Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-01-27
Washington Territory.

1t may be interesting to tn
readers Of the HERALD 10 hea
something, and get some intelli
geBce from the far-oG Territory o
Washington. For this purpose w
make the following extract from 1
letter written to the Lebanon Stal
BY Dr. Jas. Scott, now Secretary o.
that Territory, and formerly .
prominent member Of the Ohio
Legislature from Warren County,
and who was also editor Of the
Star for several years:
0LYMrIA, Washington T'arrltoryil
| Dec, 70 1859,
The climate in Washington Ter
ritory is varied. While east of the
Cascade Mountains the summers
are hot and the winters cold, west
Of these mountains the mercury, in
the summer, ranges between sixty
five and eighty degrees, and, in the
winter, between twenty and twenty
five degrees Fabrenheit-I mean on
the lower and inhabitable grounds,
for all over the Western slope we
have mountains which are covered
with perpetual SHOWS, sending
down their sides, during the sum
mer season, delicious ice-cold wa
ter, for the use of man and beast.
Many of these mountains run up
fifteen or sixteen thousand feet
above the level of the sea, and ere
said to be covered with snow and
ice hundreds Of feet deep at their
SUBMITS. or course il must be
cold up there, summer and winter,
but, as | have not been there, and,
| presume, no one else, win not
venture to give you the exact tenn
perature of that altitude. We can
see two or three of these mountains
from this part, rising their hoary
heals in 0 the clouds. On clear
days they are beautiful sights, look
ing like pyramids of Italian marble
at their base. Some
times the clouds envelope their
SUBMITS, when they appear like col
umns sustaining the canopy over
US.
But | started out, under this head,
to write of the climate, and not of
The climate, in the
western portion Of Washington
Territory, resembles that of
Charleston, in South Carolina
Just think Of it! While we were
in the same latitude with Like Sa-
pefior, were the SHOWS are three
or four feet deep at this season Of
the year, we are enjoying the
halmy breezes of almost a tropical
This is the result Of the
tropical or ocean currents, 1t is
now the 18th of December, and not
fake of snow has fallen in any
)art Of Western Washington, ex-
,ept on the mountains above the
inc Of settlement Not a particle
If ice has been seen, as yet, and
lut few frosts have been observed.
Garden vegetables are growlnr
Inely; there is an abundance of
Mustard, turnips, and all kinds
t greens, lettuce, young onions,
5c. cabbages are growing, roses !
re blooming in the open gardens,
nd a number of other garden flow J
RS are looking lovely; the grass is
reen and nutritious. and all nature
ears a bright and cheerful appear, 7
nee. We will probably have a h
tile winter next month, when the !
lemometer may be down to freez- +
lg point week or two, perhaps a 9
tile snow, and possibly ice enough =
skate on for one or two days. i
here was nothing of the kind last Y
inter, nor has there been but twice I
the past five years, we are in a
'rmcd. !,
But You must not infer, from n
hat | have said in relation to the h
of our winters, that we !,
ave sunshine during all this sea I,
IN. Not by any means. Almost a
! our rain falls in the fall, winter n
I'd spring. Sometime it rains for j.
whole week, night and day, with f
ut letting up; but this don't de- &
r the people from out-doo work. n
hey put on water proof clothing, Ia
Id work from morning till night. q,
e never hear persons promise to a,
,rfOrm labor here on certain day r.
f it don't rain" as you frequent "
hear in the States, at home, 1t q,
mt often rain very hard. Our f.
oderate rains are called 'Oregon he
ist.p In the months of June, Ju, ~
August and September, we ar
we more moderate showers, if a.
y rain at all. The crops are so Ia
+ advanced at this season of the nj
ar as not to need rain, and am dr
re we don't need it to cool the IN
nosphere, as is so desirable in II
iio and other Eastern States f.
Ike the year through, and ! don't wi
ppose there is a more desirable ii,
mate in the world than that of Il,
estem Oregon and the western e.,
If of Washington Territory. N
THE PRODUCTS.
Iwo-thirds of the aera of Wash
yton Territory is covered with a oil
lvy growth of fir and cedar trees tee
large size and a great height, Inl
ny of them running up three or tel
,r bundrnd feet. Large Ouanti- so