A Review of the Resources and Industries of the State of Washington, 1909 Part 1

A Review of the Resources and Industries of the State of Was.h.i.+ngton, 1909.

by Ithamar Howell.

INTRODUCTION

OFFICE OF THE BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AGRICULTURE AND IMMIGRATION, OLYMPIA, WAs.h.i.+NGTON, JUNE 1, 1909.

This publication represents an effort to place before the general public, and particularly the visitors at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, a brief description of the princ.i.p.al resources and industries of the State of Was.h.i.+ngton.

Its imperfections may be accounted for largely by reason of the fact that funds for the purpose did not become available until the first day of April of the current year. This necessitated unusual haste in securing and preparing the material upon which the pamphlet is based. However, we have endeavored to deal conservatively and fairly with the various subjects under consideration, and to present all the information possible within the limits of the s.p.a.ce at our disposal.

Our purpose has been to supply the reader with an outline of the salient facts which account for the marvelous growth and development which the commonwealth is enjoying. To go largely into detail within the scope of a pamphlet of this size would be, manifestly, an impossibility. We might readily exhaust our available s.p.a.ce in dealing with one industry or in describing a single county. Details, therefore, have been necessarily and purposely avoided.

We have sought to bring the entire state within the perspective of the reader, leaving him to secure additional facts through personal investigation. Along this line, attention is called to the list of commercial organizations and local officials presented [Page 4]

in the statistical portion of this report. Nearly all the larger communities of the state maintain organizations, equipped to supply detailed facts relating to their particular locality. Much valuable information may be obtained on application to these organizations or to local officials.

An expression of appreciation is due those who have a.s.sisted us by supplying information and collecting photographs for use in this publication. Without such aid the completion of the pamphlet would have been materially delayed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 1.--Fruit Farm Adjoining Town of Asotin, Asotin County.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 2--Asotin County Views.]

GENERAL OUTLINE OF THE RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES OF WAs.h.i.+NGTON.

The State of Was.h.i.+ngton as now const.i.tuted, was, prior to 1853, a portion of the Territory of Oregon. During the year mentioned, a new territory was carved from the old Oregon boundaries, which the statesmen of that day evidently believed was marked by destiny for the achievement of great things, for they conferred upon it the name of Was.h.i.+ngton.

That our state, thus highly distinguished, has already demonstrated itself worthy of the exalted name, so happily bestowed upon it, the most carping critic must admit. With a population now reaching up toward a million and a half, and with all the forces that make for industrial, commercial and agricultural supremacy in full swing, and gathering new momentum yearly, Was.h.i.+ngton is moving onward and upward toward a position among the very elect of our great sisterhood of states.

As briefly as the story may be told, the fundamental facts which underlie the marvelous advancement made by the state during recent years will be set forth in the pages of this pamphlet.

NATURAL DIVISIONS OF THE STATE.

By virtue of its varied topography, Was.h.i.+ngton is naturally divided into a number of districts or sections, each possessing its own particular characteristics.

Olympic Peninsula.

The first of these districts may be described as consisting of that section of the state including the Olympic mountains and extending westward from them to the Pacific ocean. Within the limits of this Olympic peninsula, as it is ordinarily termed, there is standing one of the largest and most valuable tracts of virgin timber yet remaining in the United States.

Puget Sound Basin.

The second district includes the territory lying between the Olympic and Cascade mountains, the chief physical feature of which is the great inland sea known as Puget Sound. The sh.o.r.e front of this important waterway exceeds 2,000 miles, and its length is broken by numerous bays and harbors, upon which are located Seattle, the state's metropolis, and the growing cities of Tacoma, Everett, Bellingham and Olympia. The climate of this section is mild in winter and cool in summer, extremes in either season being practically unknown. Deep sea s.h.i.+pping enters the port of Puget Sound from every maritime country on the globe, and the industrial and commercial interests of this section are expanding with extraordinary rapidity.

The Cascade Mountains.

The Cascade mountains const.i.tute the third of these natural divisions.

This range extends in a broken line across the width of the state, at a distance of about 120 miles from the Pacific ocean. These mountains, their rugged peaks capped with a mantle of eternal snow, their sides covered with a heavy timber growth, and their valleys carrying numerous sparkling mountain streams, with illimitable possibilities for the development of power, are one of the important a.s.sets of the state, the value of which has not as yet even been estimated.

