Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1861-02-02

uctWcCu) s..s...sss.s..s..s Id
" up Creek to foot Of mountain. 9
" across mountain to mines.."....
Total from D. Hes "
Total distance from Portland. "
From this mining point follow down
the Poshasta Greek twenty miles, to its
junction with the Wenatchce ; thence
down the W%rnatchev- to its Junction
with the Columbia River, sixteen miles.
Thus the mines are only thirty-six
miles from the waters of the Columbia,
where they are to be navigated by
steamboat as early as May or June of
the present year. The distance by
steamboat from Portland to the mouth
of the Wcnatchee is about 395 miles,
about twenty miles of which would be
portages.
Thus passengers and freight will be
landed by the steamers within thirty
six miles of the heart of the. Wenatchcc
mines, before the end of six months
next ensuing. Here then lies open a
field for enterprise Which our people
should occupy at the earliest practicable
period. Our merchants, mechanics
and farmers. all arc alike interested in
the early development of these gold
fields. If we falter, then another five
or six years may clapsc without a proper
effort to open up the richness and en-
tent of u resources, which lie at our
own door, while the energies of the
inhabitants of British Columbia, aided
by the labors of Californians, will open
up the country north Of the 49th par
alIcl, and fix the channel of trade and
commerce almost entirely without our
borders, and leave lis as far behind the
age of improvement and wcaltl, as we
now find ourselves: Our natural advan-
tagcs need but be made known to in
ducc capital and labor to come among
us, to operate upon our soil and devel-
opc it's hidden wealth. This is the OBJ
ject Of these articles we now pen upon
our %our W. therefore solicit
every aid and cooperation which can
be furnished for this work. Give us
the facts and figures, for they are argyll
mcnts in and of themselves, and We
will publish them.
We take no, exception to Oregon
endeavoring to make Portland, the
beneficiary of these valuable discovc-
ries of cndeavoring to direct to that
city and to the Columbia River, the
channel of communication to the vast
I'll Dorado, now developing in the Int
rior of OUR Territory. But we urge
upon the citizens of Washington Ter
ritory to be up and doing. That trade
by right aud by nature belongs to Pu-
get Sound. On this vast inland sea,
so approachablc by sail the world and
the rest of mankind" marts must arise,
towns be started to support the popula-
ton soon to be drawn hithcr, to work
the mining fields in the great basin Of
the Columbia and its mountains, south
of the 10th parallel. TO the Ncz Pcrcc
mines, possibly the Dallcs and Walla
Walla, might be the more direct APP
proach, but it will not be long ere a
wagon road from Fort Benton will
come directly to some point on the
Sound. BY it the whole Interior will
be opened. We care not to notice here
the idle silly notions, recently advanced
by Portland newspapers as " facts worth
remembering" in which the navigation
of the Columbia River bar is so Landed,
whilst in the same paper VIC find, the
glaring fact chroniclcd that three ocean
steamers, were anchored at its mouth
ovcr n week waiting an opportunity
to 60 to sea.
Steamboats, on the upper Columbia
river may be the most comfortable
method of conveyance to those mines;
they may afford facilities unknown to
land travel, but we wager the assertion
that miners will find a resort to them,
attended with great expense. The
transhipment of freight over the vari-
Gus portages, adds not to the advantage
Of the route. But it is not our purpose
to disparage any route whatever. We
only ask that claims, which we regard
entitled to attention, may be duly con-
sidered by miners, traders and travel
ers. We feel confident that Puget
Sound has advantages, the development
of which, will benefit Washington Ter
ritory, and a W money to miners. We
therefore cordially trust that our peo-