Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-11-06
THE NORTHWEST
Matter left over from last week
Western Letter.

we are permitted 10 pTinI IIe iol
lowing extracts from letter written by
gentleman, formerly of Sullivan, ILL.,,
but now residing in Washington terri
tary, to friend here.
.. LACENTER, w. T., Oct. I, 1884.
DEAR FRIEND Il believe that
promised you a letter, descriptive OF
this portion of Uncle Sans domain
and, now that / have seen most of it,
will endeavor to keep my promise
But, first let me say that it will be 6
very poor idea you will get of the count
ry from any thing that l will be able tc
say, as my descriptive power is very
limited.
I suppose might as well begin by
saying that am thoroughly disgusted
with the entire west coast. There
never was section of country which
has been lied about so long, loud and
often as this. Of course, have reasons
for not liking it. First: all of Wash
ington territory and Oregon west OF
the Cascade mountain range, is covered
with dense growth of very large and
tall fir trees; so you see at once that
this is not now, nor never will be an
agricultural country, for it will take a
lifetime to clear 100 acres, and then
corn won't grow well. Hay, oats; and
wheat and potatoesdo very we'll when
you can find ground to experiment on,
which is very difficult. Blue grass does
not grow at all, and white clover only
as the ground is cleared; hence it is not
good stock country. Fruit does ex-
oeedingly we'll, but there is not much of
demand for it.
You may think these fir forests ought
to be valuable for wood and lumber,
hut they are not. Wood is worth about
50 per cord delivered, and it costs about
$3.50 per cord to deliver it. Lumber is
is worth only 81 to So per thousand.
1t is true there are some good farm
ing landsin the Columbia River Valley
but they have been made so at very
great cost of money and labor; and are
now held at prices which Henry county
g. can't equal, I'll wager.
Then the conntry is so broken-just
one confused mass, or collec ton, Of
hills and mountains. do want to see
the prairies of Illinois a,Jully bad. It
rains here, they tell me, from Novem-
ber to May or June. This year it COM
menced in September. 1t has rained
almost continually since my arrival.
have moss on my back fully six inches
long and still growing. --
Now. east of the Cascade range every
thing is the very opposite. Eastern
Washington territory and Oregon is a
high, dry sandy plain, with very little
vegetation. That is, speaking general
dy. Of course there are rivers, whose
valleys are very productive, but the
GOOD lands are all taken long ago, and
you must pay as much for good land
here as in Illinois or Ohio, and not as
good land either.
In Montana and Idaho there are
some fine grazing lands, but small
stock owner had better stay away, for
the Kings will "freeze" him out in a
very short time; that is, their large
herds will absorb the small ones. Take
it all in all, it is the worst blamed
country lever saw, or want to see. I
am going back to Illinois some time
this winter. I am out here and may
as we'll have some fun as not, since
coming so far after it.
Uncle Dan is going to stay all winter.
On the 10th, we start ON a big hunt,
away up the Lewis River Valley to
Mount st. Helens, whose shining peak
we can see from here on clear day. 1t
is about fifty miles distant. We can
also see Mount Hood, sixty miles away,
on the Oregon side of the Columbia
river.
Deer, bear, cougers, wolves and wild
cat are quite numerous, and the bear,
cats and cougers are dangerous. Cous-
in Jimmie and were out on a four
days hunt, and if anything ever made
me think of home and mother, it was
those internal wolves bowling around
us all might long. They are not danger
Gus, but awfully dismal. I wished you
were with me, but I wanted it to be in
Napoleon, or any where but wehre I
was.
Show this to all who wish to see it,
as can't write to all. If you answer
before / return, address: LaCenter,
Clark Co., w. r.
A. N. HI.
Adolf Dalloz, carriage manufacturer,
il9 Carroll street, Buffalo, N. Y, states: