Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-09-12

EDrTes Posr-IxrEILrGxxcrn.

EDrres Posr-ISruLrsxScra:
New eomers, and those who have gone
only along the main shores Of the Sound,
wonder what there is in this region to
support or build up cities, or even good
sized towns. II they will 60 With me
up the varisus rivers that hov into the
sound, ] can soon show them present
and prospective resources far greater
than they ever dreamed Of.
A week ago took the ssearpsf Nellie.
over which the well known and popular
Capt. Carrie Low presides, and At night
fall landed in Snohomish City. En-
route We halted at Mukilteo, which for a
quarter Of century has been striving
Tor better things, bot the fasss seem to
be sQainst it in the matter Of growth.
IL vas once q much more important
point than nov; and, as most OF the
boats going up and down she east shore
call tn there, u may yet amount to some
thing. A short distance above We en-
tered the winding Snohomish river, and,
taking one OF the several sloughs near
its mouth, soon threw OF the mail at
the new town Of Msrysville, which will
come into more prominence a. the rich
soil around 10 10 reclaimed from its
marshy ard wooded state. There is
already qaite q settlement in the viciu-
ity, and room for more men Of nerve,
energy and persistence enough to liter
ally hev good farm out Of wild nature.
On we go through the narrow, timber
lined waterway, seeing here and there a
small farm carved cut, or evidences of
an adjacent logging camp.
The whistle blows and We stop to give
oat the mail at Lowell, a small town of
which 4. ID. Smith has bsen the most
prominent citizen for these many years,
ne owning both the store and hotel.
The country in the rear of it ia densely
wooded. and 90 broken as to make lum-
berine difficult.
Six miles more and We are at Snoho-
mish City, twenty miles up the river and
at the head of tidevsser and usual steam
navigation, though at some seasons of
the year smaller craft run on up into the
Sneqoalmie river, many miles above.
IL 10 full 25 years since K. @. FerQusos,
Salem Woods, John Harvey and few
others nrst cast their lot there, believing
that IL Was bound to become a Roodly
land. One by one others have come in,
and little by little has the wilderness
been sabdued, until nov any observsnt
locker on must say that ii 10 not only q
good but q very good country, destined
to rank among the best agricultural dis
tricts on the Sound. Snohemish City
has two good hotels, q nice theater
Building, several well stocked stores and
quite . number Of slightly residences.
There are two county papers, the Eye
and the Champion, which are as good as
the surroundings will permit, and which
will grow in importance as the popula-
tion increases and the material resources
Of the country are developed. The Posi-
iSrKLLIoEscER has q good name and
wide circulation all over this region; no
less than 50 copies Of the weekly and 10
copies Of the daily going TO the Snoho-
mish City pos;office. The people there
complain Of hard times, bot there 10
evidently some prosperity, for mere
building 10 going on az Snohomish City
than at any place Of its size to which l
have been on the Sound this season.
The logging interest thereaboat 10 big
one, and the neiQhboring farmers are
beRinning to produce considerable mar
ket stuff Of various kinds.
/ journeyed ten miles mp the river to
where the Skykomish and Snoqualmie
rivers unite to form the Snohomish, and
there in the fork Of the rivers ! found
the best country of all. Every one of
the older settlers is we'll fixed and more
than pleased With his surroundings and
prospects. The whole country originally
was thiokly covered mostly with scrub
msble, underneath which the ground
was rich as cream. Year after year they
have cleared of more and more, and
erassed the land, until nov many mag
nificent meadows abound. Timothy
and clever seem to be right at home IN
that soil, and oats, fruit and vegetables
come to perfect maturity. And, too, 1t
il proving itself Q hop region; half
dozen of the ranchers having good crops
this season. Some stock 10 raised, and
the people will soon learn that they can
probably keep fourfold as much stock
~ now exists there. Their great COM
piaint is a want Of sufficient market
facilities. They are praying for wagon
road to Seattle, and such they will surely
have before loag. They have room for
and would welcome more settlers, bot
the forests must be out down and cleared
away before more homes can be made
there. Snohomish county has thousands
upon thousands Of acres of excellent
untaken government lands. twill take
time and expense 90 at il for homes;
but, when such home 10 once secured,
the family 10 we'll nxed for life. Just
acsues the river from Snohomish Ciay 10
& remarkably fertile tract Of land called
the marsh" IL is about eight miles
long by perhaps two miles vide, and
few years ago nearly all of il was GOV.
cred with mors or lees water, but now 1t
is being reclaimed, and there 10 not
richer soil TO be found anywhere. IL
raises prodiqious crops Of hay. and be
fore many years crops Of all kinds will
flourish there. Eighty or even forty
acres of IL would make q good farm.
These statements concerning Snohomish
county will be ratified by any one who
has been over the ground.
W. A. WASH.
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