, 1860-01-13
Edii0r Of Me Pioneer and pemouat-

hESTENlEb Dlhs III tno ISSUE Vi lIle IuBet
Sound Herald, Of Friday, Jan 6ih, 1860,
in an article headed the Smilkameen
mines" | extract the following:
I" "Phe pioneers to this new Ell Dorado
Except two or three small trains starting
from SteilacOom and Seattle) will take their
departure from various points on Columbia
river, even up as high us Fort Colville, to
reach which point many hundred miles must
he traversed, occupying weeks of time
Those who start from the Dalles, taking a
direct northerly course between the Cascades
and Columbia river, will encounter, on their
long and fatiguing journey, large bands of
hostile Indians, strongly averse to whites
passing through their country; thus render
ing it extremely dangerous for any but
large parties, well armed, to take that
route, as Robertson, Mclaughlin, and a
host of others can testify. Starting, how
ever, from what points they may, on the
Columbia river, we cannot believe that
many will follow in the footsteps of the
pioneers, nor can we believe that the pion-
eers themselves will take the same route on
their return which they take in reaching the
mines. All will eventually find their way
to Puget Sound, whence the miners must
replenish their stocks and draw their sup
plies; at least until such time as mining
towns spring up in their midst From the
different towns on the Sound, the distance
to the Simkameen ranges from one hundred
and forty to two hundred miles. Taking Il
position on a ridge in the Cascades, the
Sound can be seen on one side and the new
mines on the other 1t is absurd TO sup
pose that the miners, sooner or later, will
fail to find this out; and, having found it
out, it is equally absurd TO suppose that
thereafter they will start from any other
than some point on the Sound Thus much
encouragement should be derived from this
source by our business men, who will best
consult their interests by being fully pre-
pared to meet the emergency"
would have answered the article itself,
in the Herald, but as your issue comes out
before that paper could be received, l take
the earliest opportunity to correct grave
mistake, that may be the means of deviatng
the great bone aud sinew of the land to q
place that would retard their progress oil
the the summer, if they expected TO get to
Similkameen mines" at all without work
ing his passage among the large fallen
siumps and trees that can be seen for miles
on every side of you, until the Cascade
mountains is reached. Iwould then admon-
ish all, who are foolish enough, not to even
go to any town or city on the Pacific coast
the Sound included. In this article it is
not my intention to even detract from Steil
accom-, or other places, any merit they may
possess in facilitating the travelling of the
miner, or to take away from their midst
the profits that might arise, by his board
whisky, or contingent bills, for outfits
clothing, &c, or from large sales to mer.
chants in anticipation.
Let Steilacoom, and these large and small
places on the Sound, FIRST build a gooC
practicable road east of the Cascade noun
! tains, THEN, friend Herald, we will sit dowr
and talk to you. Don't you know the snl
fering of the poor deuded miners at Vieto
ria and Bellmgham Bay? Didn't they live
like the Egyptians and Arabs, in tents
only the Egyptian and Arab had plenty o.
sheep, goats, cattle, horses, sugar, coffee
garlic, a d plenty Of good feed grass, witt
an extraordinary clinale-in warmth, tC
sustain both man and beast, in his teuteC
felds-with good roads. How now stands
the case with the Sound country For
sooth, that old pioneers like Dr. McLaugh
lin and Robertson with few, not host o
others, to testify. 1t is well known thai
DR.. Mclaughlin generally had his head
quarters, as Chief Factor Of the Hudson,
Bay Company, at the now city of Vancou
yer, during its most palmy days of trade
That DR.. Mclaughlin and Robertson may
have estimated The distance, as the editor
says, might be true ~. Did you ever gel
in calm at sea, with u head wind, just il
sight of the haven of rest? Did team
ster, packer, or miner with pack on bis
buck, ever make much headway through
the unsurveyed woods, among trees, (thaI
the Editor is 10th to praise, whose dimen
sions are from ten TO thirty feet in circum
ference? The underbrush is awful-thC
Willamette valley, where person gets lost
sixteen times every three days, illustrates
the sequel The Similkameeners do not ask
that those hardy sons Of toll, who may wish
to come amongst them, that they are always
willing to extend the helping hand, could
incur risks, that the great bugbear Of In
dians, catamounts aud lions, with the pou.
derous weapons of Ceur D'Alene, on the
route through the only true line of travel
up the noble Columbia, that God in his sec,
ond sober thought fitted as causeway,
toithout stumps, frOg-pOndS, mud holes, In
dians big trees 10 be cut and jumped, (when
there is no mules on hand to jump them on
tie coast What then would you do
Throw away good steamboat travel up as
far as Priest Rapids" or old Wallu-walla,
on the Columbia river, for all these fine
gymnastic exercises, on the Steilacoou
route? Hung be the Heavens in mourning;
let the curtain drop-let the emigraut start,
and he will drop over many slippery gulch,
and fall from many broken old slimey
tree trunk, in his way. This is no delusion
-facts are stubborn things. The son oil
This sume old Doctor Mel aughlin lives now