor muddy. The falls, of course, form the greatest feature. Both from a sconio and commercial point of view they are of great interest The clear and cold 8iokano, a stream half as large as the Willamette, is here flung over a series of trap dykes, forming a cataract nearly half a mile long, with one perpendicular fall of a down feet, and another of thirty or liiore. Whilo not of suflicient magnitude to m sublime these falls are niarvolously Is'autiful, with the green, glassy surface of the river torn by the projecting rocks into shreds as white as wool. The water power is enormous and is already util ized by three great grist mills, one saw mill, tho electric light works, and sundry smaller enterprises. Of the flour mills, two, the Kcho and the C aud C, are roller mills. The former lias a capacity of one hundred and twenty-five barrels of Hour per day, tho latter not much loss, Both have machinery of tho most approved kind. The wheat supply for theso mills comes mainly from the Hpangle and Latah country, south of HNkano. The market, aside from the local demand, is Montana and tho Ca-ur d'Aleno mining region. There is one well equipiMid saw mill, under the charge of tho Hokane LumlMtr aud Manufacturing Co. It cuts forty thousand feet iier day. llio town has leomo quite a city recently, by the introduction of fine systems of water works and electric lights. It contains now about thirty-fire hundred peo ple. Its public buildings do great credit to so now a place. Tuere are several churchi's, one, the Catholic, iM'ing an elegant building. The public school house, a very neat, though not costly, structure, is located iu a sightly sst, in the south part of town. On the north side of the river the town is almost entirely on the south side are the Methodist and Catholic colleges. The former, under chat go of Itev. Mr. liishco, is making a good lieginning in trying to meet the educational meds of tli in great region. The latter is temporarily closed. Ksikane Falls is well supplied with uewspa- nt. The I'lmiiiulf and h'i'vicw are two of the best weeklies in tho territory. Tho Miner is an excellent paMr devoted to the mining and commercial interests of that region. ' As to its connections with tho outside world Spokane Falls is well equiped. The Northern l'acifio railroad Muuu(i directly through it A branch line from Mar shall, seven miles south, is now in process of construc tion. It is already built to Hangle, ten miles south of Marshall, and is being rapidly pushed on to Farming ton, thirty mill's further. It traverses the magnificent wheat Ml alsive described. From Kpanglo another iroMMMl branch divorce to tho southeast, probably go lug through or near the towns of Waverly and Latah, and finding a terminus on Cu-ur d'Aleno lake. This fa vored region has also another railroad under construc tion from Colfax to Farmington by the Oregon 1 tail way and Navigation Co., and still another in prospect So, in means of communication as well as natural resources, the great Spokane and Mouse country is likely to soon be one of the foremost sections in the territory. Its business will naturally converge at Spokane Falls, inas much as Marshall, the point of contact between the branch and the main line of the Northern, has no natur al facilities. Besides its existing railroad connections, Spokane Falls has others in prospect Oue northward through the Colville valley to some point on the Cana dian Pacific, and another northwestward through the Big Bend country to some point on the Columbia river. This latter road will give the Spokane country indepen dent connection with the lower country, for the river can, with a little work, be readily navigated from the Wenatchee to Celilo, at the head of the Dalles. It was, indeed, currently reported that last spring's reconnais sance of the river had been discouraging, but I was per sonally informed by Captain Troup that such was not the caso. He believes that a few short portages canals ultimately will open the river from Celilo to Farwell, on tho Canadian Pacific, the Kettle falls being the only great obstruction. To intending immigrants, it may be well to say that if you cotno to Spokane Falls socking land you will find government laud of fine quality, and an yet great abun dance, in tho Big Bend country. Harrington is the principal place in that region and can be reached by wagon from Spokane or Sprague. If one desire to pur chase land he can find it of the finest quality at from Jf7.()0 to 20.00 ior acre in the Spangle or Farmington countries. There the government land is nearly nil taken up. Claims, howevor, can frequently be bought at from SffiOO.OO to if 1,200.00. There is also good rail road land for Bale. Such are some of the features of this metropolis of Eastern Washington, as its enthusi astic denizens are fond of calling it, aud as thore is much reason to suppose that it may sometime become. Time fails us to speak of all the multiplied attractions of the mountains and lakes in this region. Could you, artistio friend, stand with me on the glistening dome of Mica butto, and see the mirror-like surface of Craur - u Alone lake mocking the azure hues of heaven, then could you turn westward aud seo the limitless prairie, Boa-like iu its wavy outlines, wrapped for its nightly burial iu the golden shroud of sunset; or could you, pis catorial disciple of Walton, or veuatorial emulator of Nimnxl, descend with me to the bosom of the lake and sate your souls and stomachs on the finny hosts therein or the elk and deer and bear aud cougars if you are ambitious that run or crouch alonR the banks; or could you, rheumatic friend, bathe your twisted frame in the " modern pool of Siloam "Medical lake, in other words and leap to your rejuvenated feet with the exuberance of boyhood; and oould you all drink the pure WBtor and inhale the vitalizing air and satisfy the almost bound ess apix'titos thus created, with the sweet food of the lakes and lulls, you would join with me in saying that this country of the Spokanes is one of the most beauti ful, and most prospectively proserouB of any in all our great Northwest The future development of this re gion, industrially, socially and morally, will be one of the most interesting within the great basin of which it is so imxrtaut a jmrt It possesses all the natural requisites to lie a land of homes, of permanent interests, of the best traits of our busy, aggressive Amorican life.
