THE WEST SHORE.
THE BELLINGHAM BAY OITIEa
BELL1NQHAM bay indents the western shore of
(he most northwestern county of Washington.
It is one of those basin-like harbors for which that
remarkable body of water known by the general name
of Paget sound is noted. It occupies an area of more
than a township, and is separated from the Quit of
Georgia by Lummi point, which is really the huge
delta, extending in a southerly direction, of the Nook,
sack river. The bay faces the south, and, being near
ly opposite the Strait of Juan de Fuca, it is one of
the most convenient to the ocean of the sound ports.
It is easily accessible at all times for the largest ma
rine craft, and it is one of the most promising places
on the sound for the building up of large commercial
interests.
On the northeastern corner of Bollingham bay are
four towns in a row, touching each other and occupy,
ing together less than four miles of water front
These are Whatcom, Sobome, Bellingham and Fair
haven, named in their order from the north. The
first two mentioned are incorporated cities. What
com is the largest and most important, having a pop
ulation of about two thousand and being the county
seat Sohome follows with about a thousand inhab
itants, and the other two have six or eight hundred
people. They are all bustling, active, busy towns,
and are free from those local jealousies that so often
mar the prospects of cities having really advanta
geous situations. They are making rapid advance
ment, and their consolidation into one corporation is
one of the things their citizens have in Tiew for the
not distant future.
Whatcom sprang into existence at the time of the
gold excitement on Fraser river, just over the Cana
dian boundary, in 1853. It was then on one of the
most popular routes to that northern El Dorado, and
at one time there were several thousand gold hunters
camped on the present site of Whatcom. They spent
the winter there, and in the spring the tented city
disappeared, but enough remained to found the town
that is now receiving considerable attention from the
whole northwest The county of Whatcom was or
ganiied, a brick court house built and an efficient lo
cal government successfully inaugurated and com
mercial interests started. Btill, as the establishment
of the town at so early a date in that then very re
mote region was somewhat foreed, it did not attain a
healthy growth for some years-not until the country
became sufficiently developed to have local demands
that attracted trade from outside, and products that
ouUide markets wanted. The coal mining that was
carried on for years on Bellingham Uy brought the
:oction more particularly into prominency and then
began the modern growth that is now in progress and
is increasing with greater rapidity than ever before.
Up to the present time the only communication
with Whatcom has been by water or by stage. It
has a fine harbor, though the safe water for large ves
sols is about three thousand feet from shore. Most
of the shallow water aroa is occupied by piles, on
which many buildings are erected, and the whole
space is gradually being utilise as the city expands.
All steamers can land at the largo dock now main,
taincd on deep water, and there are ample accommo
dations for handling freight conveniently. There are
daily boat connections for Seattle, Taoonia, Olympla,
Tort Townsend and the cities of British Columbia, as
well as to the smaller towns and points of interest in
the region of Bolllngham bay.
Whatcom has three saw mills, a planing mill, a
sash door and blind factory and two brick kilns. A
sasb, door and blind factory of large capacity Is soon
to bo constructed and new wharf buildings are under
way. Much has been done in the way of street lm.
provements, ovor tA",000.00 having been eipended
for that purpose last year, and this year the work is
being continued on a still larger scaly provisions
having been made for the expenditure of over $00,.
000.00. Private enterprise is doing a great deal to
improve the town by clearing the outskirts of the
site of timber and erecting many noat and comforta
ble cottagi and a number of residences of Imposing
architectural designs. On the business streets a great
deal of building is being done, and several blocks that
would be creditable to a city of greater pretentions
than Whatcom are already completed and occupied
A number of structures, two, three and four stories In
height, are cow in course of construction. The city
has a publio school, four churches, a brick court
house, a bank, and a newsjaper, the only one pub.
lished in the county. The railroad connections bolog
established will give the city greater Impetus than it
has yet experienced. The outlet of Whatcom lake
empties into the bay at Whatcom, where a waterfall
makes a magnificent water power.
Hehome adjoins Whatcom on the southeast, and
occupies a site of similar character, rising tack from
the water, though it does not have any considerable
stretch of shallow water on its front The same kind
of growth is in progress there that has brought
Whatcom to the font The two cities are working
harmoniously In opening op streets that join at the
boundary between the two corporations and la other
publio works. Hehome has the largest and finest ho
tel on the Uy, a national bank and a large number of
business establishments of all kind. It has schools,
churches and publio halls. A saw mil), planing mill
and sbiogls mill constituU the chief manufacturing