Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1869-09-18
More about Gray's Harbor.
NoNTEsANo. Sent. 9. lSt

wide covered with a short but very nutri-
tiouS grass, with "A strip Of swamp lands Of
the same width between the prairie and
the hills This beach is most beautiful
place for Il stroll In the summertime,
wagon may run for mile. and never give
JOLT or leave u track. the beach is 50
smooth and hard Besides. the scencvv is
sublime. Looking out upon the broad Pa
c,iic the eve can discern no object aside
trom the dim horizon but the blue rolling
waves. which as they azly approach the
shore hook a. if they would swallow up
everything for miles around but when
they roach the bounds defined by the Gre
ator fall with a power terrible in its ma
jcsty aud force. On stormy day of win
ter the roar Of the surf may be heard a
distance Of fifty miles.
,;old is found in small quantities in sew
eral places along the beach. At Chehalis
Point it is found in paying quantities, re-
alizing from s.; to s. per day to the hand
! It is said to be brought in by the surf and
therefore inexhaustable. There are. at
present some six or eight men at at work
at the mines on the Point.
'
distance Of some four miles, on line with
the beach, leaving strip of sandy forma-
ton between the bay and the ocean, nearly
two miles wide. about twenty feet above
high tide on an average This neck of
land il called Cheha!is Point At the
head of South Bay there il a small island
of about thirty acres Of land situated above
high tide This is thought to be a good
site for a lumber mill as the channel is
wide and deep up to this point. One mile
above this point three small rivers put in,
known AZ East, Middle and West Forks If
South Bay river. The tide sets up these
streams 10 great distance. and there is a
lar~c area of tidc-andS along their borders.
which furnishes large amount Of fine
grass. and in some places there are good
alder bottoms. There is no settlement on
any If these streams, except an Indian
ranch. and no stock to eat the grass except
elk and deer, which frequent those prairies
in great numbers in the Fall and Spring.
Some of these tide lands could be- reclaimed
at a cost Of not more thln two dollars per
acre. From raine- Point bluff that
puts ont at the head Of South Bay. around
to Johns river. a distance Of six miles. the
tide rraires are frnm onehalf to one mile
and a quarter wide, with several small
streams putting in from the hills the tide
setting M for several miles. Some of
these bottom lands could be dykcd in very
easily, and would make very good farms.
Johns river is quite n navIgable stream
for small steamers. ten or twelve miles or
"a far rs the tide sets mp. This stream has
fifteen hundred or two thousand acres of
tide prairie with an addition Of fine large
bottoms above tide water Johns river
would afford homes for quite large popu-
ation The up-Lnds along Johns river
and South Bay. and between the two. il of
an excellent quality. the timber being p-in-
cpally spruce and hemock, with an I'M
dcr-rowth of salmon brush and buckle
berry and vinc-maple. The break. of the
hills have some very large cellars, and
there are some extensive cellar elades
which have the largest cedar trees on
them that ever saw.
There is some gold to be found all along
johns river and it Is believed that there
are good digrings somewhere on the river
or some of its tributaries. II is reported
that there is quartz ledge at the head of
the river. From Johns river to Olary's !
creek. distance Of three miles the bay is |
-krted with tide flats, small streams
putting in with wide bottoms. Billy |
Olarv whose name the stream bears, a
son of the Emerald Isle, is the oldest set
tier on the bay. re has been there for
sixteen years. He says he has not been
confined to his bed one day by sickness
during his residence. 1t is said that he
lived there through the whole Indian war,
and never knew that it was going on.
There is tide land enough on this creek to
make two large farms, and it could be
dyked easily by two months labor.
From this point to the head Of the bay,
a distance Of fifteen miles. the prairie wild
ems, and has some scattering spruce trees
upon it. 1t is covered with a luxuriant
growth of grass, which furnishes pasture
for stock the year around.
The 4" city" of Cosmopolis, situated at
the head ofAhe bay-not sunk but desert
eds the only Indication of civilization
between Montesano and Chehalis Point, a
distance of thrty-five miles. There is a
large body of fine bottom land between
Montesano and Cosmopolis, altogether I'M
occupied. There is comparatively little
land taken up on the south side of the
bay. There is room for many men to make
their bread and butter, and the fish and
fowls will never give out.
More by-and-by, PIONEER.
P. S.-A large sperm whale came into
Gray's Harbor not long since, dead. Some
miners succeeded in towing him ashore,
and sold him to Messrs Ford and Hengen.
who have been trying out the oil. They
think they will obtain from eight hundred
to thousand gallons. He was sixty-6ve
feet long-no sardine. p.
II Resolutions Of coincidence passed by