The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-07-21
AT VIRGINIA BILLS.
A New Town Established On tho
Columbia River.
ssll eiDolEs ron GUY Pss,MNEy.


vinssSiA. wash. July l9-Fspecisl l.
This place. recently known - CasimO and
also - Virginia City. il eighty-six miles
north Of Wenafchee, With which ccnncc-
ton ID had three times . week by the
steamer City Of Eliensbufg. In front OF
the new town the Columbia river nsoadens
out into bay-like proportions, across which
the mouth Of the Okanogan can be seen.
also the towns OF Port Columbia. Hudson
ana Swansea. the former with two build
ings and the latter with one. . twenty-six-
room hotel. soon 20 be taken down and
removed to this place. BY this change
the central in the system OF the three
5 cities-Seattle, Sw anses and Spokane
will disappear from the roll Of greatness.
II 10 said that the proprietors of this one
house town have sold over $1,000 worth
Of lots. and they are still in the business.
The new town Of Virginia has sub
stantial backing in the persons OF Capt.
Alex Griggs, manager o! the Wenatchee
& Okanogan transportation Company.
and Frank Greene. . former superin-
tendent OF the Northern Pacific railroad.
The latter has put in large stock of goods
here and il now engaged in building .
residence. which. when completed. will be
substantial to say the least. the material
being boulders picked up in Virginia
Biii's placer diggings along the river front.
Virginia Ball 10 one Of the characters OF
this section and has taken out enough OF
the yellow metal from the banks Of the
Columbia and Okanogan to make several
men rich. In his cabin will be found an
upright piano. pictures and books. The
old mans pride 10 his violin, whose magic
strains last night made Guy C. Phinney
forget his rheumatism and dance . jig
with pigeon wing accompani ment, no less
enjoyed by the select audience than we're
julius r. Hale's bass solos. varied with
college songs by Mr.. Phinncy. We believe
il would be money in the pocket Of .
good many silver prospectors if they
would follow Bills example and try gold
mining in this place. and free milling
district
Capt Franklin Harding 10 arranging to
put two stern wheel steamers on the Okla
hogan river to run In connection With
the Columbia river boats from this place.
In conversation with Capt. Harding We
were enlightened considerably a. to the
basis upon which he makes this steamboat
venture. He claims shat the OkanOgen
valley from the confluence of that stresm
with the Columbia to . point $50 miles
north of the boundary between the United
States and British Columbia b now attrac-
ting general attention from home-seekers.
and settlement II becoming 90 thick that
farm almost joins farm over the entire dis
tanee. These newcomers have plenty Of
examples Of what pays in this climate and
soil ~ demonstrated by the pioneers. Of
whom We mention Okanogan Smith. John
Mcdonald. Lenas George, Frank J. Cum
mings. Mr.. Malott and Mr. Davis. The
oldest place - that Of Okanogan Smith.
whose ranch has frontage of mile on
Sooyoos lake. where large crops Of apples.
pears. peaches, cherries, plums. apricots,
grapes. etc. have been raised with uniform
success for many years. A few miles be-
low Smiths place 10 Mr.. Grapger's grain
and hay ranch. and no finer cereals are
produced anywhere on the Pacific coast
than right there. Frank J. Cummings, on
Johnson's creek. seems to excel with vege-
tables and garden truck. while Charles
Guthrie carries the banner for producing
fine watermelons and cantaloupcs. It il
not always best to give figures when de-
scribing the output Of ranch or mine. but
the following are 90 well authenticated
that We feel it duty to quote them.
Mr.. Smith has picked more than one ton
of apples from q single tree in one season.
He sold in one season over 81 900 worth Of
peaches from trees on two acres OF ground,
and this year from strawberry bed 00x
100 feet he realizsd $50.
Mr.. Guthrie has Melted in one season
over $500 per acre from wstermelons.
Mr.. Maiott cuts from three to four
crops Of alfalfa each year, averaging be-
tween sevsn and eight tons in all per
acre. He Is not alone, however, in getting
results from this superior fodder crop.
Roots Of all kinds give prolific returns,
turnips. beets, ETC., growing by the ton
per acre, while ranchers claim yields a.
high - 500 bushels Of potatoes to the acre.
Thousands of peach, apple and pear
trees have been put out this season, Mall
aga grapes as large as the first joint OF an
average mans thumb and as delicious as
any ever grown in Spain. arc produced up
here along the 49th parallel OF north lati.
tude. IL can only he few years at most
when the output OF dried and canned
fruits and wines from the Okanogan valley
will bring wealth to this country and give
California ever furnished.
Back from the valley lands are hirh
rolling benches. covered with luxuriant
growth Of hunchgrass sufficient in area,
quality and quantity to furnish support to
large bands Of horses, cattle and sheep.
Going yet further away from the valley
iumbermen and prospecsors find high
hills and spurs Of mountains, whose sur
face is clothed with timber, and whose
rocky foundations are scanned with gold,
platinum. silver. copper. lead. iron, coal.
marble. lime and building stone. Here
Is the only tree milling gold district OF an Y
extent in the Pacific Northwest. Contrary
to the usual rule, the farther north one
goes the miider the climate becomes. In
the vicinity Of Sooyoos. osooyoos. Vas
seaux and Dog lakes. along and above the
international boundary line, the Their.
mometer rarely touches the zero mark and
the snowfall in the valleys is generally not
sufficient to make sleighing practical. In
the lower country of the Okanogan there
- aetrut two months of winter, with snow
ana Ire. about the same as In southern
New York or Northern Pennsylvania.
ssiii below. on the Columbia there are
spells when the mercury goes to * degrees
oeaoS zero. BGt this temperature is no,
severe enough In the dry air to iniure
peach and other trees not possible of ex.
sstenes in Northern Iowa. .evers. hundred
miles south on parallels of latitude. Incl.
densasiy allow Us TO suggest tina, pa.sen.
gers on the City Of Elienshurg. on the
Columbia. ask Capt. Dsnaher To sion hi.
beat .. some of the frui, rancho. along ,hs
river. particularly At W. r. Pa.lay's piace
fee miles above the Me,how. Here the
visitor will find 400 healthy reach ,r...