, 1853-12-10
OF Interest to All!
THE GREAT QUESTION OF THE
DAY CONCERNING THE NORTH
| ERN PACIFIC RAILWAY!


utive Department Of this Territory, the
Governor has taken the trouble to c;nbody
and furni h Us the follow ng article on a
subject which has occupied his undivided
attention since his departure from Washing
ton City. Thankful for the favor, and
knowing the people of the Territory will
feel grateful for the information afforded,
we will presume to add nothing in com
mcnt, but hope to be able, from time 10
time, 10 draw upon the same source for
such additional valuable information as may
he available:
""'The geographical importance of the re
gion OF country between the Basin Of the
St. Lawrence, the head waters of the Mis-
sissi ppi and Puget Sound, its adaptation 10
settlement, its railroad routes, its emigrani
roads and the nomadic tribes within its bor-
bers will be the subject Of the following ar
ticles. Resting on the two great rivers of
the Eastern and Westean coast, the Mis-
souri, and Columbia, it connects by navi,
gable stream with Hudson's Bay and the
Arctic Ocean. Between the upper tribu-
laries of these two rivers, the Rocky noun.
tains are broken into spurs, filled with beau
liful and fertile valleys, furnishing several
good passes much lower than the Southern
passes and one being by barometric meas
urcment more than one thousand FIVE hun
dred feet below the South Pass. The head
of navigation of the Missouri is only about
seven hundred miles from the waters of
Puget Sound, incxhaustible in its lumber
its coal and its fisheries, and in this dis
lance there is one long reach Of the Colum-
bia navigable for steamers From this head
Of navigation in two hundred miles and in
ten days, the emigrant reaches that beauti-
full valley in Washington Territory at the
base of the mountains, which even the hon.
est and simple miRded Flathead Indians
have filled with cattle, and raised wheat and
potatoes for their own use. Through this
valley, all the Indians from the Cascades 10
the Rocky mountains pass on their way 10
the vast buffalo plains between the Missouri
and Yellowstone where with the Grows and
Blackfeet they lay in their stores of meat
and robes, and which has been the scene of
many sanguinary conflicts. The best nat
ural wagon roads connect the head of navi-
cation Of the Missouri with the fertile val
leys along all the streams issuing from the
Rocky mountains to the head Of Yellow.
stone--valleys so mild, cattle need not shell
ter in winter--rich in buffalo grass abound
ing in woodland the water Of the purest
quality-and game, buffalo, elk, deer, big
horn, antelope, black bear, in the greatest
abundance. The passes are yearly trav-
ersed by the Flaihead Indians between
Christmas and New Years on horseback
and March is the iavorie month for the
breaking up Of the Buffalo hunt by the
Washington Territory Indians and their re-
turn across the mountains 10 their homes on
the plains and in the valleys ofthe Colum-
bia river and its tributaries. From the
head Of navigation of the Mississippi to the
head Of navigation OF the Missouri through
the Territory Of Minnesota and the region
occupied by the Asseneboines, the GTos-
venlFes and the Blackfeei, the emigrantwill
find grass over every mile Of the route, and
water never at greater distances than fifteen
and scarcely ever at greater distances than
ten miles. Myriads Of buffalo occupy this
vast region, and their numbers have not
sensibly diminished though two thousand
Red river hunters, each on his fast buffalo
horse, four months each year, pour death
into their ranks, and they are almost the
only subsistence of some twenty-five thous-
and Indians.
"Four routes within the Territory of
Washington are pursued by the Indians in
passing from the valley at the western basc
Of the Rocky Mountains 10 the plains and
valleys between the Ceur d'Eleiene and
Cascade mountains. The Ceur d'Eleiene
mountains, an extension Of the Blue noun
lains to Clark's Fork of the Columbia,
north of which the range is known as the
Kouteny mountains, occupy the whole
width Of the Territory for distance of
from one hundred TO one hundred and twen-
ty miles, is covered with heavy timber and
has numerous well erased though narrow
valleys, The Nez Percez, the Spokanes,
the Peude D'Oieilles, the Ceur d'Eleines,
and other tribes, in crossing these mountains
have three to four horses for each man,
woman and child, and even children of
year and a half o!d will be seen guiding
their horses, one hand only on the rein, en-
tirely unconscious they were exciting the
wonder and admiration Of the passer by.
"The Cascade mountains have Two good
passes. and on Puget Sound is found a eli
mate of extraordinary salubrity, milder
than that of Virginia, and Of the same av-
erage temperature, though more equable
than that Of San Francisco, and a soil which
yields rich returns to the husbandman. The
Strawberry is often in blossom in December
and February, and ice'has 10 be imported
from the colder regions OF lhe norfh.~
"The country between the Cascades and
the Occur d'Elciene mountains is generally
well adapted to grazing or tillagS and
much Of it is exceedingly well watered.-