Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-02
The p0ST-IN1ElLICENCER PUB. CO
THE PROMISING town OF AIMS.
WORTH.
seattle. June 10 1888.

unsightly, wretched places on the CONT
nent Of America, the site of the tow
Of Ainsworth. gives promise at an early
day of becoming that occupied by ont
of the leading and one of the best towns
in the Territory. 1t mas taken severa
long steps forward Of late, one being tt
get itself into acknowledged prominence
as a candidate for future State capita
honors, second being the making OF
that place the eastern terminus OF the
Cascades division of the Northern Pa
cific Railroad, and a third being sue
ca esful effort to make it ths seat of a
new county-AdaiHs county-which was
created by a division of Whitman, all
west of township range - going to form
the new county. A correspondent thus
describes the town, its surroundings
and advantages.
This railroad and river town
OF Ainsworth is slowly improving.
Four years ago there was here
but a wild waste of sand and sage
brush, inhabited solely by the coy
ote and an occasional siwash. Now II
j
every branch of business we'll repre-
sented. Among the leading business
men are Arms & Brush, W. A. Fair
weather and many others. The town ia
situated on tho north bank of the Snake
river and the east bank of the COlum-
bia river, in the center of a rolling sage
brush and bunchgrass prairie country.
which stretches away most AZ far az the
eve can reach in every direction.
These tive mighty rivers which in
termiEgle their waters at this
point, are navigable for over 100 miles
each way from tho town, viz, east up
the Snake river to Lewiston, /. T., and
thence mp the Clearwater for quite q
distance during high water; down the
Columbia southw est to the Dalles, Ore
gOn, and up the main branch OF the
Columbia to the north and east, with
short portsges at Priest Rapids and
Kettle Falls, as far as the Big Bend
country; and with few other slight
improvements the British Columbia line
could be reached by the same stream.
Also the Yakima river. which empties
into the Columbia from the west, twelve
miles above Ainsworth, can be navigated
for considerable distance with light
draft boats. Thus making Ainsworth
in the center, and the main shipping
point bv water, of an immense scope of
fertile, stock raising and mineral pro
ducing country. II such An accessible
and prominent point as this was in the
East, it would be considered enc Of the
most imp ,rtant places in the land. In
time AinswOrth will prove to be such in
this country.
The solid granite piers for the North
ern Pacific Railroad bridge across the
Snake river at Ainsworth are beginning
to look quite conspicuous. Six or seven
of them are about completed, and a
night and day force Of men are busy at
work on the remaining two or three.
Construction on the Cascade division
OF the Northern Pacific Railroad is pro-
crossing favorably. under the supervi-
sion of |. $. =. Weeks, formerly engineer
of the Rocky Mountain division. About
Is miles of the grade il completed on
the east end of the division. The track,
eight miles of which is laid, is being
put down by Tom Levoy. the we'll known
track-layer, whs laid about all the track
on the western divisions Of the North
ern Pacific Railroad. This end Of the
Cascade division, at present. begins at
Cottonwood Landing, which Is on the
west bank Of the Columbia river. about
Ave miles up from AinswOrth. All ma
terial and supplies are transferred from
Ainsworth t. Cottouw cd Landing on
the little steamboat Spokane. From
Ainsworth to Yakima City, by the in
tended rail rouIe, ia about 100 miles.
Yakima will ere long have an all rail
route to Portland and the East.
The land Immediately surrounding
AinswOrth il somewhat sandy and has,
until recently, been considered a.
worthless. To judge from the sturdy
saRebrush and luxuriant banch grass 1t
produces, it oould be made to produce
more valuable crops. The past SUM-
mer some persons cultivated a fsv
patches Just to see what is would do.
and to their surprise some potatoes and
other vegetables we're raised. which
we're rs 6ns and large N could be
raised in the best of soil. The conse
Quence is that number Of farms have
been taken up along the banks Of the
rivers and back from Ainsworth.
The climate, barring the windy sea-
sons, il as pleasant as there is in the
Territery, il not in the Northwest.
The winter season is short, and what
snow falls is soon melted OFT by the
Chinook breezes. The days. most all
the ear round, are bright and sun
shiny. The mornings before sunrise
and the evenings after sunset are beau
tiful. the like Of which are not to be
found or experienced N any other
CLINE. The meeting Of the two mighty
rivers, most noticeable in the clear.
xv~~. ~. -