The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-11-04
on THIS SIDE AGAIN.
From the kittitas Valley. over the
Nachess PAS, 10 OIym pia--.A DC.
scrIPelOn Of the Nachess Pass--.The
Tanum River Placers..-c The Por.
ter's Prairie Country, etc.
From an ISrELLIGENCER CORES pondentl
OLYMPIA, Oc:. -, 1879.

CC.. - 1917.
PoRTER's PRAIRIE COUNTRY.
AS no detailed account of the re-
sources Of this imlortan: and productive
section Of King county has ever sp-
peared in print. it will rot be trespas So
ing too much Oh your space to give a
brief summary OF some of its advan.
tages. present and prospective.
This sectlo IF country is very level.
1t forms high bench couple of HUI
dred feet above the level OF Green river
on the north and White river on the
south. 1t is. next to the Qailleute. one
OF the best stock ranges in Western
Washington. The soil is from eight
inches to two feet deep. rich black
lOsm, and so flat as to need more or less
drainage to carry off the surface water
There are openings all through the tim.
Der, varying in extent from a few rods
square to several hundred acres.
The delta between the two rivers con-
tains about 80 00 acres of very fertile
land. one-fourth of which has very little
timber on it. South Of White river
between this section and Wilkeson, in
Pierce county, there are $4,000 acres
more of fertile land, half Of which is
easy to clear.
Up the White river valley, above
Vanderbeck's, the good land extends to
Quartz Mountain All of Mud Noun
tain is composed of very deep, black,
fertile soil. which only needs clearing
and cultivatin4 to drain itself. Between
Boise Creek and Quartz Mountain there
is at least 10000 acres Of land without
u settler, all Of which is rs rich as the
best lard in White river valley. AVA
gon road over the Pass would soon
cause most of this land to be takeRup
There are Also numerous patches Of
good land unoccupied above Quartz
Mountain. Gu the trail leading over the
mountains.
AhO pottSib Va oACGI IlttI valley
so sheltered by high table land on each
side that its temperature is several de-
grees warmer than the average Of Puget
Sound valleys TIE Consequence i, that
it will produce successfully fruits aud
vegetables rarely grown elsewhere on
the Sound. Toe only difficulty with
the valley is that there are only three
or four thousand acres OF this land for
cultivation; not enough to secure the
requisite rpads and bridges to prevent
the isolation to which they vii! other
wise be subj. ted.
About ten miles up Green river is
found the first great coal deposit. called
the Mastiu niue, owned by Wm Mastin
aud others Of Steilacoom The McH-nry
mite 10 three or four mills farther up
the river la these two msin mines aud
between them there are l25 separate
outcropp'ngs Of coal, ali the way from
one to twenty feet thick. Above tie
McHenry vein outcropping. Of coal sse
seen for II nils
Above the al mines are separate
basins Of a few hundred acres each u
| rich bottom land. but no .argc tracts
No settlers are found above the co.l
mines.
Between Cedar and Green river, in
townships II and -, north Of range &
east, there are ten sections. or COCO or
100O acres, Of fertile land with soil that
will average two feet in depth. IL
township Il, north Of range east. is
the celebrated Meridian Prairie. All Of
this region is unoccupird
Whenever steamer can go up 10
Brannon's landing on White river. i,
eau go 10 the mouth OF Sioux crsek
on Green river. two aud half miles W
that river. with 3 strong probability
uf reaching Simr SOU 5 landing. SIX miles
above. From two 10 three hundred
tons Of extra freish: could be secured
Il 10 fall snl winter by steamers coming
thus far.
Neat 10 . read over the Naci.es, Pass.
the greatest wart II this section O.
county Is . bridge across White river,
/ 90 As to connect with the roads to VIII