The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-05

ABSOLUTELY PURE

then followed 10 miles of locating through tie
mighty Cascade range. From the foothills the
tine Vas slashed to the timber tine of the Cultus
Lake mountain, the first high mountain OF the
range encountered The alley Was cur through
the valleys and on the slopes. Many
for gold in the mountains. There was then
great excitement over the Fraser river discov-
eries- At noon and at night and morning, while
not ON duty, the men improved every spare mo-
ment in washing dirt In many localities on
the Skagit the color Was found, but nowhere In
paying quantities
The expedition reached Fort Colvllle At the
end OF the drst season, and passed the winter
there The next season completed the work 70
the summit Of the Rocky mountains, to which
the line hxd previously been located The plac-
ing OF the obe.isks was left to the British COM
mission, which began the work In 1852 Twenty
nine cbe!iSks were unloeccd from ship
beard on the beach The obelisks
are cast hollow, seven and one-half
feet III length, with hange at
the bottom. Cedar posts were set in toe ground
and tie obelisks bolted 70 them through the
hange- They were placed on an average Of one
mile apart for distance of twenty eight miles
In places likely to be cultivated and thickly
populated they were placed closer together. One
was placed on each side OF each stream or lake
crossed The intervening distances varied from
30 yards to two or three miles TO the foothills-
Through the mountain range the line was
marked by stone cairns and cedar crosses on the
SUBMITS Beyond the mountains through the
Okanagon prairies the monuments were brought
in from the East
II was while the British commission was mp
in the mountains in 1850 that news was received
that the United States troops had occupied San
Juan island All British soldiers were ordered
down. A gres: commosiou was created by the
British subject among the civilians in the camp.
The most exaspcrasing cartoons were made by
the patriotic Americans and posted en- the
s,umps and trees.
Standing at the first obelisk on the beach ct
Blaine, and looking toward the West, the be-
holder can see streak OF daylight in the dark
forest line extending down between
boundary bay aad the Gulf Of
Georgia, about fifteen miles distant,
where the line crosses Point Roberts, narrow
strip of land curling around Boundary bay, be-
tween it and the Fraser river. The forty ninth
parallel cuts of the nip of this point, leaving an
isolated tract about one mile from north to
south and two miles across, on a high sea bluff.
under the American Gag, military reservation
commanding the Gulf OF Georgia On the west
ern shore of this point substantial monument
of solid masonry marks the point where the
forty ninth parallel leaves American soil.
The hes: fishing grounds on the
sound are OF Point Roberts. In the
fishing season large numbers of fishers live On
the spit under the bluff around the point On
the reef projecting out from the point thousands
of salmon are taken with reef nets each season.
A corporation is now being formed at Blaine TO
put in cannery 70 prepare for market the
harvest of the sea taken from this point The
annual catch il sufficient to supply q large
institution. There il also excellent halsbut and
cod fshsng around the point