Year: 1864

The Coming Season.


The coming season promises to be one of
unusual prosperity and business activity for
the people of this valley and the whole up
per country. At no time since its settle
ment have there been SO many inducements
offered to emigration as now. Added to
the numerous rich gold fields that have been
opened from the British line to klamath
Lake, prospective new field is now talked
of in the Kootenay country, to which, if we
can believe half that is said in regard to the
prospects obtained, there will be an immense
travel the coming season. This will opy n
up new avenue for trade, and added to the
long line of pack trains and wagons that
must necessarily be employed in supplying
the old mines, we may with certainty ex-
pect to see an equally busy one in transit
for the new Eldorado, laden with the pro
ducts of our valleys and the goods of our
merchants. New towns must be built and
the old established ones will be benefited
by the demands that will be made upon them
for material and supplies. Those who have
witnessed the changes that have taken place
here within the three years past-who have
seen the thousands of people passing to and
from the mines that have been developed
within that period-will know how to appre-
ciate this and prepare for the coming har-
vest To our own valley, especially-as in
all former seasons since the discovery of the
surrounding mines-do the prospects seem
favorable If not the nearest to any of the
points to which the travel may go, it is yet
the best-advanced as it is in cultivation !;
and ready market will still be at the door
of every producer, with a probable advanced
price for every article he produces; for, even
though the amount produced may be double
that of former years the demand will in all
probability be proportiOnately increased.


But without speculating upon what may
seem to some, uncertainties, the gold fields
already opened will contain population suf-
fcient to insure to the farmers of the Walla
Walla valley ready market and good
price for all their products. The idea which
is sometimes advanced that the valleys near
er to the mines will detract from this is based
upon false premises. IF every acre of their
arabic lands were brought into cultivation
the supply would not be adequate to the de-
mand The curious can figure upon this
proposition and demonstrate it for them
selves The travel through our valley in
future promises to be much greater than it
has heretofore been, for various good rea-
sons. The opening of the new road-the
superior advantages of which the travelling
community will not fail to avail themselves
of-and the establishment of the Stage
line-which goes into operation in March
will be the main causes that will bring
about this result Hence, the home demand
for all kinds of products will be greatly in
creased Added to the Stage line to Boise,
and the travel to and from the mines of that
region, will be the establishment of great
overland mail to Salt Lake and the East
This must induce stage connection from
Boise to Salt Lake, and we will have stage
passengers to and from the States arriving
in and departing from our city every week,
in as great numbers as have heretofore passed
over the California line.