A Report On Washington Territory Part 19

CITIES AND TOWNS.

[Sidenote: The only compet.i.tion is between Tacoma and Seattle.]

The location of Port Townsend puts that town out of the general compet.i.tion. The same is true of Olympia. Whatcom, or some possible town near the line between Whatcom and Skagit counties, might grow into consequence if made the terminus of some transcontinental road. This point, however, is involved in the larger question of the course of the Manitoba Railroad. With the present outlook, the only two competing towns on Puget Sound are Tacoma and Seattle. The former has the advantage of being the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and of having large private capital to advance its interests. These have made the town all that it is. It is handsomely laid out, and well built. It has an elegant hotel, and a population said in Tacoma to be 12,000, and in Seattle to be 7,500. The harbor has water enough, but the landing is bad; there being no level ground available for wharves or business houses near the water. A mere roadway, cut out of the high bluff, furnishes the only line of communication. The town is one to two hundred feet above the water and above the main railroad depot, and must be reached by a long, steep road. Tacoma is twenty-six miles farther from the sea than Seattle, has a back country of inferior resources, and has no advantage in distances from the East.

[Sidenote: Advantages of Seattle.]

Seattle has already been described. It has probably double the population of Tacoma, and more than double the business. It has flat ground enough for commercial purposes. In its position, its harbor, its relations to the back country, its materials for trade, commerce, manufactures, its present and prospective railroad connections, it surpa.s.ses all present and future compet.i.tors on Puget Sound.

There will be mining and trading towns at numerous points between Seattle and Salal Prairie.

[Sidenote: Towns of East Washington.]

The towns on the east flank of the Cascade Mountains may have a future; _i.e._, Cle-ellum, Ellensburg, and North Yakima. They have a chance for the State capital, and there may be manufacturing as well as mining towns near the iron ore, and other mineral beds. Small places will also spring up at the mouth of the Wenatchie and the Okinagane, and at the termini of the steamboat landings.

The county seat of Lincoln cannot remain at Sprague. Wheatland would have a chance for that.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VIEW OF THE CITY OF SPOKANE FALLS, EASTERN TERMINUS SEATTLE, LAKE Sh.o.r.e AND EASTERN RAILWAY.]

[Sidenote: Spokane Falls and its fine prospects.]

a.s.suming that Spokane Falls is the objective point of the Seattle Railway, I will give a somewhat full account of this thriving young city. In 1882 it had 700 inhabitants; in 1887 it had over 7,000. In 1883 the Northern Pacific Railroad reached there, and since that date the town has grown continuously. It will be a large city, as will be obvious if its advantages be considered. These are chiefly: I. Its water-power; II. Its agricultural relations; III. Its mining surroundings; IV. Its railroad prospects; V. Its good ground for building.

[Sidenote: Mr. Paul F. Mohr's article.]

I. ITS WATER-POWER.--The value of this water-power arises partly from the volume of water and its great fall, and also its uniformity, and its freedom from disturbing causes. The river falls in a succession of cascades amounting to 156 feet within the limits of the city. Mr. Paul F. Mohr has published an intelligent article on the subject, from which I quote the following statements:

"To arrive at the available number of horse-power which the Spokane River could furnish at this point, a.s.suming 90,000 horse-power as the gross power of the river, and deducting 60 per cent. therefrom, would leave 36,000 horse-power as a most conservative and minimum estimate.

"The City of Minneapolis used in 1880, as nearly as I can ascertain, about 20,000 horse-power, and Minneapolis is probably the largest flour-milling point in the world.

"The industries requiring most power are, in their order, as follows: lumber, flour, iron and steel, paper, woolen goods and worsted goods, with several industries consuming a comparatively small amount of power, not necessary to mention. Of the industries above named, all but the iron and steel industries can be followed at this point, and, in fact, the flouring, paper and woolen industries belong to this section of the country."

It is claimed that the Spokane River at the falls never rises more than six feet, and never freezes. The river here has cut so deeply into the basalt, that there must be combination among the riparian owners in order to draw the water to good mill sites, and invite manufacturers to use the power. Mr. Mohr urges this.

