Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1861-03-16
Kitsap County.

Territory OI w passed Jan.
10th, 1867, under the name of Slauebtor
in honor Of the gallant officer Of tho
U. S. Army, who fell in defence of our
Territory and people, i'll the Indian
war, of 1866. Its boundaries were
defined as commencing at point in
the main channel Of Colvin's PASSAGE
and running West along the old bound.
airy of King County, to the head Of
Cases Inlet; thence westerly along
said line to the head of Hoods canal:
thence following the main channel Of
said inlet to its junction with ADM.
rally Inlet ; thence following the main
ship channel OF said inlet to its June.
ton with Colvin's passage; thence fol.
lowing the main channel of said pas-
sage to the point of beginning. At
the recent session of the Legislative As.
sembly, an amcndatory act was passed.
modifying the Eastern boundary of Sa.
vanish county, and takinga small Dor.
ton of the county of Kitsap and ad.
ding it to Sawamish. The same Leg.
%islaturc which erected the County Of
Slaughter, authorized that the legal vo.
tiers of said County Of Slaughter, should
at their next general election, decide by
ballot the name Of said county. At
the election in July 1861, by large
majority, the people of that County
expressed a preference for the name Of
"Kitsap," by which it has ver since
been called.
This county may be described as EN-.
b%racing all the peninsula, lying between
Hoods Canal and Admiralty Inlet, in.
GLIDING Blakc's and cambridge Islands,
with fifty miles of shore line upon
Hoods Canal, and eighty miles upon
Admiralty Inlet. No part of the
county lies over four mile from naviga-
Die water.
Strictly speaking there are no roads
yet opened and travelled in this county,
in fl t water communication to all Dor.
tons is so well afforded it has dispensed
with their necessity. A plainly marked,
and considerably travelled trail, con-
meets Port Madison and Port Gamble
the distance being nine miles. There
is also trail from Port Orchard to Sea-
beck, distance four miles.
GENERAL FEATURES.
This County is not adapted to gen.
cral agricultural pursuits, and very few
claims within it. have been taken with
Il view Of making them profitable as
farms. The soil is that peculiar to
heavily timbcred lands, and is covered
with dense forests of fir and the diff
ferent varieties of the pine family, with
the exception of a few wet prairies, and
vine maple bottom lands, bordering on
small streams or rivulets. About all
Of the occupied claims. have been taken
with Il view of their eligibility for mill
seats. logging and fishing stations, or
for mining. Coal and good moulding
sand are found'npon cambridge Island
The county is divided into four cleo
ton precincts, each of which consti-
tutcs Il road and School District. In
three of these districts, schoolhouses
have been erected, and schools have
been taught. There are no Churches
yet established, but the settlements
have been supplied with occasional
preaching by clergymen Of the Meth
odist persuasion.
COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURES.
Kitsap may be justly styled a manu-
featuring and commercial county-the
principal item being the manufacture
and expectation of lumber. In 1859,
over forty millions Of feet of sawed lum.
Der were exported, to say nothing of
the several cargoes Of masts, spars and
piles, besides quite a large quantity of
picked and smoked salmon, and dried
Goldfish. Within the past two or three
years, the business of curing fish has
not proved ~remunerative, although it
must be admitted that the waters with.
in its borders abound in fish of many
varieties. Considerable ship building
has also been done, but the boast Of
the county is its great lumber trade
and manufacture. In it IRE six steam
saw mills, II Touring mill, one iron
foundry with turning lathes, all driven
by steam, and rendering necessary the
use in all the above, Of nine steam en-
gines. About seven thousand tons of
shipping are registered as being owned
and paying taxes within the county.
SETTLEMENTS.
The first settlement in what is now
included within this county, was made
by j. j. Felt of San Francisco, who
located and erected a steam mill, ia
1858, upon Apple tree Cove, but fluid.
ing a more desirable site on the north,
end of cambridge Island, on the south