Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-12-31
THE WESTERN TRAIL.
Letter from F. W. Smith.

years ago and ever since that time
have had desire to return and look
that western country over once more.
So after | got my corn picked this fall
left on the 10th of Nov. for Seattle,
Wash. / arrived there on the 10Th,
being three days and four nights on
the way. Well, when got to Seattle
found very nice city of about
10000 people and very nice place
1t is. Being situated on Puget sound
it has large trade with Alaska and
also ships lots of lumber to foreign
countries. My uncle came from Alas
ka having been eight days on the
water from Cyak, Alaska. He is in
the employ of an oil company up
there getting $780, a month and ex-
penses. He has snap. Well, we
went over Seattle quite bit being
there altogether q days. went
through some OF the large lumber
mills and quite sight they are for
one who has never seen anything of
the kind. The weather doesn't get
very cold up there and hardly ever
freezes the ground. Plenty of mud
and damp foggy weather all through
the winter season. Although the
weather is not freezing the dampness
seems to go through ,assperson and
chill to the bone.
Well, as / said / stayed in Seattle 6
days then took the boat up the
sound on the oath of November. Was
on the boat all night and on the
morning of the 25th, arrived at Bel
lingham Bay. This place has made a
great change since last saw it. This
is city about 20 miles from the Brit
ish Columbia line and is city of
smokestacks, lumber coal and fruit.
There is large salmon cannery
here and several saw mills, machine
shops etc. A very lively place. Here
is one of the largest saw mills ever
visited. They run double set of
men and cut enough lumber in one
day to build several large houses.
The were loading an ocean steamer
about $50 feet in length with lumber
for foreign trade. 1t would surprise
you to see how fast these logs were
| sawed and put down in the bottom of
that iron clad steamer. Seemed to
work like clock work and every man
doing his part. They take good
two horse load at a time and hoist it
up with q cable, swing it around into
place, then down to the bottom of the
steamer, all being done quicker than
you could tell it. They were cutting
logs from two feet thick up TO perhaps
eight feet thick, the large ones some
100 feet long cut into l4x1S inch sills
They use three cars to haul these long
timbers. This is great numbering
region, mills all through the woods
some running night and day, Sundays
included, by the Advents. Good lum-
Der can be bought at the mill for So.
to SO. 1000 feet, shingles at 81 So a
thousand. After stopping at this
place day | took the stage for Lyn-
den, 16 miles north. All level gravel
and plank roads. Here is the guide
meridian running twenty miles due
north without crook or turn. Not q
hill all the way, crossing lake one
half mile wide and 80 feet deep on the
south side. This is plank road here
and of course built on large piles
driven into the bottom of the lake. 1t
takes one half day to make this drive.
There were twelve passengers on
the stage and it rained about all the
way but people don't stop for rain in
this part of the woods.
Talk about timber. The coast
country is all timber but hundreds OF
acres have been destroyed by fire in
the last few years and small ranches
are taking the place of the timber.
There are lots of trees and stumps
eight feet in diameter and twenty four
feet in circumference. We got to
Lynden soon after dark the day be-
fore Thanksgiving. This place is
three miles from British Columbia and
the place where spent year of my
life twenty years ago. OF course there
has been great changes made there in
that time. What was thick woods
then have been logged off in great
many places, cleared and cultivated
mostly to hay, fruit and vegetables.
They raise apples there as fine as can
be raised any where, also pears and
Strawberries as big as walnuts, pota-
toes to beat the band. They call them
spuds, big as your two fists put to-
mill, shingle mill, two hotels, two
general stores that sell everything,
three or four small stores, two real
estate Offices, two livery barns, three
churches, creamery, etc. Most of the
people there are Holland dutch. That
part of the state is very low, not being
more than about thirty six feet above
tide water. The Pacific r. r. Co. is
building road to that place to be in
use by New Years. They were laying
the rails while was there, working in
mud and water some places knee deep.
to the horses on the grades. The
grade across the bottom of the Nook
sac river was perhaps two feet under
water while was there on account of
the Chinook winds melting the snow