Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-01-18

1o0 A2D 1SoSs .
A. =. Bryant writes from Clear
Creek, Nebraska, a. follows:
Please send me q copy Of your pa
Per. f0y which / enclose stsmp6.
Il want 70 learn something more Of
Puget Sound ! was there in NAV, 1853,
when Seattle contained three houses -
Undoubtedly Mr.. Bryant is aware
that great changes have taken place on
Puget Sound since hs was here in 1853.
His writing for . copy Of the Posr.Ix-
TxrIIoxEcEs implies that, for then
there vas no newspaper, NO matter how
Insignificant, on Puget Sound, nor was
there any Newspaper in Seattle until
1853, when little sheet was started
about a. large as one Of the pages
OF the Posr-INrKILraKNcxs. Still, he
has really no adequate idea Of the i'm.
mensity of the change.
Then the Territory Of Washington
was unorganised, and was yet really a
part of the Territory of Oregon, then
including IN area Of nearly half mil
lion square miles. A few hundred peol
PIE had settled In the country wsst Of
the Cascade Mountains, north of the
Columbia river. They were chiefly 10
Gated in Covlitz valley, at Vancouver,
at Tumwatsr, Olympia, Nisqually and
Steilacoom. A few months before lit
tie handful had found their way into
what is now known as King county, and
~ Mr.. Bryant intimates, had started
the town of Seattle. in which there were
three houses. A like settlement had been
made at Port Townsend, and q strag-
Cling man or two was to be found at
other points in the then wilds of Puget
Sound. Altogether, from Steilacoom
north, there were perhaps fifty white
persons.
How different now! The 10000 peo.
pie then inhabiting the vast Terri
tory Of Oregon. including Washington,
Idaho and portion of Montana, have
increased to 10000, and the few hun
dreds Of that time in what is now West
srn Washington have multiplied until
they number $1,000. The older settle-
ments Of Vancouver, Cowlitz, Tumwa-
ter, Olympia and Stsilaeoom. which
then 30 overshadowed the settlements
Of the lower Sound, and which have
grown enormously, have in turn been
overshadowed by the settlements of the
middle and lower Sound. The eight OF
ten persons here in 1853, have increased
10 5000 or 10000, while 1500 houses are
to be found where only three were then.
Then no steamers piled thess waters.
Now there are forty. Then no line of
railroad or telegraph was within two
thousand miles Of %. In our own Tor
ritory can now be found 500 miles Of
railroad and over 1000 miles of tele-
graph. An occasional sail vessel came
here then, trade with the indians being
their object. Now not less than two
hundred vessels great and small, in
land, ooastin9 and forsi9n-are en-
ployed in our trade, some of which are
Of great sizs, and come for carRoes IN
tsaded for ports in the uttermost parts
Of the world, in Europe, Africa, Asis,
South America and Australia. In 1853
this country was moro scantily popula-
ted and less promising than Alaska Is
today. In 1883, from the character Of
it, trade, from the appearance of its
towns and farms, end from all those
signs which 90 10 make settled, pros
porous region, there is but little differ
snos bstwesn this country and that Of
the older, and supposed to be moro fay-
orsd, d,portions Of the country east Of tho
Mississippi; the main difference being
that there il little more elbow room
here, little more. freedom Of action,
little more chance to make money and
build up, and little better country
generally to inhabit.
Let Mr.. Bryant again visit Puget
Sound, and note for himself the differ
enoe in the civilization Of 1883 from
that Tor the lack Of it) witnessed BY
him here in 1853.