, 1862-04-28
4 LETTER FROM WASHINGTON
TERRITORY.


Climate, Soil, and tokens OF Progress.
{The following letter Is from the pen of ], j.
Gfivra, Esq, formerly an Attorney Of this city
and now holding Federal appointment IN
Washington Territory, 1t Will be read with |
interest as variation on news from camp and
feld.1
Especial Correspondence Of Chicago Trlhune.]
OL1sr1A, WAsHMeToN TERR1roH1.
March Is, 1852. {
Your readers may be interested By a few !
words on the resources and tokens Of progress I
Of this region. In the first place as to thec1- |
mate The summer is truly delightful; the
days are con,5ortauy warm and the nights COM
fortably cool excellentsleeping weather, The
average winter temperature is not much colder
I understand, hut it is then very
rainy. The vet season has already com
mcnced and Is, Of course, unpleasant. The
country is very healthy At all seasons OF the
year, except to those pTedisposed TO pulmoRa-
r. or rheumatic diseases To such onr long,
wet winters are nnaucstionab1y banetul The
last remark applies only to that portion ofour
Territory between the Cascaaes and coast
ranges Of mountains. East Of the Cascades
the climate is drier, and more healthy in the
particular mentioned, and is generally healthy.
The principal available resource OF this por-
ton of the Territory at present, Is its lumber,
but that is almost inexhaustible in quantity,
| and Of excellent quality for ship building aud
building purposes generally. The best spars
in the world arc obtained here aud ct any
length required, mp to 800 feet Coal is obtain
| cd in considerable quantities at Bellingham
Bay. The fisheries Of the Inlet, Sound, and
Straits, when developed, viii undoubtedly
prove an abundant source Of wealth Salmon,
| Goldfish, oysters and clans are obtained in
| place for fitting ont whalers, but We are almost
| i4s siqIt Of the best whale fisheries.
| Tic amount Of land that eau be used for the
purposes OF agriculture, both west aud cast Of
the Cascades, is compazattyely small, and it
costs great deal Of labor and much time, on
account Of the density OF the timber, to reduce
what there is, to 4 slate Of good cultivation
that is, west Of the Cascades. Est Of the Cas-
cades, SO far as have travelled, the general
appearance Of the country (after you 1eas: tue
Cascade Mountains) is barren waste. with
here and there clump Of sage bush or grouse
| wood, and now and then 4 patch Of buuch-
grass. Occasionally, however, you find run.
ming through this waste narrow belt Of fer
tile soil, bordering stream, vending its way
, to the Columbia.
baye not been here long enough to spcaE
more at length about the climate than have
! done, but think it may be truthfu1iy salt
that our climate oD the whole is preferable tt
{ more equahlc From what I can learn, th,
:. climate east of the Cascades more resemble
the climate of Illinois. Yet it is not there 81
cold on the average, and is very much dryer
: there heing scarcely any rain in the summer
. There is one tning more ia connection VT
nearly forgotten, and that il, that it is the bes
l fruit country in the world. But to! resume
: | If this country is wanting in agricultural II
f sources, the deficiency is more than made u
. by its mineral wealth The Neg Perces go1
} mines, about one hundred miles east Of Wall;
c walla, have proved very productive the pa:
c season. The newly discovered gold mines Q
c Salmon river, about one hundred nils= soutl
r east from the Nez Perecs njnee, are withur
+ doubt the richest yet discovered on this Goa!
It grafton is pouring into that country now fro
it al parts OF Oregon and California; aud
d | think it may reasonably be expected th
&c there will be from lfty to seyeuty-tlve tho
It sand people east of the Cascades, in til
J. territory, By the middle cf next sur
&c mer. Then 10 the north Of us, in tho Britis
r possessions are thu FrlZcr River and Carlbe
Mines, which are also very rich; and l thil
ts The patural result Of all this emigration II
d be TO derelop all the permanent resources
d the country, and especially tue agriculture
T. have no doubt but that the great highw;
s- or thoroUghjAre between the Atlantic St 1t
r. and the Pacific will be by the Missouri Riy
e to Fort Benton, thence across the mountai
le by Mullins road to the head waters of Il
CT SnaEe River, thence down the Snake and G
be lumbia Rivers to Monticello, at the mouth
l. the Cowlitz River, and thence BY railroad
Olympia, tie head of tide wafer navigation
i'll Admiralty Inlet This il the most natural Il;
i'd easy channel of communication between t
at Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean tt
nd exists on the continent. Then this route
'st capable Of continuous line ofsettlements
ty nearly the whole distance. If this new &C
ire field proves what it seems to promise, Ill
by the future development IF this country will
Ill By rapid strides, and will afford one o( t
best fields for enterprise in the world. Bul
IL the gold mines fail to attract emigration, q
,,e the resources of the country are to be deV
oped by the ordinary means and way, it =
10 be sometime before Washington Terrific
IN will become State, Unless the mines ere
m home market (as they no doubt willy the
~, ricultnralist can undoubtedly find 4 Ill
on profitable location. The best flour has b.
ere selling here the past summer for S. per
re-, and I don't we'll see ho@ it can bring inc
een when 1 recollect that We depend upon
d Of York and Europe for market, thereby be
ati- brought into direct competition with Hin
und The other Western and Middle States, y
Re- the odds Of transportation by the way of C
CIV .. Horn against us. II is to be hoped (An
~ .cI think it may reasonably be expected) that
and | and more convenient markets will be fou
mn for our surplus produce with the increase
by extension of our trade with tile Sand9
Iva 1slapds, China, Japan and the East Ind
ner- but these are all matters Of speculation,
in the future ut best. But as I said before
cnt- all human probability, the mines, gold and
Ger | yer Qor forgot to mention that it is sup
+ba ed the newly discovered silver mines on ?
der river are equal in richness to the W.
TIP n,lnes), will create home market at
prices.
can safely say that this Territory offers to
Fl eH1igfant as many or more Inducements, t
ress any other portion Of our country. No
d;S- can fail to find In the variety Of snil, ciin
lat q and scenery here, aspot to suit his flncy.
ccss If he choose he can include ia the range
the selection, Oregon and California. He
q of could not then be suited must have fas
q it, Gus taste indeed. So come one and all
= and are thus inclined, and unless s'distance Il
one such enchantment to tie view as to rais
artv your minds the expectation Of finding pc!
:, 1t tion or paradise here, you will not regret
ty is change.
II II IN IN ono word with regard to the political
The national feeling out here, and close
ic as sorry to say that in some parts Of our Ter
!: the r. there Is more Of a feeling Of dis1oyal'
ork. our Government, and sympathy with ire
the and traitors than there ought to be. But
1T in feeling is very rapidly changing. and we
n, or and expect to see it soon and entirely era
7orE ted. There are two facts. which exp1ai
some extent the reason Of this, and in {
artv. ! slight measure may serve to palfate
very aflme, an4 tnesu aiG; oas1. Alaay VI o1f .
If ita zcns arc from the SCUM ~9efe tNelT LII
the and relations now are; anu secondly !:
tie Territory has always been under Dc;uoc
rerv rule. and more recently under the Bre,
. lie ridge wing At that. But wr are rapidly r.
,ator t1iuE, and soon will be politically Eoua6
with Union to tce nearl.s core. ....
elves sefJ Irnlr yours,
very John .. Mca3LV'
con
the Eureeou Turner. of the EIospf