Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-05-27
sK.GIT COUNTY.
,,.,,.tIng letter on It's Topography
ih and Resources.
Correspondence Mail.
GuFMEs, Nav Is, 1884.

AnE
st.git county IN any OF .he ioc,l pa
sAas I propose to give YOUR readers
pl, stetch on the topography ana le-
o,ce. slo,c Of the county, commencing win
he stands ,;,,hrea ,,;,ss ,on, and
o'b I'm mlle vide, and separated
rs The the mainl nd by small tide
iIoN About midway of the Island ~
sous little town of Atlanta. which
th5 s,;, 10 hold h-r own with her sister
tIs nf .]f Bellingham Bay. The next
toSH- o ~ SAN ish--is Hog Island,
p.t porn !. small md rocky and occupied
WIG" sbeen ranch. In the extreme
- a as,ern corner Of the oou lty Is
bo'L; a low island, cont ming about
eD'a,1; IONS OF fine farming land, which
W. w., sccnpled by permanent settlers.
.h ~ Sinclair Is G press, hiRh vol
isl.pd. with very little land fit
ea'. .,,iv,,ion. East of Cypress. and
lol ms Bellingham Bay Channel, l.
.s sIo9 containing eight sections of
.d all adaptable 10 farming purposes,
nortion of sections 1ve AID
a., winch rises in two parallel ridges
,ns hiOht of 80 feet, affording
S,and,d view of the surrounding coun
w. the Gulf of Georgia and all tue
,r,,ds of the San Juan archipelago.
r,b Of Guemes. and across the
g. mes Channel l. FIdalgo, the largest
;I,,d IN the county, couI aiming over ~
.sc,lons of land, which ~ nearly al
sdaptable TO farming, except lew
Iisk. rocky ridges on toe west enu'
''a,neut t,,ou. which Is Mount Erie.
,l.np to the hight OF lZJO rect, anu
sHording grand sight 10 the tourist.
The eastern part of Fsdaleo is one OF
he finest locations for farming am
GARDENING in the country. Being al
mos, surrounded by water, IL hHords
shpping facilities from all points
Sb6nld the Indian reservation ever b"
olshed, there will be great outcome
a., eastern Fldalgo. There are two
small Islands west of Fidaigo, Burross
be,nO the larger Of the Two. IL IL quite
a bipb island, composed % volcanic
rock of the same age as mat OF Cypress.
Alien Island. souts If Burrows, contains
sbont one huLdred acres, mostly good
Iarminr land. This includes all the
;sI.nds of Rny considerable SIZE Ia the
conuty. The various products OF the
Islands are fruit of all kinds, vegetables,
hay and some grain, pork, beef. wool
and mutton, poultry aLd eggs. They
All contain minerals. Cypress has iron,
and Guemes and Fidalgo have god,
silver, gaena, copper, zinc aud arsenic.
but the settlers have neither the time
nor capital TO develop mines, be they
aver 40 rich. There is talk of the Cue
me. Island Copper Mining Company
starting up their mine IN short line.
The islands present an eniless variety
Of snenery. ranging from beautiful val
leys TO the widest mountains, with bold
htsdlands and cliffs projecting Into the
water In the most fantastic shapes, anu
in other places sloplng down to long
stretches of beach, strewn with shells
and pebbles of many varieties. ! pre-
dict the time is not far distant when
thousands of people will flock TO our
shores to spend few weeks during the
simmer mouths in recreation. where
they can find an endless variety of
amusements and healthful sports. such
"a batl ing, fishing, boating aud hunt
ing, and the ladies can amuse them
selves in gathering shells and pebbles,
sea moss and other curiosItles, that are
found nowhere else on the Sound.
i Will IbhNt tUt loIhuuH hklu pTOCttu
20 the mainland. Before describing
this portion of the county will give
the boundaries. Skagit is bounded on
the west by Rosario Straits, on the
north by whatcom County, on the
south by Snohomish County, and on
the east by the summit of the Cascade
Mountains. and contains an area Of "a
miles wide by 100 miles Ions. The
county contains more navlgablr waters
than any other on the SoSnd, the three
main channels leading into BcllinRham
Bay passing through the county. The
shore OF the maiui and il "a miles long,
and contains several BAYS and large
toe slonghs rnnning inland for several
miles, affOrdinR navigation for several
light draft steamers aud schooners
right into the heart of the farming
country. The next great water way IL
the Skagit. the largest river in the Fu-
get Sound basin. The Skapit takes its
rise in the eastern summit of the Gas
cades. in British Columbia, about 40
miles north of the boundary line, and
rms nearly south to the boundary,
thsnce southwest across Whateom
County, entering Skagit near the north
east corner, thence bears more to the
vest, traversiug nearly she entire
length OF the county from northeast to
southwest, where It pours its immense
body OF water into the Sound. The
skaglt is navlcable for about 90 miles
from its mouth, afiording easy trans
portttiun TO the settler and logger into
one of the best and largest bodies of
agricultural and timber land IN the
country.
Skagil county embraces within its
limits every variety of landscape from
The tide-fist 10 the snow. capped noun
tain peak. For the first fifteen miles
inland the country il level thence II
nses gradually Into high river bottoms,
Table lands, rolling hills, and finally
INTO high mountains, whose submits
are covered with perpetual show. Tho
low lands are very fertile, producing
Immense crops of hay. grain aud veee-
mhles of all kinds. The table lands
and hills are covered with dense
growth Of the finest timber in the
world, which is being logged to some
extent at present. When the timber
aall have been cleared of, the land
Wi be valuable for growing fruit,
grsin, grass and hops, thereby furnish
10Y pleasant homes and steady employ
ment TO thousands of Industrious peo-
pie.
Inc natural res ,urces Of Skagit
Sounty ere inexhaastibie. Her vast
oOues of timber stretching from tide
water TO the summit of the mountains
are worth millions of dollars, and will
anuouotedly yield a handsome revenue
Tue county and State and add much
Tue general wealth for MANY years IL
"ne: There are large deposits of Goa
au iron on tie Skagit and Sanish
so,ch are being prospecsed aud opened
splof extensive operations IN the neal
S'ufs have been informed that Z
francisco company has purchased
w .ysv acres OF land at Point Williams
usfe they will construct wharyes anc
h oankers and make other improve
Isnts ats FOR shipping the Skaeit coal. i
-,n s De trne, our coal and iron rnine
~ soon be developed. thsreAy creatin.
uet Industries. which will place ou
sosv SSsuv on the high road to prosperis,
~ material development. will stat
ss sae 'nat the capitalist and newcome
Aauos md a better place TO iocst
~s an IN the Samish or Skagit valleys
ere there is good land. the best o
,cf and immense quantities of GOA
u and timber awaiting the invest
hr.l OF capital and the employment O
o's'n and nuscle.
,ha VIII describe the eastern portion o