, 1877-12-28
FRIDAY, DECEMBER -. 1877.
RESOURCES OF QUILLYHuTE VAL.
LEY.

A friend, writing tn MS last week
for information respecting this part
of Clallam County. can b. answered
herein along with others. Our
knowledge of the valley is limited
by few months residence in it. in
the winter season when travel and
observation could not, without incon.
venience, be very extensive. We
can, however, give II general ontIine
ofthe place, which, though inaccurate
in details, will afford the substance OF
the information sought.
Quillyhute river is about 40 miles
long; is navigablp wirh small sized
vessels, say thirty TINS about 10
miles, and with canoes, perhaps 30.
Its source is in spur nf the Olym
pic range, from whence it flows in a
south westerly direction to III p )cif,
ic ocean, where it "mpurs, about
30 miles from Cape FIaitrrv. The
valley through which it flows bears,
in common with the Puget Sound
basin, nearly all th,r i'm ,ortant char
actPristics Of the latter, viz, plenty
of high land covered with fr. cedar,
spruce, hemlock, etc, also low land
in large bodies, bearing alder, maple,
spruce, and the various kinds of un.
derbrush. The loiliress aud pro-
fusion Of the timber, aud the dense
and almost imppnrtrahlA under
growth, indicates unusually nutri-
tious soil. The principal aud most
attractive feature to settlers, in the
valley, are the large aud
EXTREMELY FERTILE PRAIRIEs
found scattered along Mt intervals
for a distunce Of about % niles from
the mouth Of the rive. The lower
one Of these prairies IS situ,ted about
} miles from the river, ard about 3
miles from the beach. II contains
abeut 1900 acres and has heavy
growth of large fern. grass, etc., ex
cept that part under cultivation.
Another prairie, said to contain s.
600 acres is situated on the delta
formed by the forks of the river,
about IL miles above its mouth.
Further up are two other prairies
containing respectively about 300
and 700 acres, the termpr about 25
miles and the latter 90 from the
ocean Other small prairies have
been discovered in the valley, suffi
cient to swell the aggregate amount
to about 10000 acres
These prairies have a rich, black
soil, varying in depth 6 to Is Inches,
in most places resting upon stiff
clay subsoi!. They have been found
to be highly productive, capable of
producing anything that grows in the
Territory or Oregon. The climate is
almost identical with that OF Oregon,
also other characteristics, among
which is the presence of lacamus, or
camus, species of wild onion, said
to be highly nutritious for hogs.
Besides the prairies may be found
plenty of hrst-class river bottom
land and also, at the mouth of the
river are marshes. Recent explora
tlons and accounts gathered from the
resident Indians afford grounds for
supposing that the same kind of roll
hing, low country extends over to the
Chshalis valley. If this be the case,
doubtless other and perhaps larger
pralrles still remain undiscovered
AT any rate the country bids fair for
position of prominence as an agri.
cultural and stock.raising district
AT present there are only about a
dozen settlers there altogether. The
place is reached by means of the
mail boat which leaves Port Town.
send every Monday afternoon, when
the weather permits, landing at Neah
Bay and proceeding from thence
either by water or land the remain
ing 80 miles. The absence of road
renders the former means more ac.
cePtable, except for foot passengers.
otherwise persons can 90 by the
route over which cattle are driven,
VIZ, by land down the southern
shore, of the Straits from here to the
mouth Of Pischt river, distance OF