The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-12-12

| practicable route for a road or trail from
/ Eeglinxharn Bay aeross the Cascade noun
/ taars TO Okanogan and Stevens coun-
/. ties. IL by the way OF the couth fork Of
/ the Nookaack river and the narrow can
yon of the upper SkagSs TO Ruby creek.
/ rssa report Of c. w. Root, employed by
/ the commissioners to examine this route.
/ becomes OF special interest Mr.. Root ID
/ a competent mountain engineer. who has
/ done a great deal OF similar work for
railroad companies. and his representa-
1 tons are undoubtedly reliable. He says:
| Prom Marble Mount lthe end Of the
wagon road UP the SkagsD, there IL at
| present a fairly good trail for pack-horses
| on the west side of the river 90 . point
/ two miles above Goodall's, a distance OF
about sixteen miles though II is called
/ twenty BY people along the river. This
| point is the site Of the south bridge lately
| put in by Skagit county. and destroyed
| by late spring floods For the next six
| miles the pack trail is on the east side to
| a point Where second bridge. also wash
| ed out. led TO the west eide. Between the
bridge sites on the west side OF the Skagit
there is a foot trail. known SIS Goat trail,
| impossible for horses on account OF al
| most vertical walls OF rock. but passable
| for footmen by using ladders that leaf
| from one bench TO the next From the
| second crossing 10 the mouth OF Ruby
creek. fourteen miles. the trail u pass
| able. but could be much improved In 10
cation at small cost The only serious
difficulty is Sour Dough ridge. where the
| trail. to avoid the almost vertical bluff
next the river. zig rags and crosses at a
ali ~fyf xsc hal rv7t1a haek
| from the river. Just above the mouth OF
| Ruby creek the Skagit runs through a
narrow canyon about twenty feet daep
| and sixty feet wide. A rude bridge Is
built here and pack horses cross ii. but
| do not consider IL safe. From the mouth
| OF Ruby creek the trail follows up the
north side seven miles to the mouth of
| Granite creek. Above Granite creek the
| Ruby Is called Canyon creek, and the trail
is on the south side almost 20 the mouth
| OF Slate creek. or about eighteen miles
| from the skagit, where IL crosses and fol-
| lows up the north fork OF Slate creek
| to the summit about twenty-five miles
| from the Skagit."
| From there. as has already been stated
| In the Post-Inteiugencer. there Is q good
| trail leading down to the Methow. and
4 Wilt O1AS Oh lAAG OkduOEdn
| county roads.
Continuing, Mr. Root says: Horses
| have been taken up this entire trail, but
at present the bridges across the Skagit
| below Ruby are gone and there are sew
| erL washouts. and fires have blocked
| the trail badly with fallen timber" He
says there are two other trails by which
| 'the lately discovered gold mines on
4 q
| sIders the route via Skagit canyon much
more practicable One is by way OF the
| Cascade and Pierce rivers to Bridge creek,
and up that creek to the Twitsap. down
that stream to the Metfow, and up the
| Methow to the head or Slate creek. II is
| . very roundabout way, and the trail Is
| rough and crosses three high passes The
| other trail leads from the second crossing
| OF the Skagit UP the east side OF the river
1 to Thunder creek. four miles below Ruby,
and thence up Thunder creek and down to
Pierce river by way OF Park creek
Miners who wintered on the Ruby last
| year report that they were shut In by
snow only two and a half months. Ii Is
Mr.. Roots theory that the lighter snow
| fan east Of the upper Sl1agit Is due TO the
| high mountains Of the Baker-Shuksan
range. which condense most OF the mois-
ture coming from the west before II
reaches the Methow summit He says that
"one serious trouble with all the routes
mentioned is the want OF grass for stock
There Is good feed on the Methow up to
| within ten miles from the summit; west
OF that TO farms on the Skagft, about
| seventy miles OF distance grass IS i'm
fted AZ the summit and extending a
mile or two each way there are open
giades covered With grass that makes ex-
cellent pasturage for pack horses, and
there Is said 10 be good range on Jacks
mountain. near the mouth OF Ruby creek.
Any large bands OF stock would soon eat
out and destroy the grass at both OF these
places I think. as bunch grass will not
stand chose grazing.
Four years ego. when IN the employ OF
the Fairhaven 10 Southern Railroad Com
pany, Mr.. Root examined the RANGE east
Of the Skagik and north OF the Cascade,
and he expresses the opinion that the
only route Is Up the Skagit and Ruby To
the Methow. The most expensive part
OF the route Is along Canyon creek and
the Goat TRAN on the Skagit II is best to
keep on the weSt side up 10 Ruby creek,
as tlood marks can be found almost any
where in thu canyon City or sixty feet
above low water. The rock blufrs on the
Goat trail look wusss than they are. Some
| form OF bracket support could be used
THAI would make q secure rest for bridge
stringars and go pass along tho face OF
the rock much cheaper and jas< as safe
as though blasting was resorted 10. Nane
Of these bluffs are over $50 feet n length,
! and there are only sx or seven n al The
work on CarAyun creek So mostly on rock
slides S1sns large fragments VIII have To
be blasted. and a few rock points bri3ged
| eroslnA
| For tha two sections % TIE proposed
road tisns described by AIr. Root. the corn-
mission asks an appropriation OF sI5eoa,
% which ~ - estimated that $1,000 viii
be required for the sl0ag4t canyon sec-
tson. a1a $40 between the mouth or
Ruby creek anf TIRE aethow summit II
yvas on or near State creek that tire re-
Gently reported g. 100 cleanup OF placer
gold was rsada Referring briefly 20 the
Mineral resources % that section. TIE ~
| port OF ths state commission SAYS: Dur
inx IRE sumner ot iSs4 over 10 men have
been mining and prospecting along Safe
I ard Ruby creeks arsi coux5derab3e free
gold hzS been washed out Many Claims
have been taken several have been sn-
lively worked. snt the owners express
Themselves "a well satisfied wi1h results. -
There Is no doubt that the Representatives
/ % al tire uOrs heva countses as well as