Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-01-08
More About Gray's Harbor.
MoNTEsANo, Dec. %, Isl


En-. STANDARD: After long pause, I
will resume my labors on the geography Of
Grays Harbor. 1 believe my last article
closed q description Of the Humptulups.
The next stream on the north side of the
bay is the Hoquium, some sixteen miles
, from the mouth of the harbor. This is
beautiful stream, navigable for distance
of from sixteen to twenty miles. 1t has its
source at the base Of the Olympic Range,
and winds its way through valley Of fine
lands, well adapted to farming aud grazing.
The tide lands extend up this stream for
ten or twelve miles, producing a great
amount of good grass that only grows to
fall down and die. What pity it is that
the poor cattle of other sections cannot
have chance at it before it dies! Tame
grasses, such as clover, timothy and rcdtop
flourish we'll wherever tried. There is
quite settlement on this river, and some
fine stock and dairy farms, and the Hoqui-
um has the name Of producing the best
beef and butter on the harbor. There arc
also some very fine orchards, producing
the finest Of fruits-plums, cherries, pears
aud applcs-aud small fruits Of every va
ricty. The strawberry Aourishcs better
than in any other place l have seen in the
country. They usually fruit for a term Of
from eight to ten weeks off season.
Between the Humptulups and the Ho-
quinn rivers is large body of fine pasture
land, almost wholly unoccupic1. There is
range sufficient for thousands of stock,
and yet there is not more than two humid
rcd head of stock upon it at present. The
uplands are not unlike the hill lands all
around the bay, low, heavily timbered,
and possess a fine quality Of soil. Like
the remainder of Gray's Harbor, it has its
share of bear, elk and deer, aud the Giver
Of Every Good has assigned to these parts
their full share of fish and fowl Above
the lIoquium for distance of five miles is
. fine valley Of good land, but better adapt
cd to stock raising than any thing else.
The Wishcal, fine stream putting into
the bay near its head, is some thirty or
thirty-iivc miles long, has large bodies Of
land well suited to agriculture. The bot
toms arc wide and very fertile, and for the
most part very easily cleared. The hills
arc low, wcll-timbercd and the soil Of
good quality In short the Wishcal would
furnish good homes for many Il farmer, aud
the timber is no insignificant part of its at
fractions, since the river furnishes an easy
way to get it out. Aud the ever hopeful
and untiring mind and muscle Of the old
pioneer, \. J. Miller, is busily engaged in
erecting a saw.mill at the mouth of the
river, to convert the forest trees into lum-
bcr, to be shipped and exchanged for the
products of other countries.
This country is especially adapted to
to the habitation Of man, since We cannot
only produce the necessaries and comforts
of life, but tho hand of Providence has
spread our whole country with luxuries
that would do honor to the table of
prince. We have fish in great variety
oysters, Holsters and clams-from the sar-
dine to the salmon and whale; ducks,
geese and plover without number, and elk,
bear and deer in the timber.
think some of those people who have
poor land, or none at all, would do we'll to
cast their lot among US. We are live
people. There has been but one lawsuit
in the county for FIVE years, and not a fight
since l have known the county. No whis-
ky is sold within its limits, to my knowl-
edge, aud there are very few who drink it..
We have good schools aud churches. and
upon the whole, believe we are as happy
people as you can find anywhere.
PIONEER.
r.. S.-Allow me to boast little of our
climate. 1t is now nearly the end Of De-
cember, and the frogs are singing merrily
as if they intended to cheer the dropping
head Of the old year aud to usher the now
year in with songs of praise. They owl
IDENTIFY have not been warned of the ap-
proach Of winter, and in fact I doubt
if they know that winter ever comes
here, for we have had neither ice nor
snow for two years, and it looks now as if
we never would have any more. The
thermometer has stood at from $50 to go
for the past ten days, and tonight it is at
go. The fields are as green as in May,
and We have about moisture enough to keep
the dust down. p.