Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-03-01
TIE CaEHALIs RIVER, VALLEY AND
sETTLEHENTs.

Robert A. Habershaua. United States
Engineer, has made official report as
follows;
U. ). EsGISEEa's OFFICE,
Portland, Or. Nov. IA, 1881.
The Chehalis river risss on the north
casters slope of the mountain range
Whlch separates the western extremity
OF the Columbia River Valley from the
fuget Sound Basin. flowing eastward
ior t0Irty miles, then northwest for
lorty miles, then westward thirty miles
20 IT'S mouth AT the head OF Gray's Har-
Dor. fifteen miles from the ocean.
Its principal tributaries are. in the or
der OF their entrance into the main
stream, the Newaukum and the Skoo-
kumchuck from the lower spurs of the
Ease ide hange, Black river from the
lake OF the same nams and the SatsoD.
Wynooche, and Hoquiam from the
southern foothills of the OLYMPIC
range a lofty line of snow peaks living
between Paget Sound and the Pacific
ocean.
Ciaquato, 70 miles above its mouth
and three miles above the entrance of
the Newaukum. is the head of naviga-
ton. The river here is l20 feet wide.
the width gradually increasing to 400
feet at its entrance into Gray's Harbor.
and the current has speed of from one
To three miles per hour. The banks are
from eight to ten feet high at low water,
and consist principally of stiff loan,
not easily eroded. Consequently the
trough of the river changes very little.
The bottom lands extend level with the
banks for from half mile TO two miles
on each side. terminating at the foot OF
higher bench more or less level. which
reaches the foothills of the mountain
range, from which ut Intervals of sever
al miles, long, low spurs extend to the
margin of the river.
The basin of tho Chehalis lies almost
wholly below the line OF heavy snow.
It's water Is supplied by the gentle and
frequent winter rains on the mountain
ranges, where the dense vegetation pre-
vents its reaching the river rapidly, and
consequently violent floods are un-
known. The hight above low water
during the winter and spring ranges
from six to ten feet; the highest food on
record rose fifteen feet above low water.
The lowest stage occurs III August ana
Stepsember. Daring seven or eight
mouths of the year, the Chehalis is
nayigable TO steamboats, drawing ; feet
from It's mouth to Claquato. Boats of
this draught can ascend Black River IL
miles te ShotwelPs farm, Ii miles from
Olympia, at the head of Puget Sound,
during ordinary winter stages. The
Lower Chehalis for - miles above its
mouth carries II fee. through the wear,
at ordinary high-tide. Satsop River has
capacity for foot craft for 10 miles.
The Chehalis drains an area of 1000
square miles, about half of which is
good agricultural land level enough to
admit of easy cultivation. The re-
mainder. as vet surveyed, is mountain
Gus and generally with timber with,
however, strips of good farming land
along the small water-courses. On the
river bottom the timber is comparative
ly light, and there are considerable
cts of thicket and grassy prairie. The
fertility of the soil is renewed yearly by
the deposit of the winter freshets, and
there arc no winter floods. The higher
bench contains more sand and gravel
and tracts, many miles III extent, OF
grsssy prairie, and is generally better
adapted to grazing than farming. The
best lands have been surveyed and are
open tn entry under the homestead and
preemption laws, or may be bought on
very reasonable terms from tho North
ern Pacific Railroad Company.
Extensive tracts OF fine timber, prin-
cipally fir, cedar and spruce. with cot
tonwood and maple on the low isRds,
are rs yet virgin. Iron is found in the
Black Hills, coal on the Satsop and
Whishka, and copper on the Wynooche,
30 miles from its mouth. The finest
81 n 80 rx~b, ,,f,
on the coast is cliff from 150 to 200
feet high aud Is miles long. on the
south side of the Chehalis,2 20 miles from
Gray's Harbor.
The population of the valley is about
4o0o The principal places are Claq1a-
to, at the head of navigation; Center
vile, Chehalis. and Newaukum, stations
on the Northern Pacific Railroad; Elma
on the north side of the Chehalis, 30
miles from its mouth; and Montesano,
the county seat, l5 miles from the head
of Gray's Harbor. The two last named
are stations Oh the mail road from As
toria to Olympia. There are about 300
families in the valley along the river.
Tue products are cereals, vegetables,
fruit, cattle, sheep, dairy produce and
lumber. There is a flour mill on the
Chehalis, twelve miles above Monte
sano, saw and planning mill. operated
by water, n short distauce below.
Messrs. A. III. Simpson & Co, of San
Francisco, have purchased several
Thousand acres of timber lands on the
Hoquiam and have erected a steam
lumber mill there.
The run of salmon begins in the fall,
with the first rains, and continues until!
January. The Messrs. Hume. of As
toria, have cannery at the mouth of
the Whishka.
The yield of the soil is large. From
In tn 81 bushels OF wheat. and from 40
to 30 of oats, per acre, Is not uncommon.
The root crop, consisting of potatoes,
turnips, beets and carrots, Is very fiae.
From one weighing 20 pounds, a farmer
pint of excellent molasses.
About twelve years ago steruw wheel
steamer. drawing three feet loaded, was
built and navigated the ChehaiIs and
Black rivers during higher stages. The
country was at that time thinly settled,
and the enterprise proved Improbable.
A year after, she was carried around by
SEA to Puget Sound.
The obstructions to navigation con-
sist of two RATS, situated three miles
above the mouth of Black river, which
are respectively LOO and 80 yards long,
and a third Is miles above Montesano.
80 yards long, besides snags. The last
are no. numerous, as the river carries
but little drifs. Tho gravel bars being
covered by several feet of water during
she boating stage, are not considered
The RATS and snags can
be removed at cost of $500. with the
aid of steamboat provided with a
steam capstan. This done, the Chehalis
and it's tributaries afford ll2 miles of
navigsble river To boats drawing three
feet, for six or eight months III the year.
The removal of the distractions Is
very necessary work, as at present the
only means of supply, export and travel
for a distance of seventy miles through
a section continuing 100 farms, Is IA
wagon read, which during winter Is i'm
passable from mud and flooded cross
incs.
The question of system OF slack
water navigation, by means OF a series
of low dams with gates up the Chehaiis
To B.ack river, thence up the latter to
it's source 20 Black lake, three miles
from Olympia, in all eighty miles has
a kxx of r.