The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-08-07
GRAYS HARBOR,
Washington Territory.
The Best Locality for Land Invest
ments Oh the Pacific Coast.

/ have been asked so often since
my arrival from Washington Terri
tory, "What do you think of the
country around Gray's Harborw /
have concluded that any informa-
ton that | can give will be of inter-
est to your many readers, and SO
embody my views in this COM
munication that every one in the
islands may be posted on Gray's
Harbor.
What is known as Western Wash
ington, is bounded on the East by
the Cascade Mountains, on the
South by the Columbia River, on
the West by the Pacific Ocean, aad
on the North by the Straits of Fuca
and British Columbia, it is about
115 by $50 miles in extent. Gray's
Harbor is about half way between
the Columbia River and the Straits,
and is the only good harbor on that
$50 miles of coast line. Owing to
the great difficulty of getting into
this magnificent country, up to
within the past year, very few
except of the most adventurous
pioneers had made homes there,
but the men who first settled on
Gray's Harbor have held firmly to
their faith in the ultimate devel-
opment and importance of their
wisely chosen seat of future empire.
This is the last inviting spot in
America for a numerous population
with diversified tastes, habits and
industries, and of necessity it must
soon be filed to repletion, as soon
as railroads are built, and good
steamer communications are estab-
lished, there will be a rush of mer-
chants, mechanics, laborers, traders,
etc. In almost every town of the
northwest part of the U. S. property
has advanced to such price that
timid people fear to invest, but in
Chehalis County surrounding Gray'S
Harbor we are still ahead of "the
BOOM" which will come surely
with the advent of railroads and
good facilities for reaching the out
side world. 1t is said that Chehalis
is the best county i'll Washington
Territory for agriculture, mineral,
timber, fruit and stock raising.
The county embraces about two
million acres with the Pacific Ocean
reaching through Gray's Harbor to
it's very center, the whole county
is drained by nine navigable rivers
and numerous creeks into Gray's
Harbor, and it can almost be said
that hardly a single section is SO
situated but that it has water COM
munication with the harbOr, suffi-
cient in size to float logs down to
the saw mills. The surface of the
country back of the broad valleys is
gently rolling, while the whole is
remarkably fertile when the vast
wealth of timber is cut and taken
to the mills. The climate is very
mild and healthful, the winters are
never cold as the great Japan cur
rent warns the waters Of the har-
Dor, and the summers are never
very warm as the trade wind COM
ing directly off the ocean is cool
and invigorating. There are nc
thunder storms, no cyclones, no
severe cold weather, and seldom
any snow.
The natural products are iron,
coal, stone, timber, grass, fl Il and
wild fruits, in endless variety, but
as the few people living On the
harbor have been almost all engaged
in the timber trade, few of the other
resources have been developed.
The average yield Of some Of the
agricultural products are: hay, to
4 J tons to the acre; oats, sc 10 700
bushels to the acre; potatoes. 400 10
600 bushels to the acre; barley, &C
to 60 bushels to the acre while
hops yield 1000 pounds to the acre,
and small fruits, plums, prunes,
cherries, etc., are never failing and
free from all diseases. AS the aver
age price of hops for the past ten
years has been Is cents per pound,
L believe that hop growing around
Gray's Harbor will compare favor
ably with the products of any coun-
try.
NUMBERING.