The Dickinson press., 1903-09-12
Back From the Coast.

udFClS ALu vi OtHcI peOPAC, III VdiIouS
places, hence these lines. 1t is three
weeks since | started with my wife and
daughter ON the North Coast Limited for
Portland, Oregon.-just to see the coun-
try. Eight years since l was in eastern
Washington and fifteen years or more
since my last trip to Puget Sound.
Told in the light Of generation. de.
velopment has been wonderful, told in
light of months and years. it is the same
old slow process of evolution and the
survival of the strongest.
The irrigated valley of the Yellow
stone adjacent to Billings, Montana,
shows wealth and prosperity; the
Yakima Valley in eastern Washington
also. When viewing the desert looking
landscape in portions of eastern Wash.
ington, you think that people must have
lived in some awful barren corner Of the
earth to forswear it for this portion.
Butte has almost as bad a looking depot
as Dickinson. Looking at Butte from
the cars, you feel that Mary McLane was
justified in feeling and writing dam,
dam, dam. Billings, Livingston, Mis-
soula, Yakima, and some other places
have modern looking stations creditable
to the N. P. Ry. and the communities
favored. Spokane, Washington, bur
dened aud nearly sold out under eastern
mortgages ten years ago, is now the EN-.
bodiment of prosperity and wealth, and
its best property Is now said to be owned
by its own citizens. Not only the agri-
culture of eastern Washington, but lum-
Der in that vicinity, and the mines OF the
Occur d. Alenes and British Columbia
have contributed to this. Substantial
business blocks, and stately residences
amid ample, well-kept grounds tell the
story-not forgetting good hotel &C.
commodations.
Portland has doubled its population
since l wa there last, business blocks
are crowding into the former residence
portion, sand an air Of an easy going thrift
seems to possess the place. lsraelites
abound and there is a synagogue.
| spent a day with our former
townsman, Joe Cronan, and there is no
scarcity of Irish. John Cronan is re-
covering from the bridge accident which
precipitated sight-seers into the William.
cite several weeks ago. Joe is active
and quite at home and ought to make
some money. The family is contented
and as cordial and wholesome as eve
The Portland Hotel, started by Willard,
is ably conducted, up-te-date, and though
you pay for it, the service seems worth
the money.
Tacoma has been about fifteen years
recovering from its over-done boom in
town lots, and in its residence portion
may succeed in partially filling in to the
boom proportions of its promoters in
! about fifteen years more. Tacoma, how
ever, has a bigger payroll than Seattle
| or Portland, has a splendid harbor and
valuable improved dock property and
warehouses, controlled mainly by the
Northern Pacific. Fargo, however, has
much better hotel accommodations and
service at s. than Tacoma furnishes a,
So and up. There Is a scarcity of push
and spirit, a sort of run down at the
heel about the Hotel Tacoma. However
we had friends to visit and escaped ano
went with Mrs. w. c. Davis to theil
camp on Vaschon Island, several mile:
out in the Sound. The folks intended Il
enjoy the bathing, but it was like duckine
into ice water-pleasant enough after
you get used to it. W. met n family
by the name of Morrill,, nice enough tt
belong to the same tribe as the Fargo
people, but they disclaimed relationshiI
though they had met Fred and were
friendly-but say, Mrs. Morrill,, a school
mate Of Mrs. Fred Morrill,, can make thu
best clam chowder ever concocted-
Massachusetts, style. l think some
women have the art of putting magnetic
properties into their cooking which seel
and find afinities from palate to diGes
tive apparatus. Tacoma has nice peo
pie and many fine homes and We foune
1 II a inv ~ he oCnOnu them.
We spent a half day at Bremerton, tn
location OF the U. S. Navy yard, accom-
panying MI. and Mrs. Hyde OF Seattle
and were entertained by MI. and Mrs
Kendall, Mrs. Kendall being a sister o
George Phelps. We had the pleasure
also also Of inspecting the U. S. Cruise
New York-poor old Simpsons aai
ship.
Accompanying A billiard and famil,
of Dickinson, and Mrs. Hyde, we had
trip on the P. c. steamer Queen to Van
couver, B. c., a staid prosperous ant
Everett, Whatcom and FairhavsA. Thu
Sound ports tell a story Of .ctiv: iii
smelters, foreign and domestic commerc
until n seems in touch with create
possibilities and a broader life. Seattl
IS h queen city, weli.Duirt ana 1airl
compact on its several hills-one in sigh
OF another, always presenting IN one par
of the city, a favorable view OF anothe'
Part.aslghtiy' we!i'managed notel' tn
Washington, Gaping the landscape, Ac
tive well-dresseo' whoiesome'iookinl
people seem to pledomlnate and whel
you depart from the town you are gIa'
that an opportunity existed to visit there
a trip to the Sound country is rePlet
with visions OF the future IN commerc
and development, and alter mlngiin!
with the active people OF the reRicn