The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-07-10
LETTER FROM MI. HNaLHRTH.

Through the kind permission OF Mr..
ID. w. Selleck, we print the following
letter written to him by j. S. Englerth,
of Mankato township, who Is now on
the Pacific coast:
MILWAUKEE, OREGON, June "a, 1885.
Mr.. ID. w. SELLIcK: DEAR SIR:-It il
with pleasure and real satisfaction i
greet you from this remote Pacific north
west. We left home on the 18th inst,
jOurneyed over the Northern Pacific To
Portland in less than five days.
Mrs. Englerth stood the trip remark
ably well. In passing through the tun-
nels she was contaminated with coal
smoke, obnoxious and poisonous to her
lungs, causing cough. She has not yet
fully recovered.
The distance from st. Paul to Port
land by rail il precisely l,9l2 miles. In
passing down the Columbia on the Ore
gon side, notice was made of corn about
two feet high, and rye in shock, and
tons of clover hay spoiled by the pro-
tracted rains-unusual for this country
at this season of the year. The Column
bia is large and majestic stream, the
waters of which Lewis and Clarke navi-
gated in 1902, under permission and
commission of President Jefferson.
They made their winter quarters near
the place where the Willamette forms
its confluence with the Columbia, twelve
miles below Portland. All these rivers
are navigable for large vessels from all
parts of the world. In passing over the
northeast of Washington Territory, ] am
completely beat by seeing 80 large do
main of sterile, rocky, timberless coun-
try. Sparsely settled indeed, not O
house nor shanty for miles upon miles.
Oh, Lord! how feel for those poor who
may i'm future, orr ut present have already
made homes in this isolated region of
Gods green earth. They can never real
ize the son of righteousness. enjoy the
pleasures of peace and quietude requisite
for man in this life. The western half
of this territory is heavily timbered
trees three hundred feet high, having
a diameter from two to seven feet. Re-
member this is common. But trees are
found here having diameters from ten
to fourteen feet. Washington Territory
has some beautiful towns and cities.
| New Tacoma, situated on narrow bend
of the bay, and the concentration of rail
roads, together with her commercial
trade of the world, will eventually be a
second New York on the Pacific coast.
|
found it is not all gold that glitters. For
a floating population, preachers fallen
from grace, and the unsplicing of man
and wife, this country has no peer.
Dear friend, expect before | make the
round trip to learn the worth of my
money in Transforming the mOdas Oper-
dndi of this heterogeneous, amalgimated
promiscuously arranged Pacific coast.
This country is one of the best, if not
the best, fruit growing regions incident
to the allotment of man. This year the
crop is full one, also wheat, oats, bar.
ley, rye, potatoes, etc, all promise q
good yield to the husbandman. The
cherry crop has been much injured by
the protracted rains.
Times are extremely hard. Tramps
all over the country ask for work and
are refused. Money is scarce, every.
thing is low, markets glutted, and no
improvements. In 'S3 the boom was M
to a crazy ebb, the Northern Pacific fin
ished up her work. During this excite
ment East Portland was going toward
New York, but she stopped before she
reached "Mount Hood" only twenty
miles distant. Building material coulc
not fill the demand of this crazy move
Now, lumber is piled mountains high
and no demand, and brick kilns not ye
touched or opened. All is dead, to bt
in future resurrected.
/ "Thc Yankees haven of eternal rest
Lies on little farther west"
With sentiments of due respect re
main most truly yours,