Part 1

TRANSCRIBER NOTES:

Words contained within underscores indicate that they were italized in the original. Example: _First_.

Additional notes can be found at the end of this project.

Some of the tables have been modified to fit in the space allowed.

A REPORT ON WASHINGTON TERRITORY

BY W. H. RUFFNER, LL.D.

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK SEATTLE, LAKE SHORE AND EASTERN RAILWAY 1889

COPYRIGHT, 1889 BY SEATTLE, LAKE SHORE AND EASTERN RAILWAY

PRESS OF FLEMING · BREWSTER & ALLEY · NEW YORK

PREFACE.

The matter of this Report on Washington Territory is so arranged that the reader, by referring to the table of contents, can turn at once to any particular topic. The report is divided into six chapters, to wit:

_First_, Itinerary, which mentions briefly the places I visited, and the dates.

_Second_, A General Account of Washington Territory, which includes something of its History, its Location, and its great Pacific Market. Under the last of these heads is given a large body of facts which will surprise any one who has not studied the peculiar commercial advantages of our Pacific States, and above all, of Puget Sound. There is also given some account of the topography, climate, soils and natural vegetation, with special stress upon the great forests of the Puget Sound basin. The lumber industry is next described, followed by a somewhat full account of agricultural products, especially those of the Great Plain of the Columbia River. Finally, in this division, something is said of the available labor of the country.

_Third_, Geology of Washington Territory. In one division I endeavor to give the Historical and Structural Geology of the Territory, and in another division I give the Economic Geology. In the latter I describe the beds of coal, iron ore, granite, limestone and marble, and also the ores of the precious and base metals as they have been discovered in all parts of the Territory.

_Fourth_, the special interests of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway are discussed. I begin with Seattle, to show its advantages as a terminus. I then say something of the terminal property owned by this Company, and of the suburban interests of many kinds, such as residences, parks, gardens and industrial works which are likely to grow up along the first twenty miles of this railway. I then take up the great timber interest along the line, which, in its magnitude and value, will give this road pre-eminence over all others. The agricultural products along the line are next spoken of. I then take up the great coal interest which will minister so largely to the road--an interest whose magnitude can be readily inferred from the fact that this railway will pass through, or near, five and perhaps six distinct coal fields between Puget Sound and the Columbia River. I next show the advantages which this road will have in the development of the great magnetic iron-ore beds on both sides of the Cascade Mountains, and also the remarkable juxtaposition of ore, flux and fuel, which are found in the Snoqualmie Valley. Attention is also called to the business which is likely to arise from the limestones, marble and granite for building and monumental purposes. Finally, I call attention to the great advantage which this road will have, or, at least, may have, in controlling the large and increasing business connected with the mines of precious and base metals, which are being opened north and east of this line.

_Fifth_, Cities and Towns are briefly noticed which will, or may, bear an important relation to the Seattle Road.

_Sixth_, a supplementary chapter, giving latest information.

W. H. RUFFNER.

LEXINGTON, VA.

INDEX.

PAGE

ITINERARY 17

Great Plain, 17--Cascade Mountains, 17--Hop Ranch, 17--Snoqualmie Pass, 18--Guye Mines, 18--Mt. Logan, 18--Denny Mines, 19--Salal Prairie, 19--Moss Bay Co., 19--Raging River, 20--Gilman Mines, 20--Blakeley Mills, 20--Wilkeson Mines, 20--Kirke's Coal Mines, 21--Portland, 23--Spokane Falls, 23--Good weather, 25.

GENERAL ACCOUNT OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY 26

HISTORICAL 26

Denny, of Denny Mines, 26--Causes of delay in settlement, 26--Population of Washington Territory, 27.

LOCATION AND MARKET 27

Majority of the human race in the countries of the Pacific, 28--Change in the currents of trade, 28--The China trade, 29--The trade of the Amoor River, Japan, etc., 31--The new railroad across Siberia to St. Petersburg, 32--The American Pacific States have decisive advantages over all others in controlling the Pacific trade, 33--Advantages in distances, 34.

ROUGH ESTIMATES OF DISTANCES 34

Advantage in productions, 36--Coastwise trade, 36--South American trade, 36--Large existing trade, 37.

