The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-22
RkGITS RICH SOIL.
! Redeemed Lands Among
the Most Productive.
i IMMENSE YIELD OF OATS.
= Vssh Upon shores Insures Great
y.ssslisy - wonders OF Agri-
eulture--Ths Dyked Lands.

MxAafonayies Of which are now hlled with q
IsS,iiul crop. The redeem lands OF Skagit
-. comprised by the samish and Swinom.
! = go The delta OF the skseit. tho Beaver
- snl the recently-opened 9 ymplc marsh.
~enong the mott productive ia me world.
- Innd produces from so 10 100 bushels uer
- = 60 average of the entire acreage. Small
/ - hase pfoduc as hign o. 100 bushels per
- me Gwinomish and samish Oats present
= peeulss OF one Of he most successful expert
s.stu IN retaining and cultivasing land from
eses ever made outside of Holland. The
stsonisn Cat il the oldest and hest imp proved
senprisss b. tween 10000 and $4,000 acres of
-. reclaimed by dykes. snd divided into vel
E1eoyed farms II extends from the north
- 81 the skaeit northward along
70 fWfnomish slough TO Bay View
90 n been reclaimed and improved within
/ H. II twenty years Its soil Is OF great depth
"a l9tilily. formed by the Skagit For cen,u-
= ,bs rushing river. cvading the Cascades,
iseesed It's silt into the broad bay. at one time
rs,riag the entire fat of which the narrow
auhemish slough Is oil that remains This
y xwhed ND by the waves and distributed
- the shore rorthward and southwar
80 be rivers mouth by the tides formed the
- delta and the 6winomish fiat When the
ffetifu OF swinomish fat, along In tho '7o's,
- dyking 1t in II had risen from the sea aud
vnsiy covered by the extreme tides OF June
II December. Ths situation of these lands id.
bh,ng the narrow 5winomish slough. protected
/ ~ the heavy sens OF tho straits
m De natural breskwsters of wildly
| a Fidalko islands. made their re Temp
| ia eonparativey inexpensive and practicable.
Ih4heru dykes eight or ten feet in height Is all
T. ~ inquired to keep back the tides. Care 10
nQuivd. however, 20 keep the dykes in order.
| ~ ssls sea wa'er holds such enmify to vegeta.
+@ Me that II ruins the crop for wo years
.pSsn Il once freaks through and saturates the
NJ
Or rear ago last winter. during he high tide,
= shre . westerly gale was blowing, dyke gave
~ and 6Ood 600 acres for X. Z. Whitney
i udA. C. Sikson. Their orchards were killed
| "a the land Is still barren.
Shh ID the greatest calamity that has ever
vsited the rec aimed lands. The high tides OF
/ n waters Of Puget sound make good drainage
|dlAne lands possible. After the land is dyked
[ud thoroughly dried ont 1t sinks one foot or
noe below its original level. rendering much of
sbelow the level OF daily tides
h secure the drainage Of this bitches are PRO.
| ND with Tide boxes or valves, through which
|He drainage water runs while the tide 10 out,
ii which are closed by the pressure Of the ris-
|te tide from the outside.
ne Nat is taversed by sloughs from the
|opund, viaable at high tide Tor steamers such
? he Hassslo. Skagit Chief and others which
ram up to the rranaries built along the
|fessh banks and take cargoes of grain.
me samish dat not quite as large in area %
|tAe sxinomish. but is equally productive. It
embraces the Fat formed by the Samish, lying
sbont the town of Edison. extending
hon the Chuckanut range to within q
~ miles OF Bay View. 1t has been
IL comparatively recently reclaimed, and al
nd has many fine farms. The Beaver marsh
hatnct Of nom $4,000 to 1900 acres in area,
hing Just back Of the Swinomish hat. q wide,
svel srts connected with it by q narrow neck
szhnding around the extremity of Pleasant
hdca THIS was formerly the haunt of the
bssvvf Il Is NOT jet to the overflow Of the
Ne, but has to be projected from the floods OF
~ 1kagit by long levee. extending from its
south to Avon. The Olympic marsh lies be.
