The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-09-15
THE REDWOOD GAZETTE.
BY AIKEN & scHmAHL.
THURSDAY, SEPT. Is, 1898.
FROM A. BASTIAN.
What He Thinks of a Puget Sound
Island.

A letter from A. Bastian states that
he has been located near Burton, on
Vashon Island, in the Puget Sound,
Washington, for the past seven
months. The Island is located nine
miles northwest of Tacoma, aud boat
from the latter city touches the Island
twice day, bringing the mail, etc.
Burton, the nearest port to Mr.. Bas-
tian's home, is IL miles from Seattle,
from which city a boat runs to the
Island twice a day also. The Island
runs IL miles from north to south and
about four miles from east to west.
Vashon Island is connected with
Maury Island by small peninsula on
the northeast. The Island, Mr.. Bas-
tian says, is like all the rest of the
Sound countrywide up of hills
some high and some small, with val
leys between. The surface is very
uneven and was at one time thickIy
covered with fir trees having a diam
eter of from one to six feet each. The
best of the timber, says the writer. has
been taken of, and little more than
the stumps remain as a monument of
the once busy time during the boom
period of that section. The Island,
Mr.. Bastian thinks, was doomed to
death. There we're six: or seven vii
lagos started, and every one was des-
tined by the founders, to become vast
cities. A big saw mill was built at
Burton and run long enough to break
the company controlling it, and it
stands rotting there to-day, never to
run again. Four or FIVE brick yards
we're opened on the Island for the
purpose of making brick for the future
cities, and to-day only one small kiln
that burns a small bunch of brick
once year is all that remains.
In boom times land sold from 500
TO $500 per acre, according to the
writer. A number of ranchers pur-
chased from six to ten;acre tracts at
that price. 1t cost them from $50 to
$3.50 per acre to clear off the tracts,
and as a result of the heavv expense,
only few of the ranchers remained,
and those that are here find lit impos-
sible to find a living off the little patch
of ground they purchased-nor have
they paid for all of the original tract
bought. They have to depend for
work on the dry dock.
The land will raise good straw
berries for a year or two, and some
places will grow a good orchard fruit.
such as prunes, plums, etc., cherries,
apples, but all things considered the
land is poor, and the owners have to
resort to fish for fertilizing purposes
catch them or buy them-either OF
which make it very expensive ferti-
lizer. The climate is beautiful in
summer. Very dry for four months
and rain for eight months, but it does
not freeze there, Mr.. Bastian says
The rainy season is not so bad as
Eastern people imagine. Burton has
one general store, a college, two
churches and district school and ter
dwellings. Mr.. Bastian's house stands
on peninsula about four rods from
store, two rods from church and Il
or Is rods from the beach. During
two months 10 summer the beach il
lined with tents, parties from Tacom,
and California coming up to recreate
We have no big storms and no big fog
to speak of. Mt. Rainer is in view OF
the south and the Cascades on tn,