Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-10
APuGRIMAGpr TO PUGET.
The Future GREAT of the Northern Pacific
Coast.
TACOMA. w. T., April 2, 1888


found place where there is something
more substantial than climate and
grapes, or mormon temples and salt lakes
to live upon. 1 have found land OF IN
exhaustible agricultural, mineral and
timber resources, with climate, In sum-
mer at least, superior to that of Southern
Califor. ia, and here l find little colony
of Wichita people prosperous and happy.
cannot say that I like it better than
Kansas. As matter OF fact, one might
travel the globe over and not find SO
good an ''all around" country as the Ar
kansas Valley. Washington Territory
has greater variety of resources, but
the grand verdant sketches of emerald
green meadow, and prairie and corn
fields of Southern Kansas are matcbless,
ond cities like Wichita are hard to find.
Tacoma, though widely different In every
other respect, is a second edition of
Wichita in enterprise, pluck and pros
perity. 1t is the Pacific gate to an I'M
mense empire Astounding in the grandest
timber forests, coal fields, iron beds,
lead, copper, zinc, granite and plenty OF
the precious metals. Among these great
timbered slopes and mineral-loaded
mountains, are valleys that for produc-
tiveness are indeed amazing, judging
from samples of their production that l
have seen and information which | have
gathered from reliable sources,
while away beyond the Cascade
range, is the boundless pastures
and wheat fields Of eastern Washington,
all tributary to Tacoma, the western
terminus and Pacific headquarters Of the
most powerful of the great transconti-
mental railroads-the Northern Pacific.
Here are the general offices, the shops,
the round houses, the docks, coal bunk
erS and elevators. This is the only port
on the Pacific coast north of San Fran
cisco where ships and cars are brought
together, and here the capitalist, the
grain dealer, the commission merchant,
the manufacturer and the wholesale
merchants are concentrating to build a
city. The largest saw mills in the world
are here and the grand harbor swarms
with the craft of the world, come here
to carry off the wheat that feeds the
people of other lands, the coal that gives
them heat, the lumber that builds their
houses, the timber that builds their
ships and the wool that clothes them.
Yes, this Is a great country and Tacoma
is fast becoming a manufacturing and
commercial city. As manufacturing
city know of no other on the globe
with SO bright an outlook. There is none
SO contiguous to an unlimited supply of
the raw materials, and fuel,
and none possessing superior
transportation facilities. BY rail,
her manufactures will reach Eastern
Washington, Idaho, Montana, Dakota
and Minnesota: by sea, California, Mex
leo, South America and the world be-
yond the ocean. 1t is the nearest out
fitting point for the mines, the salmon,
seal and whale fisheries of Alaska and
tourists en- route to that wonderful land
during the summer, start from here. The
fishing interests, too, are enormous and
a source Of great wealth.
Tacoma Is about seven years old, but
her zeal life began with the completion
of the Northern Pacific railroad about
two years ago, and she has now per-
manent population of 1900 and is
building now as Wichita did two wears
ago.
Well. must let up, lest your readers
may set me down as boomer, but as |
spent the winter where climate and
scenery are the main agricultural pro-
ducts, cannot close without brief ref
erence to the scenery Of this great north
western country. The scenery of New
Mexico, Arizona and California is
strange and more. or less interesting
on first sight, but soon
grows monotonOus. Its bare, rocky
peaks, dried up-in summer streams,
meadOwless inclines and treeless shores
make wretchedly poor scenery COM
pared with the mighty forest, clad
mountains, majestic rolling rivers, alive
with salmon, the fresh green meadows,
the roaring cascades, the foaming. lean
ing torrents, and the profuse and beauti-
full foliage oil Washington Territory and
Oregon. The scenery of the Puget Sound
district and the upper Columbia river is
indercribably grand. Tacoma is a pic
turesque place. Nesting upon steep
incline rising from the edge of the bay,
somewhat abruptly, ia an elevation
of about three hundred feet where it
reaches a level. heavily timbered country
stetchihg back for miles and miles. Here
with views disSolYing into magnificent
forests where towering pines and spruce
and cedars bow their lofty heads before
the Pacific breeze; there, rising like
great battlements, the cascade noun
tains stretch away and away like ma
iestic wall, far as the eye can reach.
How blue and placid and beautiful the
bay looks, sunken amid the incirchng
hills like deep cut entagiio. Every in
cissiOn that contributes to- the changing
outlines of the water marks the entrance
of SOME rushing torrent or winding val
ley. There is a grand natural beauty
stamped on every feature Of the land
scape-on vale and mead and mount and
hill-everywhere grand picturesque
ness. In the distance you can pick out
many lofty peaks, and then before your
wandering gaze stands the mighty mon
arch of the observation-disclosures Tacoma,
his hoary head playing with the clouds
that sail in another world. AS far as
the eye can reach there Is delicious
umbrageousness. breaking IN the near
cascades into that rugged and towering
beauty that exaltS the mind and en-
mobiles the imagination This Is an ideal
tourists, painters, poets sportsman
paradise.
The scenery along the upper Columbia
river is, if possible, grander than that
of the sound country. The trip from
Ogden, via. the Utah & Northern and
Oregon Railway & Navigation company,
railway to Portland, Oregon, / think
affords the most pleasing scenery Of any
ike distance in the United States. This
route takes you through northern Utah.