Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-01-22
WASHINGTON TERRITORY.

The Territory is bounded on the North by
that part of British America, of late called Co.
lumbia on the East by the Rocky Mountains,
which separate it from Nebraska; on the South
by Oregon, and on the West by the Pacific
Ocean. Its area is 3,S20 square miles-near-
" twice the area Of the State of Virginia. 1t
extends from 46 deg. to 40 deg of north lati-
tudc, and from II deg. to 124 deg. of longi-
tude west from Greenwich. Its width is there
fore about 207 statute miles, and its greatest
length is about $50 miles. Antecedent to the
settlement of the northwest boundary question
between the United States and Great Britain,
during President Folks administration, the re-
gion of the country which is now Washington
Territory, was then claimed to be British soil,
and was called by the IIudson's Bay Company
New Georgia. From the settlement of the
boundary question until the year 1858, it con-
stituted part of Oregon. In the latter year
the Territory of Oregon was, by act of Con-
gress, divided, and Territorial Government for
Previous to the late influx, the population of
the Territory was estimated at $500 souls.
The present organized counties of Washing
ton Territory are fifteen named as follows =
Clallan Island, Sawamish, Chehallis, Pacific,
Wahkiacum, Cowlitz, Clarke, Skamania, Lewis,
Thurston, Pierce, Jefferson, King, Whatcom,
and Wala Wala.
continuation of the Sierra Nevada chain, ex-
tend across the country from North to South,
nearly parallel with the coast, and about $50
miles east of it. Mount Baker, in this chain is
but short distance south of Fraser's River,
and its summit is 1900 feet above the level of
the sea. The average altitude of the Cascades,
however, cannot be much above 1000 feet,
while the Snoqualmie Pass in the same chain, is
only $500 feet above tide water. The Olympic
Mountains, another lofty chain, extend North
and South across the westerly end of the Terri
tory, but at some distance east of the coast
These mountains commence to rise short dis
tance north of the Columbia River, and termi-
mates at the Straits of San Juan de Fuca. An
other range of low mountains, called the Ceur
d'Alnes, crosses the country parallel with, and
about one hundred miles west Of the Rocky
Mountains.
The rivers are numerous The principal ones
are all, however, east of the Cascade Mountains,
and drain the great valley which lies between
those and the Rocky Mountains. The valley
which lies on both sides of the Sound, between
the Olympic and the Cascade Mountains, is
drained by an almost endless number of limpid
streams, but, with two exceptions, too rapid and
shallow for navigation.
The great inland sea which penetrates in all
directions that portion of the territory lying
west of the Cascade Mountains, is one of the
most remarkable sheets of water in the world.
This remarkable body of water extends inland
and parallel with the main ocean coast, from
Puget's Sound, in 46 deg 30 min. N, to Lynn
Canal in Russian America, in 80 deg. n, a
distance of nine hundred miles. Its average
width is about fifty miles, and it is connected
with the ocean by the Straits of Fuca, Queen
Charlottes Sound Dixon's Entrance, Clarence
Straits, affording in almost any of these lati-
tudes an easy and safe ingress and egress to the
largest ships in the world. That portion of this
sheet of water which ties in American territory
is completely mottled up with islands, portion
of which are exceedingly fertile and valuable,
but the major part of which are dry, rocky and
barren.