TABLE--Ports of the Pacific showing total value of Exports of Domestic Merchandise for year ending June 30, 1885, June 30, 1887, and total value of Imports of Merchandise for year ending June 30, 1885, June 30, 1887. 38

PRINCIPAL EXPORTS OF DOMESTIC MERCHANDISE, YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1885 39

APPENDIX--List of Exports of Domestic Merchandise, year ending June 30, 1885. Exported from the seven Customs Districts of the Pacific, 39--List of Imports of Merchandise, year ending June 30, 1885. Imported into the seven Customs Districts of the Pacific 41

APPROXIMATE POPULATION IN THE YEAR 1887 OF THE WORLD 42

TOPOGRAPHY OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY 43

Puget Sound, 44--Lake Washington, 44--West Washington and East Washington, 45--Coeur d'Alene Mountains, 46--The Great Plateau, 47--Coulées, 47--Columbia and Snake Rivers, 48.

ALTITUDES IN WASHINGTON TERRITORY 49

CLIMATE 49

The climate of Washington Territory, 49--Mild and equable, 51--Rainfall, 51--No blizzards or cyclones, 53--Differences between East and West Washington, 53--Chinook wind, 55.

SOILS 55

Soils all fertile, 55.

TABLE SHOWING THE MEANS OF THE DAILY MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT 56

TABLE SHOWING THE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION AT STATIONS OF THE SIGNAL SERVICE 57

A remarkable soil, 60.

NATURAL VEGETATION 61

Vast vegetation, 61--Deciduous trees, 62--Larch, 62--Extraordinary evergreen forests, 63--Douglas fir, or Oregon pine, 63--The best of ship timber, 64--White cedar, 65--Beautiful house lumber, 65--Hemlock spruce, 65--Tanners wanted, 66--White pine, 66--Balsam fir, 66--Large supply of Canada Balsam, 67--The yew, 67--The superior timber of Snoqualmie Valley, 67--Range for horses and cattle, 69.

LUMBERING 69

Magnitude of the lumber business, 70--Vast extent of the lumber market, 70--The great saw-mills, 71--Profits and prices, 73.

AGRICULTURE 73

Clearing the land, 73--Demand for agricultural products, 74--Large crops, 74--Hop-growing on a large scale, 74--The changed agricultural conditions of East Washington, 75--Irrigation in the Yakima Valley, 75--Varied crops, 77--The Great Plain, 77--Boundaries, 78--Early history, 78--Area and population, 79--Amazing wheat crops: surpassing all other States, 79--Railroads overwhelmed with freight, 80--Price of wheat and cost of production, 81--Also barley and oats, 83--The soil a natural fertilizer, 84--Quality of the wheat, 84--The market in England, China, and other Asiatic ports, 85--Astonishing growth of vegetables, 85--Crops without rain, 86--West (not East) Washington to be the great cattle country, 86--Tree-planting, 87.

LABOR 88

Good supply of labor, but more wanted, 88--Wages, 88.

THE GEOLOGY OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY 90

HISTORICAL AND STRUCTURAL 90

The Western Coast regions younger than the Rocky Mountains and Appalachians, 91--An outlying Continent, 91--The rise of the West Coast, 92--The rocks and minerals of the Cascade Mountains, 93--The metamorphic rocks of doubtful origin, 93--The coal beds, 94--The volcanic mountains and their great activity, 95--The wonderful cañon of the Columbia River, 96--The great sheets of basalt, 96--Origin of the rich soil of East Washington, 97--The volcanoes not wholly extinct, 98--Glacial drift, 98.

ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 99

I. Coal 99

Thickness of the Coal Measures, 99--Fifteen workable seams, 100--Different kinds of coal described, 100--The chemical changes in coal beds, 101--Deficient nomenclature, 102--Lignite an unsuitable name for the coals of Washington Territory, 103--The coking quality not general in these coals, but found in some, 104--Analyses of Washington Territory coals, 106.

THE COLLIERIES 106

Authorities, 106.

ANALYSES OF REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLES OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY COALS AND LIGNITES 107

The different mines, 108.

_a._ Carbon River Group 108

Anthracite, coking and gas coals, 108.

_b._ The Green River Group 110 The Common Point, equidistant between Tacoma and Seattle, 111--Franklin and Black Diamond mines, 112--The Kirke or Moss Bay Company (English) mines, 112.

