The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-01-01
Letter from Washington Territory.
Correspondence of The Democratic Advocate.

fulfill promise made last summer, and pre-
sent some of the advantages, and resources,
that this country possesses over less favored
sections, for the consideration of those who
may be thinking of emigrating westward.
The Territory of Washington is situated in
the north west corner of the United States,
bounded on the north by British Columbia,
west by the Pacific Ocean, south by Oregon,
and east by Idaho, embracing over seven de-
grees of longitude and three degrees of lati-
tude, having an area of SO, 994 square miles,
being larger then Maryland, Delaware, New
Jersey, and Pennsylvania combined, contain
ing more then 100000 acres, diversified
with mountains valleys and prairies, watered
by numerous rivers, possessing soil of won
derful fertility, and mild and healthful eli
mate.
The government of the territory consists of
the Executive, Judicial and Legislative, and
is virtually in the hands of the President.
The Executive branch consists of Governor
and Secretary, the Judiciary of a Supreme
and Districts Courts, and courts of limited
jurisdiction. The Territory is divided into
three judicial districts and judge assigned
to each, who are also judges of the Supreme
Court. They are all appointed and controlled
| by the President, as is the Governor and Sec
rotary. The Legislative branch consists of
Council composed of twelve members, and a
| House of twenty-four members, who meet
! biennially. They are elected by the people as
are also the judges of limited jurisdiction and
| county officers. Our laws are liberal and are
we'll executed, and our citizens enterprising
and prosperous. Financially we make good
showing; the taxable property amounts to
! S23, 688, 600. The rate of taxation is three
mills for territorial and school and eight mills
for county purposes. The Territory is out
L IL. Ill IL e.,
paying all expenses, including the keeping of
convicts and support of the insane and poor.
And this is also the financial condition of
most all of the % counties into which the Ter
rtory is divided. The subject of education
has received careful consideration i'll the Ter
ritory The common school system is well
established, and institutions of learning found
in many of our towns. The new State of
Washington will come into possession of a
handsome fund for school purposes.
The population of the Territory in June was
"A. 753, an increase in ten years of 800 per
cent, and at the rate of which immigrants ere
coming in, it will reach 100000 by the end of
1881.
The Columbia river enters the Territory
near the north east corner, and in circuitous
course flows through this section for several
hundred miles until it reaches the 10th degree
of latitude, and thence to the sea, and for four
hundred miles marks our southern boundary,
dividing us from Oregon. This river is navi-
gable within the Territory for nine hundred
miles.
The Cascade mountains, a continuation of
the Sierra Nevada range, extend through the
Territory from south to north, dividing it into
two sections commonly known as Eastern and
Western Washington, differing materially in
climate and soil.
Eastern Washington, with an area equal to
the State of Virginia, consists chiefly of vast
rolling prares having rich, deep fertile soil,
consisting of decomposed lava, easily brought
under cultivation, that produces enormous
crops of wheat, rye, barley, oats, peas, flax,
hops, fruit and all kinds of vegetables. The
average yield is put at a ton of wheat per acre,
and other grain i'll proportion. The amount
of grain raised i'll this section for export this
year is estimated at 10000 tons.
These praries i'll the natural state are COW
cred with a luXuriant growth of bunch grass,
very valuable for pasturage; it having the pc
culiarity that it is always growing, while parts
of the bunch are ripe and dry, other parts are
green. This grass cures on the stock and re-
tains its nutrition. Stock winter on it in the
most severe seasons and come off the range
in spring in fine condition. Horses, cattle
and sheep are raised in this region in large
numbers. This section is well watered by the
Columbia, Clark, Spokane, Snake, Yakima
and other rivers, and is generally well tim
bered: its climate is mild aud healthful, snow
falls some seasons; the rainfall is sufficient
over the entire Territory to assure good crops,
a drouth and failure has never occurred. This
is the largest body of agricultural and grazing
land now remaining unsettled In the north
west. Much of this land is unoccuped and
subject to settlement under the Homestead
and pre- emplion laws, that offer farms of 100
acres each TO every man who will come and
accent them, and the odd numbered sections
can be bought by actual settlers from the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company on as
reasonable terms as was ever offered by any
Railroad Company. These prairies are in
their natural state, and require no clearing
but are ready for the plough and will return
a crop the first year; and this land as in all
new countries differs in value as to location
and soil, climate, wood, water, market,
schools, &c.
Western Washington, comprises all the ter
ritory from the Cascade Mountains to the
Pacific Ocean, including the Puget Sound
basin, and is principally covered with timber,
with some prairies and thousands of acres of
bottom land.
laundering is the principal industry on
Puget Sound. The forests in this region are
the finest in the world, covering an area of
about Is, 900 square miles. The principal va
rieties are white, red and yellow fir, cedar,
spruce, hemlock, pine, cottonwood, oak, ash
and maple. The fir exceeds all others in
quantity and quality and is the principal tim
Der used and manufactured, and is valuable
for spars, shipbuilding, houses, fences and
general use. The fir grows to enormous SIZE
often being 800 feet high, and the yield from
q single acre has exceeded 20J, 900 feet of
merchantable lumber. laundering has been
carried on here for over twenty-five years,
and millions Of feet are exported annually,
and the main timber has not yet been reached.
Besides numbering and shipbuiding, the man
ufacturing of barrels, boxes, waterpipe and
furniture is carried on to considerable extent
on the sound.
There are more then a dozen rivers in this
section, most of them navigable for steamers
and all afford superior advantages for logging,
and along their valleys are large tracts of
agricultural land, the soil being alluvial de-
u0sit mixed with decayed vegetable matter.
These lands are mostly covered with alder,
vine. maple and brush, easily cleared, and
when subdued and cultivated prove to be the
most valuable land in the Territory. Land
of this kind is found in large bodies on the
Nootsack, Dungeress, Samish, Skaget, STEELE.
uuamish. Snohomish, Devamish, Peyallup,
Skokomich rivers that empty into Puget
Sound: and IN the CnenallS anu OOWlllL val
lays, and in fact in every county in this sec
ton are large tracts of land capable of pro-
ducing a variety ofcrops; Western Washing
ton is especially well adapted for dairyirg;
here the grass is green almost the entire year.
Turnips, potatoes, carrots, beets and root
crops produce enormous yields; plenty of
water, and cool weather, and market near
at hand Considerable butter and cheese is
already produced here. Fruit growing is also
successfully carried on, and apples, pears,
plums, ounces and cherries are raised in
sreat varieties and of excellent quality; large
quantities of small fruit are grown in this Sec
ton, nearly ell the tender varieties bear
abundantly and need no protection in winter;
the currant, blackberry, raspberry, gooseber
nv and strawberry are cultivated, though all
of them are natives of the country, and grow
wild in abundance.
The waters of Puget Sound, the Columbia
and other rivers of the Territory ABOUND with
fish in great varieties. The principal are sal.
mon, cod, halibut, herring, eulaohan and
sturgeon, and the most extensive fisheries on