Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1868-07-18
SATU RDAY MORNING, JULY Is. lS6S
Answers to Enquirers.

we eelrct rom atEoag stNcrdi tct'iS IT,
ceivcd. making inquiry as to Washington
Territory and its inducements TO settle
mcnt, one from William NJ. Dodg'. Esq,
of Peoria, Illinois, which, we my add, is
a representative of class, and our cores
pondents will accept the answers to his in
terrogatorics as replying to them. His
inquiries relate to the following subjects
L-OfMc Puget Sound Basin, and the
Character Of tie Country betwccn the
Cascade Mountains and the Coast.
Axs.-In general way, it may be stated
that the area of the district approximatrs
to 1850 square miles, which may bc re-
guarded as embracing tho Puget Sound ba-
sin, the basin Of Gray's Harbor and the val
ley of the Chshalis, Shoalwatcr Bay and
the valley Of the Willopah. the Cowlitz val
ley and the country drained by the lower
Columbia and is tributaries. Or we may d.
vide it by vertical lines into, LIST, the Sec
ton broken by the foothills, spurs, and
ascent to the western summit of the Cas-
cades ri, the region bordering on Puget
Sound, the upper Chehalis aud Cowlitz
rivers, enclosed between the bases Of the
Cascades and Coast Ranges Of Mountains,
with length north and south of about
$50 miles, and an average width of thirty
miles, which makes abundant allowance for
water surface and occasional mountain
ridges, with an area of $500 miles, or
100000 acres; Sd, west of the Coast
Range, the Chehalis and Willopah valleys,
already settled to considerable extent, and
recent explorations indicate large body
of excellent land in the northwest penir-
su:a. between the Quillehuytc river and
the Straits Of Juan dc Fuca. Whilst it is
true that the mountain spurs are dcnsely
covered with gigantic timber. yet along all
the mountain streams are extensive bottoms
Of the richest land, and at intervals we find
to the very submits praircs varying in ex-
tent from one to ten or fifteen square miles.
In the second region, which may be re-
gsrded as continuation of the William
cite valley Of Oregon, most of the settle.
ments have been made. While the prai-
riss are generally occupied, it is generally
conceded that tho best lands arc found in
che river bottoms, which are covered with
alder. cottonwood aud v:ncmaplc and arc
not expensive or difficult to clear The
vast proportion Of tits character Of lands
remains unoccupied. II is estimated that
at least one-,Lird Of this is cp,n lrairir.
The CheLalis valley. abou, seventy miles
long and over fifteen miles wid-. is proba-
bly, the most extensive vall,y wrs; Of the
Csscsds-. Ia the wiIlopah valley ,brrr
arr e~rr 100 ooa serrs If good l~vel land.
Exrialing the l~ssa Of Ii. ioxcr Cslu-a
bss. th<rs arc re.sly 6 .Soo.@ee sr-s 9.
lrs<l ls@& ue<. Of sh< Cascade Msuxsa.a..
Tnns - sl be @e~s has fAs rz-sun q
w~se4><zz. Ts--zu<T exs Aasa v-s=-A -
-~s~w Lzryr Pup@aEssu2 la ma-s.A-.
hv~-Sxs ~~s az b. z&2r sA4s sk< v~m
80 4 wrsrsu<su~ are ia ~ -s-asz.-s =
E-zm~~ sa< ms. "a. rzms-s kss .r.u
ss< .a-z 90 b. s-1-~-& - .w :
sss- a. Trzm<z . I'll uz4ps~z - szs=~
xz~nm< sh@s ~ szu-~s~ ass -~z mGuvr
r sw sasw hurmw. - mur- snns = smu.2
snas al n @zh~u~ 1~s r~waa~z4uz
sr~ - -<a.zns - ~ s4-@3zn@ms@ a..
suzs @~s-s - - ~@4sm3 sh=ua.szz.-
rs~~a~a Ma aa~ -4-~~m-~~ 8 fu.aa
~~~A u ss~ ~us~@@ nars~~ mmS wa..as semn
&.wN - w@w a 80 Ta.vm~-~ -
~~ ~~1 hw ~s ~~-- ~m= Tw~
~ $780, ~nrp~s r uzv b. ~
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