, 1882-04-29
Over the Northern Paci6c.

II IS little oisheartenlng 10 me ne"
conner travelling along the line OF the
Northern Pacific in search Of new home
TO discover the apparent deso!asion OF the
| country he is whirled over This dssola'
ton is more apparent than real, for the
soil possesses in the greatest abundance
AL the elements OF fertility. aud barbar-
! ism must, according 10 the very nature OF
things, give way 10 the pushing. nervous
civilization OF the nineteenth century and
| FL up the now desert with thousands OF
happy homes. What the country now
IS ali our western country has been until
peopled by new and enrerprlslng peo-
pie. The sage-brush-:hat token OF des-
olation is in itsel: sign OF the fatness OF
the land, and it is almost hous-h"id
word in the western states and territories
that sage-brush will not grow on poor
soil Tne fact that trees have been set
ont along the line and are thriving as
well as the bountiiul bunch grass, IS cor
roborative OF this undenlable fact.
% Wheat will grow wherever there Is
bunch-grass" is now proverb, and for
miles 1t makes a perfect Sward-
Pushing forward along the line, the
future metropolis and manufacturing CEN
ter If the northwest, the thriving city OF
Spokane Falls, is reached. 1t is but lit
tie over two years old and has reached ITS
present growth by the energy and enter
prise IF few far-seeing, shrewd men,
who, III lis immense, eas.iy-handlei and
unlimited water-pOwer, toresaw ITS mani
fest destiny. The city and its advan-
tages cannot lie properly described here,
and its Importance demands separate
article, which Will shortly be gwen 10 the
world through these columns
From Cheney the line runs through a
country timbered with pine and contain
ing many lakes, which with the bunch
grass makes it the best stock raising cOun-
try naw unoccupied IN Eastern Washing
ton; on either side of the line the purely
a.ricYltura! country commences and here
let us advise ali newcomers whc may be
hunting for homes not to lie discouraged
By wha; he merely sees while on the road
and for this reason; the railroad must
necessarily seek the easiest grade and IN
order To attain this the dry beds Of old
rivers and creeks have 10 be used As Of
fering elevation; as IS the case IN all the
river valleys in this section the land is
rough, and bordered cu either side by the
black basaliic rock of the country has had
a depressing effect on the new settler un-
IL he is taken in hand and the character
Of the country explained to him. That
personal experience will bear ont the
statements Of the generally good quality
OF the land let the following figures show.
The sales Of railroad land III the Cheney
Office for the month Of March, 1882,
amount To S23, ,412 %; sales Of town lots
FOR the same month 81 Cos 90; aud for the
current month Of April up to the 18Th
the land sales Jump to S2l ,O9l.6 GA; or a.
most as much IN one half the time as IN
the whole preceding month in little
over tive Years the sales Of land and town
lots here have aggregated 81, 362. 500
Fast as the land is being taken up there
is vacant practically unlimited acres only
waiting the advent Of the Industrious 10
equa! any other portion OF the United
States.
Leaving Spokane Falls behind us the
cars run through a most beautifully TIM
brrcd prairie Country very little OF which
is apparently taken up and then We enter
the Lacustrine country which extends
from Washington Territory through Idaho
up 10 and even beyond the Montana line;
here the ba,altic formation which has
been such a characteristic of the whole
country from the Cascades gives out and
granite slate and other formations comes
IN.
The very looks If the country suggest
vast mineral deposits and II this We're not
evidence, the numerous specimens of ore
to be seen in every rough shanty, hotel
and saloon on the road would soon con-
vert the most sceptical The ores are
most Of an argentiierous galena with cop
per silver glance containing sulphurets
aud cheerful indications Of chloride Of sill
yer
We hear venture the prediction that
.ithin the next decade the country bord-
ering on and tributary 10 Lake Pen d.
Oreille will become one Of if not the prin-
cipale silver producing countries OF the
world; what has been discovered SO far
has beeI. purely by accident and no man
worthy name of .'prospector' in the Ne
vada, Arizona or Colorado sense Of the
word has Yet been attracted TO this virgin
mineral field
The parties who have stumbled over
the ledges from which they have obtained
their specimens are actually ignorant of
the frs; principles # prospecting, 10 say
nothing OF mining; they cannot even tell
the enquirer what the formation is gran
ite, syenite, slate, porphyry or limestone
they will say its mountains" in the
most inane and exaspering manner
To OUT mind the most valuable portion
Of the princely land grant owned by the
Northern Pacific Is this mountain country
ani yhyn men who are experienced in
sea:ciing for minerals have their atten-
ton directed toward II they viii find uu-
heard OF facilities for working, o tithe of
which in the arid mountain deserts Of
Nevada or Arizona would enhance Their
mining properties one bundredf fold. Tim
ber and water abound eyervwhera and