The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-10-29
on THE OTHER SIDE.
A Description of the Kittltas Valley.
[from an IsTELLIGESCrR Correspondent
ELLENsBURG, KITrITAs Valley
Yakima county, W. T.,
Oct q 1870

OCt. y, 1861.
When leaving tho Sound for this
section Of Cnantry, very intelligent
gentleman one who had habitually
read a great many papers. asked the
question if the Kit.itas and Yakima
valleys were not two different names
fUr tue me place. The subscriptions
published of Yakima county usually
describe these sections so that stran-
ger would not know what separated
the ono from the other Usually the
two terms are so confounded that a
person who had never been there would
lie justified i'll supposins these two
names to represent tho same place
People living there bitterly complain of
this misrepresentation Of the situation.
With Yakima valley in its most re-
strictsd sense, as used by tho settlers
there, this article has nothing to do; it
purports only to give q somewhat de-
tulicu oceStiptlpu VI tuc IcSOuICcS VI
the Kittitas valley and some of its most
general relations to the surrounding
country.
Yakima county embraces all that
section of country between the Colnm-
bia river and the summit of the Cascade
range lying south of the Wenatchee
river and north of Klickitat county.
The Yakima nver flows little east of
south from Lake Kitchelas. near the
summit OF the Snoqualmie Pass. across
the country, reaching the Columbia ne ar
the southoas, corner Of the county In
looking on the map, enc part OF the
course Of this river might be marked as
kittitas valley. another as Yakima or
S,mcoe valley, with nothing to indicate
any difference between them /; while in
reading one of those learned descrip-
tions complied from official sources. one
would say that all these terms were
uronerly included in the name YakimA
valley In certain sense this would
be correct. rs they are all situated along
| different parts of the Yakima river
| but none no are per oualiy acquitted
with this section would Use these terms
! ia this manner. All the information
the people there would be apt to send
to the papers why they should not be
called a part of Yakima Wiley would
be that kittitas valley was altogether o
separate section of country, with differ.
ent climate. resources, &c. and had
nothing whatever to do with Yakima
valley. Ia one sense this would be all
! true, yet q stranger would still sse it
located on tho map SIS being on the va
kima river. higher up than the SO called
Yakima valley.
This confusion II terms proceeds from
the fact that there is no continuous wide
strip OF fertile bottom land alongside OF
the Yakima river, from its source in the
mountains TO its mouth, bu. in several
places tbia river has cut its channel
through the mountains, thus separating
the different parts Of its course, and the
differently named valleys are separated
from one another by muuutAins at leas,
O thousand feet high. and are connected
OILY by narrow gorge or canyon made
by the river. and through which il
runs.
| The kitlitas is the FRS large valley
on the course Of this river after leaving
the Sao9usllnie Pass IN going east. II
extends almost To the Aummi. Of the
mountains, IS there is no mountain bar.
rier that way until Lake kichelas Is
reached; We. i, does not widen out so
as 10 form The valley proper until below
Thorp's place. soaie sifty or sixty miles
cas-. If the Pass. The region above is
oil tributary 20 the valley proper, bu,
- IS soil aid general appearance are 90