Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-05-17
STRUCK Him JUST RIGHT
What Representative of the
United States Investor
Thinks of Fairhaven
A Clear and Impartial Write
Up of the City and Its
Contributory Area
Signs of the Times Read With
Reference to the Great
Northern Terminus

The United States Investor, Of Bos
ton, New York and Philadelphia, con
tains, in its issue of May 7, the follow
ing interesting article setting fortl
clearly aud impartially the advantage,
of tairhaven. Published as it il in 4
journal whose large circulation is
almost entirely among men Of means
seeking opportunities for investment
IL one Of the best advertisements the
the city ever had Following is the
article complete:
"Some weeks ago there was referred
to me from an interested reader of the
Investor an inquiry concerning Fair
haven, Washington. But as j had
never visited the city, was not, of
course in a position to answer the in
terrogative intelligently. SO that in
order that | might satisfy my own
mind regarding the actual merits pos
sessed by this young city on Belling.
ham bay and that / might reply to
the subscribers request, / decided to
pay Fairhaven visit, examine closely
into its present condition and study its
location and future prospects. The
results Of my observations / present 10
the Investor readers.
Certainly, no thinking person who
carefully examines the great and diver
sitied resources Of the state of Washing
ton and the superior harbor facilities
afforded 10y Bellingham bay can arrive
at any other conclusion than that at
the head Of this natural harbor is "A
point designated by nature as one for
the distribution of the country's pro-
ducts, and that sooner or later there
must develop here commercial and
manufacturing city of importance.
Occupying this excellent location are
the towns of Fairhaven, Sehome and
Whatcom, all within very short dis
tance Of each other, so near, in fact,
that In considering the building of a
large city on Bellingham bay, they
should be considered as one munich
pality, for there is little question that
before five years have passed they will
all be consolidated under one govern
ment and be known as one city.
FAfRHAvEN's SURPRISING GROWTH
Less than five years ago there were
three small hamlets, within as many
miles, on Bellingham bay, viz: What
,om, Sehome and BeIlingham. The
irst was formerly trading post Of the |
Hudson Bay Company, the second a
coal mining settlement and the third /
IN anticipated" railroad town. The
.otai population did not exceed 1900. |
Then there was no Fairhaven, and no
,ity dreamed of, unless by the old set
Ter who owned the site which the
young city now occupies. The idea of
"A city here originated with
Messrs. &. y. Larrabee, Of Portland,
Oregon, and Nelson Bennett, of Taco,
ma, both Western men and thoroughly
with every point on Puget
ound, and the natural resources ac-
'essible TO every locality. 1t was these
gentlemen who organized the Fair
raven Land Company, which corpora
ION Is really the head and front of
parent company-a
arge and successful corporation.
IL cannot be questioned by anybody
Who has ever seen Fairhaven that it Is
ne Of the most beautifully situated
tiles on Puget sound. The ground on
which most of IL is built slopes grad
ally upward from the water, affording
natural drainage and a charming
Jew Of the Sound, made picturesque
y its many islands and the entire
'ellngham bay. During all my travels
the Northwest I have
1und nowhere a view that had greater ,
harms for me than that which NAV be ,
njoyed from the balcony Of The Fair
aven hotel. i do not wonder that
eople have been attracted TO this
oint. Being almost directly east of
hat great waterway-the Straits of ,
uan de tuca-which connects Puget
Dund with the Pacific ocean,
THE POSITION OF FAIRHAvEN
readily accessible port from the !
pen ocean, any school boy will recog- :
ize. And that it is the first mainland :
arbor for vessels from all parts of the
'orid Is equally automatic. Here. II
my opinion, can undoubtedly be !
uilt up a great American center of !
static commerce, an important trans /
r point for oriental and occidental I
roducts. Beilingham bay Is without
oubt one Of the most sheltered and ;
harbors on the Pacific
)ast II varies In depth from Al TO 26 I
'thoms, and has a superficial area of !
early 100 square miles. This deem
'ater is found at the docks at Fair /
aven where the large ocean steam :
hips touch. In It's relations to Reii. a
igham bay, Fairhaven, I can clearly
se, has the advantage Of the dee1 d
'ater found at the central section of /
ne bay. :
1t was in May, 1889, that operations /
'ere commenced i'm clearing and pre- :
airing the site for the city of Fair /
aven. They were on very extensive !
,ale, the work was pushed RAPIDLY. I
nd buildings OF substantial nature
Iere soon erected. The result was a 4
henomenal increase in population. 4