Two flour-mills are now there turning out about 450 barrels of flour a day; also saw-mills, and, I think, a dynamo for electric lights, etc.; but, of course, these use but a small part of the power, which, if fully utilized, in such ways as are suggested by Mr. Mohr, would of itself create a large city.

II. AGRICULTURAL RELATIONS.--Spokane Falls has a promising agricultural country on all sides. The Pend d'Oreille region has good agricultural capabilities, though the best lands there are in the Indian reservation.

The country north of Spokane Falls, in the direction of Colville, is spoken of as a fertile valley, having more rain than the plateau country, much of it limestone soil, specially productive in hay and wheat. The wheat is harder than the plateau wheat, and contains a larger proportion of gluten; hence it is desired as a mixture for the wheat that is usually brought to the Spokane Falls mills.

Turning to the great plateau, we find that the rich Palouse River country, since the construction of the Spokane Falls and Palouse Railroad finds its readiest market at Spokane Falls. And now that the Seattle, Lake Sh.o.r.e and Eastern Railroad is striking out through the Great Bend, another portion of this great producing region will be brought within easy reach.

III. MINING INTERESTS.--I need here only refer to the fact that Spokane Falls is situated centrally with regard to the mines of precious and base metals heretofore described. Evidently the business from the mines of Chewelah, Colville, Little Dalles, Kootenai, etc., must come here except so far as it may be diverted to a tide-water city which would smelt their ores and sell them goods. No doubt the Canadian Pacific will handle some of the business of the Kootenai mines. Similar remarks may be made with regard to the mines of the Coeur d'Alene country, with the qualification that a road crossing the mountain, say to Missoula, would divert some of the trade to Helena or b.u.t.te City.

The miners of Okanogan, Methow, etc., would be nearest to Spokane Falls, but would be 100 or 150 miles on the way to Puget Sound, which would divide the trade.

IV. RAILROAD PROSPECTS.--The Northern Pacific Railroad, a transcontinental line, already pa.s.ses through Spokane Falls. If the cut-off through the Coeur d'Alene country should be made, it would be equivalent to an additional road. The Spokane Falls and Palouse Railway joins the Northern Pacific at Marshall, only nine miles from the city, and its general course points directly toward it.

The road across the Great Bend has been commenced. The road to Colville, Little Dalles, etc., will inevitably be made at an early day.

This would make it really the centre of six roads, counting the Northern Pacific as two.

V. BUILDING GROUNDS.--The city is built and building on both sides of the river, and stands on a level, dry, gravelly plain, a mile or more in width, rising into wooded hills. In other words, it has all that can be desired for situation.

[Sidenote: Sprague, Colfax, and Lewiston.]

Sprague, Colfax, and Lewiston claim attention as indicating the points in a proposed branch line of railroad, leaving the Seattle, Lake Sh.o.r.e and Eastern Railway somewhere in the Great Bend country.

Shops of the Northern Pacific Railroad are in Sprague, which fact is an endors.e.m.e.nt of the locality. Its population is over 1,500. The town standing in a coulee, there are no indications of fertility of soil in sight. Here the timber belts seem to end, and no trees are seen for 100 miles eastward. It occupies an intermediate position between the great wheat areas of Whitman County on the south and of Lincoln on the north.

Stage lines leave here for Colfax (south) and for Davenport and other towns in the Great Bend (north), and also for the Okanogan mines.

Colfax is about forty miles southwest from Sprague. It is on the Palouse River, in a narrow valley where there is scarcely room for a town. The bordering hills are steep; the surrounding country is some 400 or 500 feet higher than the town. It is claimed, however, that there are good grades to be had for railroads going in any direction. The town has a population of 1,800 to 2,000, and is evidently prosperous. It has water-power and wheat-mills. The railroad agent in the town says that his cash receipts for freight average $1,200 a day. Knapp, Burrell & Co.

told me that they brought in 672 carloads of freight annually in the regular course of their business. I felt surprised at the statement.

This firm does a farmers' business in barbed wire, wagons, all sorts of agricultural machinery and implements, grain-bags, etc., etc.

