Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-15
vAyCWvEx.
The ofdest Town In WaShiastsa Ter.
PftSry.
West Shore.1

West Shore.
When in 1923. the Hudson Bs,
Company, then the proprietor of As
toria, determined to select new and
more favorable location for it's gener
al headquarters on this coast, the
officers of that great corporation
looked carefully about for q locality
Offering the three advantages essen
tial TO the permanent headquarters oil
so extensive business. In the frs,
place it must have sufficien. agricul-
tural country about to raise the large
crops of grain and vegetables re-
quired at all the company's forts and
10 furnish pasturage for the beef and
dairy cattle; it must be Of easy access
to the bands of trappers coming 10
from the south, east and north; final
ly, it must possess.a good hsrbor and
be spproachable by the large vessels
of the company that came at stated
periods to bring supplies and carry
away the accumulated furs. The
decision was not made hastily nor
without thoughtful consideration.
and after the whole ground. had been
carefully locked over, Vancouver was
selected a. the most eligible location.
1t was near the mouth Of the William
cite and therefore the center and
natural converging point of trapping
parties coming down the Columbia
from the vast wilderness to the east
or with the overland express from
Montreal, from the rich trapping
grounds of California via the VIII
lamette valley, or from the upper
coast and Puget Sound; agricultural
ly. the surroundings were all that
could be desired; and, finally. in sd-
dition to the fact that it offered the
finest natural town site along the
Columbia river, it was easily ap-
preached by deep water vessels Of
large draft, and presented excellent
natural facilities for loading and dis
charging cargo. In fact, it possessed
the finest site and most natural ad-
van;ages for a large inland CONNER.
cial and distributing city to be found
on the Columbia.
The question naturally arises, why,
then, did it not become the metrop-
oils instead of Portlandi The an
swer is plain. The actual settlers of
this region were chiefly American,
antagonistic in interest and sentiment
to the great English corporation and
its representatives. They nearly all
settled south of the Columbia and in
the Willamette valley, and naturally
sought to establish trade centers of
their own, ignoring Vancouver as
much as possible. Oregon City was
founded. then Milwaukee, Portland
and other towns on the Willamette,
the desire being to find an eligible
location as near as possible to the
settlements and yet apprOachable by
deep water vessels. The efforts final
ly crystslized in the city of Portland,
and long before Vancouver was re-
deemed from the hands of the Eng
lish company, Portland had become
the metropolis, and SO remains to the
present day. though situated on q
branch of the Columb ia several miles
from the main stream. Large vessels
went to Vancouver with full cargoes
for the Hudson Bay Company, and
for the government after the military
headquarters were established there,
in 1S48. This continued until the
withdrawal Of the fur company in
1858, about which time. also, the
government began shipping its sup.
plies by the regular line of steamers
plying between San Francisco and
Portland. Since then it is but occa.
sionally that seafaring vessels OF
heavy draft have visited Vancouver.
In the twenty years Of disuse the
shifting currents have changed the
channel ofthe river somewhat, and
small bars have formed which would
now impede the progress of heavier
vessels; but with half the annual ex.
pense of keeping open the Willamette
to Portland, far better and deeper
channel could be maintained to Van
couver, and there is no reason 80 far
as channel and harbor are concerned
why Vancouver should not become
the great shipping aud receiving
point she was designed by nature TO
be.