, 1880-04-22

pledged by the ueighboring settlers to any
man or firm that would buill mill here.
by combining a gri.t mill with sawmill'
nn extensive business could be carried on.
A man with $4,000 to $4,000 capital
could buy out the local TIA ler at this point
for, lay Sl.500, and. by laying Ia a stock
> OF mis,sllaneOus goosls and erecting
gri.t aud saw uill. virtually control the
trade OF large, fertile and rapidly devel-
.oping valley. The people would appreci-
ate the employment OF capital IN their
midst in such manner, and would allow
n fair profit to I've made on all their ex-
ports cent abroad through the traders.
Dakota and California creeks, two small
streams. empty into the bay OH ttseaste'n
..si1c. while IN the vicinity are located
about thirty families, besi,lcs a number OF
bachelors. The bayis n fair harbor for
small craft, but Is rather shallow inside
the narrows. Mud flats extend from the
shore into the basin of the bay from all
directions. On the north side of the bay
Is The loration Of a famous mining town
that sprang up during the Frazer river
excitement iu 1857. AT one time 1t was
estimated that there were 1900 miners To-
Gated here, awaiting the opening OF the
trail to Frazer river, the latter having
this bay for It's southern terminus. But
the last ycstige Of the town hes long since
bven removed. and the neighboring set
tiers now tell OF it as u "Reminiscences Of
early DAYS. Semiallmoo boasts u schUo!
district containing about sixty children
. within school age. The settlers want
resident teacher. They wou'd prefer a
MAJ with family. lie would
receive from $40 to S45 per month during
about q tile year, aud. il enterprising
and Industrious, coud gradually open u
farm for himself in the meantime. The
land in the vicinity is all tlnlbcred, though
some of it would be easily cleared. Two
church organizations fluid footing In the
ncighborhOOd, each with small working
membership trllc Methodist Episcopal and
the Congregation al. and each society has
church bnlling with regular preaching
by resident ministers.
A wagon r,ad cohhec's Semiaimoo
with Whatcom on the east, crossing the
NOoksack river at Ferndale, where u post
+ Office and ferry are loca ted. the rond tray
ersng M exceedingly fertile yallcya dis
lance of about eighteen miles, South OF
this read. Is nearly n township Of the finest
Kind OF farming Iaud. During the rail-
road excitement few years ago it was
all bought up by spectators. but is now
for sale at from $l2o to "a per acre.
Near the center OF this body OF land IL a
fine frcsh-water lake, about = miles long
by TO 81 of a iaile wide. A road has
been laid out across this fine tract Of land,
but has never been opened because there
are few or no settlers TO Use 1t. The land
lies between the Nooksack river on the
east and tie gulf OF Georgia OH the west,
no part being more than two miles from
good shipping point. and it Is principally
alder bottom and bcavcr-dam land East
OF Scmiahlnoo, and north of the road to
Wlalc0n,, is "a vast tIact Of level. and. for
the most part, fertile country. This tract
extends clear across the b. &. line. to
Frazer river. 1t is said that there Is room
here Tor two or three colonies Of 100 Gami-
lies each, with land enough for all. South
Of the boundary line, IN u triangular
piece. between the Nooksack on the east
emptying into Bellingham Bay, the Su-
mas on the north emptying into the Fra
zer. and the Semiahmoo- What, ON rosl
on the south about two townships OF
fine land nearly all OF 1t exceedingly
fertile and very lightly timbcred. Added
to this Is All immense swamp, outside the
L. :. survey, about ten miles long by two
or three miles wide. easily drained aud
nearly all uLoTupied. The large va hey
We have been attempting to describe all
has a clay subsoil. Much OF 10 Is said by
the settlers TO be adapted to fruit raising.
Pears, plums, apples, &c. do we'll; even
peaches are said TO thrive moderately well.
All kinds OF roots and cereals are produced
IN abundance. One man said no rai1,d
bickwhest At the rate OF forty bushels rer
acre. This part OF the country Is tribu-
tAry la part to the trade Of British Column
bin. although the protective tariffs In that
,.roVinf,a rhfpf oft n large nortinn fhak