, 1876-11-25
gir>t Annual Report OF tIC
Washington Territory EsORrd
OfS!IHir .r:IiiCn.

was organized in the city OF olympia,
Washington Territory, on the ?0tI day
Of February, lS;j, tor the purpose Of re-
PLYING to letters Of persons seeking in
formation Of the soil, climate and general
resource, Of this Territory with view
to cmigrtng here. The labor was per.
formed gratuitously, the citizens pio-
ylding the necessary materials, consisting
Of postage stamps, stationery and such
books, pamphlets and public documents,
as were in existence, descriptive OF the
Territory, besides donations from the
press Of the current newspapers, to carry
on the work.
During the nine months following,
33D letters were received and answered
and nearly 200 packages of printed mat
ter, besides samples Of our wheat, oats
and barley, were sent to cnquirerS.
During this period also, u pamphlet
was compiled by the Business Manager
of the Society, descriptive of the soil,
climate and general resources of the Ter
ritory, and when the Legislative Assem-
bly, met in October, 1873, the result of
the Society's work wns laid before that
body and Territorial aid asked for pub
fishing the pamphlet and continuing
the work.
The consequence of this action on the
part of the Society was the passage of
nm Act by the Assembly, Nov, IL, 1915,
creating Board of Immigration, to
serve without pay, and providing for
the printing of 5000 copies Of the
pamphlet at a cost of $j57, and allowing
to the Board the sum of $50 per year,
for Office rent, postage and incidental
expenses.
The Board consisted OF Hon. o. d.
Lacy of Walla Walla Hon. L. b. Hast.
ings of Port Townsend, and Mrs. A. H..
II. Stuart of Olympia, the Manager of
the Immigration Society, which was now
merged in the Board.
On Nov. 12, 1876, the result of the
years work was as follows: 500 letters
had been received and answered, 1000
pamphlets and 10000 circulars and
newspapers distributed in the United
States, Canada and Europe.
About 1000 persons have been added
to our population by these means, a
number which would have been largely
increased, had the Board been provided
with sufficient funds to have employed
an agent in San Francisco to direct our
own immigrants to us, when they ar.
rived in that city, instead Of allowing
them to be directed into California and
Oregon rs has been, and is now the case.
AS an instance of this condition OF
affairs, colony of2O persons in Nebras-
ka after correspondence with this
Board, decided to come to Washington
Territory. They arrived in San Fran
cisco and were Immediately "inter.
viewed" by Oregon and California agents
Becoming alarmed by the statements
which they received of the thirteen
months rain in year in Washington
the mpenetrable forests of Western and
the sterile plains Of Eastern Washing.
ton, their hearts failed them, and Of the
twenty persons who set out Tor our Ter.
ritory, one man alone brayely persisted
in lis determination, and arrived safe
and well at this Office to relate the story.
Of these 1000 persons, Hon. o. P
Lacy writes TO this office that about 2,O0C
have settled in Eastern Washington, be-
ing principally farmers and stock -raisers
and most Of these have crossed the
country with their own teams-abOut
500 have settled in the counties on tho
Columbia river, and between tInt river
and the Puget Sound country, and the
remaining 1900 have located on Puget
Sound.
They are principally from Kansas
Nebraska, Minnesota and Michigan.
The Territol ial warrant for $3.50, was
disposed Of by this Board at 30 cents
netting the sum Of $13j, and this wa,
spent in the following manner;
For postage stamps. ps...,.......$ II o.
" stationery ...,... ......... p 81
" printing ..........,....... 81 o.
Total....,.......... ...-......$l3j OC
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