tugen Bay View and Avon II contains about
sesame area as the Beaver marsh. and is just
winning to be cultivated. It was ditched a
nupe of years ago. and last year the dense
lssh with whichit is covered was slashed and
&ned.
|Hany OF the farmers OF the samsh fiat have
nde fortunes on their farms They compose,
1Hhaps, the most prosperous and independent
(piculrural community In the state. Their
IA will pay interest and taxes on $500 and $500
Hacre.
heir farms are improved with beautiful resi-.
|tstes ard vast barns and granaries. They
I'VE no land for rsilroad subsidy hunters.
|lAey already have ire cheapest transportation
1.-THE world, provided by natural canals fow-
hgty their granariee Their chiefcharact ristic
|Rems to be couteutment and independeuce
|tiaedoms may wax and wane without their
|aaeern - long as the navigation OF the Swi-
nnish slough Is not interfered with Their
Nm Of u Conner Is characteristic OF the coun-
N Of which IL 10 the trading center. It has
|kvsf had Boom" nor never tried to have
|ns Il has no real estate agen q, and no more
Stations than it needs. A town of less than
inhabitants, its volume of trad, is half a
Million annually. The number of harvesters
- agricultural implements is remarkably
re The town 10 Suilt on a rocky knoll,
nnerly an islet in the primeval gulf that GOV.
ted the swinomish fist and Beaver marsh.
sposite. on Fidalgo island, across the swi-
lunish slough. about 80 feet in width.
the picturesque village of the Swinomish
indian reservation. group of whitewashed
wages gathered about the mission church up
uine its white cross against the dark pines
~ the clearing. About 200 Indians live
mn. They have reclaimed about 1000 acres
sude lands which they cultivate. They own
nef ha:vesters and threshers aud cultivate
IN land after the approved methods OF mod.
@igrculture.
Asny hitter maledictions have been invoked
% the peaceful town of La Conner by i'm
naent travellers compelled to wait for hours
Z NE tide within her outer wall in letting
amer aground in the shallow wafer at the
sa,nce Of the slough. The slough 10 entered
NM H~>v~ a..
xseous opening aptly termed the Hole In
wall" From the approaching steamer the
seneer suddenly secs through the apparently
az wall of cliff in front an opening
<soeh which the steamer energes. Inside
sss an enlargement of the surface of the
s "sf which widens but not the channel. Over
- me steamer twists and turns, seemingly
| sSauns some in ricats imaginary design on
mf'ace OF the water. If the tide is high
~ sae Pilot is born lucky, she will get through,
ssnsn around the next point brings you
- sA c,nner. But everyone who has trav-
- up or down the Sound on the mail boat
- umes has been stuck at least once. The
pc oil La Come are now working to secure
sppropriaiion from congress 10 dredge the
sasoee to the soush sufficient to render IL
.sao'e at any stage of the tide. 1t is an i'm.
s"sment the' is soceiy needed, and the com.
IA VI flcn lSglOu Oh which
49, smne onties would justify the necessary sp-
rpasnon BY congress.
Nv u me summit of the northern extremity
=. ssssnt Ridge, few miles back OF La Con.
49, De seen landscape of agricultural
X. a and beauty unequalled in Washington.
snsire swinomish fat and Beaver marsh
= ae'e rom here, stretehi ~ out 10 the right
'ae !ett without rise or a depression, a
49, sefoare as smooth as a mirror lake,
~ s wiz the residences. barns aud graaaries,
s.sae light verdure OF cultivated trees and
49,. To the northwest in the blue dis
~, rss rise The peaks Of Tunis. orcas Cypress ana
| - between which the vision extends
sT..,.a endless azure vistss over the Gulf of
sr,. AT this point Mr.. J. A. Rudene has
hl,a,.oA ssauful residence, on one of the finest
: ss pots on Puget sound. To one used to
- .'a reflection OF landscape clad liz the
8. sadure of our coniferous forests, this
kA.. 1e summer time. when covered in the
~. sven OF growing grain and deeiduous