Mr. Hamilton imports groceries to the amount of $75,000. Coal is $12.00 a ton. Lumber is scarce and high, and freights enormous. A citizen told me that he had paid $64.30 freight from Portland on a lot of lumber that cost $34.90 in that city. Another marvelous story was that a citizen paid $5.00 a ton for coal in St. Paul and $20.00 a ton to bring it to Colfax.

[Sidenote: Notes on the Colfax country.]

In asking about the surrounding country, I made the following notes: One-half the country is arable. The non-arable land is grazed by horses, sheep and cattle. Wool, an important item. Of the arable land, one-tenth is under the plough; of this, three-fourths is put in wheat, and one-fourth in oats and barley--more barley than oats. Very fine root crops. Average of wheat, 30 bushels per acre; oats, 50 to 60 bushels.

Price of wheat, 45 cents; freight to Portland, 20 cents, making $6.60 a ton. Peaches mature. Can raise corn, but it does not pay to shuck it.

There is a continuous wheat area of 70 townships, equal to 2,520 square miles, taking in a little of Idaho.

[Sidenote: Lewiston.]

Lewiston, in Idaho, came into being during the days of placer mining, and now depends on agricultural business. It has about 1,000 people, and may become important by reason of its location at the junction of the Clearwater and Snake rivers. The transcontinental line that may some day be built through Wyoming might pa.s.s through Lewiston.

[Sidenote: Walla Walla.]

Walla Walla is the oldest, and was long regarded the best of all the towns of East Washington. It is beautifully situated in a fertile country; has about 5,000 inhabitants; is well laid off and built, and has a more staid and settled population than any other town there. This is true, also, of the farming population around Walla Walla, many of whom have comfortable homes. The town has some water-mills; and an astonishing amount of "truck" is raised and shipped in this neighborhood. The city has not grown much of late, and, except its agricultural surroundings, there is nothing especially to give it prosperity.

BRANCHES AND ROUTES FOR THE SEATTLE, LAKE Sh.o.r.e AND EASTERN RAILWAY.

[Sidenote: Railroad branches.]

The building of the West Coast Railroad will be a happy circ.u.mstance for the Lake Sh.o.r.e road. Skagit County, and especially Whatcom County, have large resources, and the preoccupation of this ground may discourage other parties from any attempt to build up a commercial city on Bellingham Bay. A branch from the Northern Pacific at the Common Point to Salal Prairie would not hurt, and might help the Seattle, Lake Sh.o.r.e and Eastern road.

Besides the short spurs to the mines on the west side of the Cascade Mountains, there may be needed branches up Cle-ellum, and other rivers, to mines. I cannot see the wisdom of a branch to the Walla Walla country, which could be reached only by paralleling the Northern Pacific down the Yakima River, or else by striking off in the Great Bend, and crossing the Northern Pacific and its Palouse branch, and then Snake River, to reach a country already occupied by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, and lying over 100 miles nearer to the tidal market along a down grade, than by the Seattle road with its mountain crossing.

[Sidenote: The Palouse country.]

A branch into the Palouse country would have more to recommend it. It is nearer, and compet.i.tion will be on more equal terms. There are now three railroads in the Palouse country: namely, the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company's road from Palouse Junction to Moscow, Idaho, pa.s.sing through Colfax; the Farmington branch of this road, from Colfax to Farmington, and the Spokane and Palouse, which runs from Marshall, on the Northern Pacific, to Genesee. But a road pa.s.sing through Sprague and Colfax to Lewiston would cross some rich, unoccupied territory, and everywhere would compete for business on fair terms.

Whilst I was in Colfax, at my suggestion, the town was canva.s.sed as to the annual amount of its freight. The aggregate amount paid by fifteen firms reached $200,000, and the balance was estimated at $25,000, making $225,000. Five firms claimed to handle annually 2,075,000 bushels of wheat, making 62,250 tons. These figures seem large for so small a place as Colfax.

The length of this branch would, of course, be affected by the location of the main line across Great Bend. If the main line should take the route preferred by Mr. Mohr, Wheatland would probably be the nearest starting-point. This would be all the better for Spokane Falls; but for the long haul to Puget Sound, it would seem to be more desirable for the junction to be farther west.