Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-12-26
THE LAKE OF THE SUN.
A Fine Strip Of Country Yet Unsettled.

Last summer the writer TOOK hunt
ing trip to Neah bay and the country
along the Pacific coast as far as Flat
terry rocks. The coast is a very rugged
one and is composed of one solid rock
formation, and is very difficult to
travel. From Neah bay to Flattery
rocks it is good days travel. About
mile north of Flattery rocks the
Ozette river empties into the Pacific.
Here Chas. Wllloughby, a brother of
the writer. and Walter Furgerson have
taken up claims. At the mouth of
the river there is large quantity OF
black sand, and it is their intention to
wash it for the gold it contains this
coming summer. The writer made his
headquarters here. In the river fish
of various varieties are plentiful. The
little Quinault salmon runs in this
river in the spring months. This sal
mon is considered, by those who have
had the good fortune to test them, to
be the finest salmon that swims. They
are only known to run in three streams
the Quinault, from which they de-
rive their name, the Nitatt and Ozette.
All of these streams have lakes at their
head. Although there are quite a
number of other streams along the
coast where salmon run, these three
streams are the only ones in which
the Quinault salmon are found. The
lakes seem to have some attraction for
them. Trout, "bOne shark" salmon
trout and a small red fish similar to
the salmon trout, are also very plenti-
full.
After stopping at the mouth of the
river long enough to get over the ef-
fects of the hard travel down the coast,
a trip to the lake was in order. The
lake is about five miles from the mouth
of the river, and, after a three hours
tramp, we reached the Lake of the
Sum-" This lake is named from an
old Indian tradition. In early days
the Indians claim that the sun made
the lake, and that it did not wish any
one to bathe in the lake. But an In
dian disobeyed the command and
bathed in it. No sooner had he done
so than the water got very rough and
began to rise. The surrounding
country was flooded and all the In
dians were drowned. 1t is possible
that this lake did overflow in early
days, and hence this tradition, as the
land on the west side is very low until
it reaches the coast, and here line Of
hills stand hundred feet or more in
height. One side of these hills form a
part of the coast, and are very steep
on both sides. The lake is probably
about thirty or forty feet above tine
level of the ocean, and on the east side
are small ranges which it drains.
This lake is also called Swan lake,
owing to the large number of those
birds which migrate to it every year.
The lake is about four miles wide and
eight miles long, and is cut up into
bays and channels.
About half way down the east side
of this lake rich bottom land coun-
try begins. Up all the streams that
empty into this lake are rich valleys.
The soil in these valleys is of the rich
est nature. There is very little under
brush. In these valleys or bottoms
the elk, which are plentiful, make
their feeding grounds. Anywhere in
these bottoms q man can take up a
claim and plant twenty acres of it the
first season, as the alder is the only
obstruction settler will have in clear
ing the ground. This country is un-
doubtedly the finest left in the State
for settlement, but it is comparatively
unknown as yet, owing to the diff
Guilty in reaching it. At present few
settlers have gone in there and in the
spring a big rush will probably be
made FOR this section. There is room
tor large settlement here, and if a
few energetic people get in and open a
road, which is not a difficult matter,
the finest section of land in the State
will be thrown open. To cut road
from this lake is not near so difficult
as it was to get a road from the Quill
layute country fifteen miles further
south. At the Indian village at Flat
terry rocks, there is a good harbor
where a vessel can lay at ease, and
goods can be taken in large quantities
and taken to the lake by way of the
river until a road can be cut. A pota-
to patch is all that a man needs in
this country to live. The rest, such
as meat, fish, wild fruits and berries,
are already there. While the writer
was there he helped his brother to salt
down elk meat and salmon enough to
last all winter.
OF late the writer has seen several
reports in newspapers to the effect
that the country lying between the
Straits OF Juan de Fuca and Gray's
harbor had never been explored. This
is entirely mistake, and anyone de-
string any information regarding the
country between these two points will
be cheerfully Accommodated by calling
at this Office.
The country for the most part is
rough and mountainous, but the val
leys in the foothills are numerous and
would be excellent for grazing pur-
poses, but of little use for agriculture,
as they are situated as rule in high
attitudes and the frost does not leave
the ground until late in the spring.
In midsummer, when the grass is dried
up on the Sound, in those valleys the
grass is green and abundant.
Some minerals have been found in