Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-10-19

A4h4"fAe AA sN ANAAssty ~ $500
Of homes, /. gessrHlly, Where can
We ind good farming lands. open to
settlement = II is he duty II the
press 10 answer this question, and
nssspaE~rs should Occasionally al
lade TO ~neh TOPICS. although the in
forna;ion RAW not be new TO many
q thesr readers.
4 little hight Ai this time On some
r-olnts Rot often considered, may he
useful TO the immigrant and pre-
ven, q location upon land that he
raay b. compelled 10 abandon. with
Dot only loss II time and labor.
bu, of hrs pre-eDption or homestead
rights. all for want Of knowleSige Of
the Kind IL land he selects
There h. on either SIDE u the
Sound, an auiuls,ing but nearly level
district Of land. about 3O feet
above Underwater IN it, higher por-
tIons, and stretching from the foot
hills Of tine Olympic Range to- those
Il the Cascades on the East, Ii
likewise reaches south, a. far As the
Chehalis, being enclosed at the ex-
treme bounds by the foot-hill dis
trict north Of the Columbia rver.
This low aud comparatively level
body Of land is simply deposit Of
the ocean during the drift period.
Clay, sand and gravel are deposited
in every conceivable manner, indica-
ting highly disturbed conditions dur
ins the time of their removal, and
more especially of the higher por-
tons Of the district, which are sandy
and covered with gravel. AS a
whole, we advise the immigrant to
avoid this sterile region. 1t is not
extensive, however, as compared
with the river bottoms and rich up
lands that surrounds it on all sides.
We call them uplands, by way of dis
tinguishing from those that lie above
the drift foothill soils. They are of
a redish brown color, compact clays
formed of decomposed basalt, the
rock which generally constitutes the
foothills. This form of igueous rock
forms good and enduring soil for
farming purposes, and is quite diff
ferent from the white clays of the
drift that line the shores of the
Sound.
The immigrants should, by all
means, settle in the river bottoms
which are formed by the rich deposits
of the foothills. Leave the gravely
district, near the Sound, for the next
generation. The Chehslis valley can
afford homes for thousands. It may
be back from navigation, but railways
will soon bring the worlds markets
to its doors. It is not affected by
Summer freshets, which are some
times so destructive to crops in the
bottoms east of the Sound. The
gravely district only borders the
Cheha)is short distance.
After the river bottoms are settled,
there remains strip of upland from
five to ten miles wide, along and ada
cent to the foothills of the Olympic
and Cascade Ranges. It is level
and needs more or less draining,
but lying above the streams, it can
be easily placed under control.
Much of it is free from fern and
underbrush and is covered with
grass.
Roads will, of course, have to
be cut to these lands. This may
be Encouraging to those accustomed
to prairie districts, but the great law
of compensation makes oil things
even. We have climate as near
perfection as it is possible to find on
Earth; we ale on the seabo ard where
numbering, mining. fishing, manu.
factories and commerce will bring
the highest rates for products Of the
soil, and our annual rains guarantee
regular crops, to cheer the heart of
the husbandman.
Anera of thrift and prosperity is
in the future. How near or distant,
may be depend, in come measure
upon ourselves. II We can bring it
within our own generation We will
enjoy its blessings, but il We do not,