The mineral wealth of the Cascades, only a slight knowledge of which has as yet been secured, will ere long contribute largely to the prosperity of the state, while the more moderate slopes of the mountains serve a valuable purpose for the pasturage of numerous flocks and herds.

Okanogan Highlands.

The fourth district is known as the Okanogan highlands, and occupies that portion of the state lying north of the Columbia river and east of the Cascade mountains. This section of the state contains valuable timber and mineral wealth in addition to presenting many attractive opportunities to the farmer and horticulturist. It has been hampered thus far by [Page 7]

lack of adequate transportation facilities, and for this reason land may be had at exceptionally reasonable figures.

Columbia River Basin.

The Columbia river basin is by far the largest natural division of the state, and, generally speaking, includes the section drained by that river and its tributaries. Within the confines of this district are the great irrigated and grain-growing sections of the state, which are a source of constantly increasing wealth.

This great "Inland Empire," as it has come to be called, has made thousands of homeseekers independent, and is largely responsible for the rise to commercial greatness of the splendid city of Spokane.

Other cities of growing importance lying within the Columbia river basin are Walla Walla, North Yakima, Ellensburg and Wenatchee, while scores of smaller communities are annually adding to their population with the continued development of the districts of which they are the immediate distributing centers.

The Southeast.

The Blue mountains form the chief natural characteristic of the extreme southeastern section of the state, which const.i.tutes the sixth division. This is comparatively a small district, but one that is highly favored by climatic and soil advantages, and it is well timbered and watered.

The Southwest.

The southwest is the seventh and final division of the state. It comprises an extensive district, fronting on the Columbia river and the Pacific ocean. It is heavily wooded and its chief industries are based upon its timber wealth. The taking and canning of fish and oyster culture are also important industries, while fruit growing and general farming are carried on upon a constantly increasing scale.

NATURAL RESOURCES OF WAs.h.i.+NGTON.

Probably few other states in the Union excel Was.h.i.+ngton in the great variety, abundance and value of the natural gifts prepared and ripe for the hand of man within its borders. Preceding races were content to leave its wealth to us, being themselves satisfied to subsist upon that which was at hand and ready for consumption with no effort but the effort of taking. The impenetrable forests were to them a barrier to be let alone. For the minerals within the mountains they had no use, and to gather wealth from the tillage of the soil needed too much exertion. Fish and game and fruits all ready to gather were all they sought, and the state had enough of these to attract and hold a large population. But the vision of the white man was different. His eye scanned the peaks of the Cascades with its great eternal white Rainier having its head thrust up among the clouds, and he realized that around and beneath them must be a vast h.o.a.rd of the precious metals. His eye caught the dazzling grandeur of the white-capped Olympics, but he realized that they held in reserve something more substantial to his needs than scenery and hunting grounds. The impenetrable barriers of the forest-covered foothills were to him a treasure worth the struggle for an empire. He scanned the glittering waters of the bays and inlets of Puget Sound and its great open way to the Pacific Ocean and realized that it meant more to him and to his children than a place to catch a few fish. He viewed the vast plains of "barren"

land within the great winding course of the Columbia river and believed it worth more than pasturage for a few bands of ponies.

The thousand tumbling water-falls that hastened the course of the rivers toward the sea meant more than resting places for the chase. No wonder the hardy pioneers whose vision saw the grandeur of Was.h.i.+ngton and comprehended its meaning dared a mighty journey, vast hards.h.i.+ps and trying and dangerous hazards to save this empire to Uncle Sam.

Was.h.i.+ngton, saved by the energy and foresight of a few, has become the [Page 9]

delightful home of a million and more, and their possession is one that Alexander or Napoleon would have coveted, had they known.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 3.--Chehalis County Timber.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 4.--The Logging Industry in Chehalis County.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 5.--View of Harbor, Aberdeen, Chehalis County.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 6.--Limb Cut from a Chelan County Peach Tree.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 7.--Six-Year-Old Winesap Apple Tree on Farm of Blackmont Bros., Chelan County.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 8.--Farm of Wm. Turner, Chelan County.

From Sage Brush to Bearing Orchard, Showing How Living Is Made While Orchard Is Coming Into Bearing.]