Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-01-06
sREGeS ANo WASHINGTON sEgx
~ ToERIsT.

re9aADte sketcn foitOW1ng Tor the Slnz
ssnnati Ce'nsssrcsal Gaz>fts:
A section of our coanfry tiIl lately
little known is that comprising Oregon
and Washington Territory. Thu last
/ year the snly mode of Feaching it, ex
| oept by the overland Koats. Sas by OCEAN
travel Of from three to i've days from
San krabessoo. Il vas, In fact. n con
pieteiy eat OF from the rest Of she aa.
lIon - IL it had been an island ef the
| Pscida.
Nov the Northern Pacific has been
/ opened through % the coast, the Cana
dian Pacific is rapidly Appfoashing com
| psetIon and when done will be rival
Of the Northern for the trsffio Of
Washington especially. The onion Pa
sifie has Just forced its way down the
Sake River through Idaho. snd nov
oOunscs@ With the Oregon Railway 4
Navigation Company. making another
through line 20 Portland; and, finally,
the OREGON & California Railroad has
but about 80 miles 20 finish to unite
san Francisco and Portland by direct
road These several costly enterprises
are q fair indication of the estimate
| placed on the business value Of the ex
treFue Northwest by capital. after all
the most reliable index OF commercial
prozpe9ta.
The region IL eus Of vast resources.
There aFc deposits sf gold, silver iron,
copper aud lead. and some travellers
maintain the discovery 0f brass. In iss
anadulteratsd parity, IN osrsain settled
psFtioEs Of the oosntFy. Ignite and
GOAL Of sKesilsut quality ars eonsmon.
The timber OF u eoniferous kind ie be-
j II h. -
icys t. Of the richest character and en-
ornsously productive. fhe wheat fields
nf Eastern Oregon and Washington
bear as continuously add far more
heavily than those o: the far famed
Rad River Valley, aud the pastures GOV
eKing the bills and noontalp sides west
9f the Cascades are persnnialiy fresh
and green.
The moist climate II eOnfinsd TO the
territory wes, Of tho Cascade Menu
tains; bat within this section it inten-
sides the fertility OF the soil. and hast
ems and increases tho growth of veRetA
tion till almost tropical luxurisnce IL
attained. Fields we're pointed oat where
the timber had been +" slashed" or dead
ened within the last i've years, bat
which now are filed With shruob ~,
undarbrush and vines, forming matted
ianRios nearly as difficult 20 reDove a.
ses original forest. lac moisture Of
the coast region Ia the natural result Of
the warn trade winds from the ocean
meeting the high cold barriers of the
Cascade range. So marked il the effect
of these mountains on the climate that
the rainfall of the western slope Ia d0u-
BILE that OF the eastern. East Of the
mountains drouths are frequent VEST
they are unknown.
The trip over the Northern Pacific TO
Puget sound u Of singular interest. lt
. assesses none Of the mOnOtony OF orsssr
ina the plains as does the Union Pacific
through Kansas aud Colorado. Each
days travel has tts attractions, differing
frnm all that have preoeded, and still
ifsrent from what Is to follow.
Leaving the hills and lakes OF Mime
sofa, the immense wheat neids Of the
he'd River spread out in wonderful
beauty. In summsrs as saw them, the
sIpht was striking. In many places, as
far as the horizon. the velvety green,
even as . lawn, waved gently IN the
broezes. After the Red River and the
rolling prairies west of them, dotted
here and there with little villages the
Missouri, broad, rapid and nayig ble fOI
nuUurbuH Vi hultth hDDNts Aur1 tOllVN
The so called bad Lands" with their
gFstesqus formations and surioas col
ors. After leaving tho quiet rolling
eoantry of Western Dakosa, hontana's
varied topography In sinQuiariy vel
come. Immense valleys between hills,
that grow into mountains as sou go
west, ara ailed with herds of cattle,
horses and sheep. Huts and cabins
grow scarcer; Indian tepees here aud
there add to the romance Of the scene.
At Livingstone you branch on 70 the
south for Gfty miles or more to reach
1 the National Park. or. as they Who live
near il, and draw their sustenance from
| 10 by the way Of the pockets Of the trav
eler, are happy TO ssyle il. The Won
derland Of America, "a land OF hot
springs, eeysers, oayernous rumblinRs
and internal travelling. into which no
red man will 60. but full OF interest %
seekers after the eurioaa In nature.
Through Western Montana and Idaho
tho Rockies offer scenes of beauty.
charming as ever poet painted, and
again rugged, grand aud awful. East
sru Washington spreads away great,
sparsely settled. level region. undula-
ting aud somewhat rough in places,
with no special attraction. Then .
candy waste encompasses you. Pass
ing that, black scoris, shaggy masses of
lava appear, barren as the Sahara, dee
olase and forblddine, !. tells Of the for
ufer days before Hoods hsry turbu
Eenee gave way 10 placid snow.
Soon yen enter the kesuties of the
Columbia River. which has cat its
way through the Cascade Mountains.
| fornsige q gorge, with mazy Wild scenes.
Books. worn by she water, rise, jagged
and dercs. In preoipices, hlutis, pillars.
OF threatening, overhangina masses.
AZ one point for nearly . mile the
train oreeps along. hardly moving, as
thoagh even full breath might start
an avalanche of sliding rosk that rlsea
q thousand feet above. to bury the train
forever from mortal view.
Again the train checks lis speed, and
again breaths come short, but, instead
Of danger, here shsre breaks On oar
vision a wild gorge in The ainty wall
that towers ever ne. Up through the
trees. past the trees, almost among The
clouds. on the Great OF the hlud, theFr
streams A silver ribbnn down into the
chasmi it waves aud fautteFs tute spray
and mists, bot falls at last iato pool
not tar away, great stream Of water.
I
/ that neuntain stream Leaps 10 resch the
train, and that narrew ribbon. the Sport
OF the ereexes. he forty feet across AZ IL
leavss the hight above.
The panorama unfolding 10 always
new and always interesting. Especially
IN this true alabg the Columbia. This,
4 the largest Of oar rivers eulptytrz into
the paciils. and second only 20 The Mis-
s;ssippi on this eontinent, IL generally
broad. placid and deep. II carries an
immense body Of water, and is navi-
sabls for a thousand miles. Bat in enc
plscs 10 10 srosded between rocky walls
oRiy sixty yards apart Az 10 often
said. the river is there on its edge. and
the depth 10 beyond the engineerinR
skilI OF oar army officers 70 eoapats.
| Portland reminds cae Of Cincinnati,
| 9th its background Of hills, though the
hills are sharper and higher and GOV
cred wish ilrs and pines.
| Toe trip from Portland 60 the Sogaa
Leads through eharusing and ehSneiug
valleys forA way. Then mounting she
| piAtessu, you cross . pgsarte snms9hAs
rolling. bss perfectly snoosh. and oov
u -