River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-03-14
LETTER FROM sEHoME, w. T.
sEHo,n. w. II, March 8, 1889


EDITOR JOURNAL: At last the boom
has wendell its restless way to the dark
forests and peaceful waters of What.
com County and Bellingham Bay, in
the remotest corner of Washington
Territory and the United States.
Though as yet there is but little to
warrant its coming or but little evil
dence of its presence outside the ex-
trYagant prices paid in the exchange
and sale of real estate, it is expected
that in the near future the three rail.
road companies at present supposed to
work in earnest and that the conse-
quent increase in population will ex-
coed the widest hopes of the Oldest
inhabitants, which, considering the
fact that many of them have patiently
waited for thirty years in the firm
conviction that some day a great city
would come to them, is saying much.
The Bay is really about fifteen miles
long by six miles wide, though seen
from the towns at the head of it, and
because of the numerous islands on
the west side shows only an open space
of about eighteen or twenty square
miles. From the north and round
toward the southwest and in the
order as named are the towns of What.
com, Sehome, Bellingham and Fair
haven, all within a distance of three
miles, and only the largest, WhatcOm,
with resident population of over one
thousand. SehOme and Fairhaven
have by far the best locations with
respect to deep water as fifty feet of
wharfage will accommodate deep sea
vessels at either place, while the
wharf at WhatcOm is half mile long
to avoid mud flats.
Since our coming, the first of Janu-
airy, the sun has shone more than half
the time, and though for day or two
there was frost enough to stiffen the
ground there has not been enough
snow to whi:en it.
Fruits and vegetables grow to an
enormous size here and are of fine
quality, except peaches, which it is
said are small though otherwise ex-
cellent. There is not enough of any
thing raised, however, to supply any
great demand owing to the limited
amount of cultivated land in the
county.
That army of successful men of pc
culiar attributes, made up from the
ranks of clerks who could not rise,
the labOrers who could not save, and
the men of professions in which they
could not succeed. the real estate
boomers, in short, are not yet here.
There are plenty of men, generally
old residents, who assume to luake
that their exclusive business, and
announce the same to the public by
means of large black letters painted
ON cotton cloth of no modest dimen-
sions and nailed outside the cracks,
which are about all that is left of
house after the green lumber of which
it was built has partially dried, but
they sell no more property than the
barber, merchant, lawyer or doctor.
Every one who can pay ''spot cash"
buys of the owner and sells at an ad
vance in cash. Nothing is sold on
time as yet, and much of the most
valuable property is not in the mar
ket.
Building has been greatly retarded
by the action of the Pacific Lumber
Trust in leasing the large mills OF the
Bay district and closing them up, thus
compelling builders to ship from Sc.
attic, from which place, with present
means of transportation, it has been
impossible to meet the demands. The
difficulty has been somewhat relieved,
however, by the building of two or
three small mills and the immediate
prospect of as many large ones; and
there are at present from thirty to
fifty buildings in process of erection.
Within the past week franchise
has been granted by the city council
of SehOme to one of the several
wealthy companies that have been
cIamoring for the privilege of build
ing street railroad, and the water
works are now the bone of contention.
Whichever company gets franchise
will bring the water supply from Lake
Whatc0m, distance of nearly four
miles.
Although there is in our midst no
doubt that the towns of Bellingbam
Bay will, in the very near future, be
united into the largest city of the Puget
Sound country, that union and dignity
are still in the future, with much else
of which l might write.
WhatcOm county is rapidly settling
up and already has ten thousand popu-
lation.
Our connection with the outside
world is by means of line of boats
daily to Seattle. tri-weekly to Port
Townsend and the British steamer
Premier twice a week to Vancouver.
Add to this railroad communication by
means of three separate lines and our
hopes need be no longer speculative.
ELLA b. MORRISON.
The Popular Approval.
While we may not believe in the
truth of the old saying, ''Vox Populi,
Vox Del, in all cases, yet the popu-
lar approval is worth good deal to
any man or enterprise, and while it is
SonafiuoaS baStou-ad On tIpUorthv oh