_c._ The Cedar River Group 117

Cedar River mines, 117--Talbot and Renton mines, 118--Newcastle Mine, 118--Cost of mining, 119--Large production, 119--Misrepresentation, 120--Correction by Mr. Whitworth, 122.

_d._ The Squak Creek, Raging River, and Snoqualmie Group 125

Gilman Mines, 125--Structure of Squak Mountain, 125--Peculiar advantages for mining possessed by the Gilman Mines, 127--Seattle Coal and Iron Company, 127--Seven seams, 128--Details, 128--Good coal, 128--Another good coal seam, 128--And another, 129--Large body of valuable coal, 131--Washington Mines, 132--Raging River coals, 132--Details, 134--Snoqualmie Mountain Coal Group, 136--Details, 136--Good coking coal, 136--Also good coking coal, 138--Large and valuable bed, 138--Another good bed, 139--Geological relations, 139--This the bottom group, 140.

_e._ The Yakima and Wenatchie Group 140

Yakima or Roslyn coal field, 140--Coal on the Wenatchie, 141--Coal under the Great Bend country, 142.

_f._ Bellingham Bay, Skagit River, and other Coal Fields 142

The first mining on Bellingham Bay, 142--Coal on Skagit River, 142--Coal south of Puget Sound, 144--Total shipments of coal from Washington Territory, 144.

_g._ Coal Seams in British Columbia 145

Coal on Vancouver's Island, 145.

II. Iron Ore 146

The iron ores, 146--The great magnetic ore beds of Cascade Mountains, 147--Resembles the Cranberry ore deposits, 147--Guye Mine on Mount Logan, 148--Denny Mine, 149--Chair Peak, or Kelly Mine, 149--Middle Fork Mines, 150--All easily reached from Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, 150--Cle-ellum ore beds, 150--Burch's ore bed, 152--Dudley ore bed, 153--Undoubtedly large beds of steel ores, 153--Of superior quality, 153.

ANALYSES OF SNOQUALMIE IRON ORES 154

Proved by analysis to be unsurpassed, if equaled, 155.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSES OF STEEL ORES 155

Improved processes, 156.

III. Granite, Limestone and Marble 157

Granite, 157--Marble and Limestone, 158.

IV. The Precious and Base Metals 159

Precious metals on Cascade Mountains, 159--On Cle-ellum River, 160--Large copper vein in Stevens County, 161--Precious metals on Methow River, 161--The rich mines of Okanogan, 162--The mines in the Colville region, 164--The Old Dominion Mine, 165--The Daisy Mine, 165--Young America Company, 166--The Little Dalles, 166--Coeur d'Alene Mines, 167--The large tonnage from and to the mines, 169.

SPECIAL REMARKS ON THE COUNTRY AND ITS RESOURCES ALONG THE LINE OF THE SEATTLE, LAKE SHORE AND EASTERN RAILWAY 171

SEATTLE 171

Commercial and manufacturing advantages, 171--Good climate, 171--Good population, 172--High civilization, 172--Railroad lines, 173--The chief ship-building centre, 174--Seattle better located than San Francisco, 174.

THE TERMINAL PROPERTY OF THE SEATTLE, LAKE SHORE AND EASTERN RAILWAY 175

Unrivalled terminal property, 175.

SUBURBAN INTERESTS 175

But two entrances by land, 175--Superiority of the northern suburbs, 175--Factories of the future, 176--Ship canal, 176.

TIMBER 176

Superiority of the timber on the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, 177--The forests described, 178--Forests of Raging River, 178--Forests near Hop Ranch, 179--Superior to the Long Leaf forests of the Southern States and of the Mississippi Bottom, 180--Trees ten feet in diameter, 180--Average nearly five feet in diameter and 250 feet high, 181--Lumber product per acre, 181.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS 183

Agricultural freights, 183--Produce of Hop Ranch, 183--Farming, fruit and grazing lands, 185--Hops, barley and beer, 186--The two great railroads, 187--The Great Bend country, 187--Douglas County, 188--Lincoln County, 189--Spokane County, 189--Price of farming lands, 189--Tonnage, 190.

COAL 191

The Seattle railway passes five coal fields, 191--Largest shipments from the Gilman Mines, 192--Superior mining advantages of the Gilman Mines, 193--Mr. Whitworth's testimony, 193--Cost of mining coal, 196--Cost at Gilman Mines, 197--Prices of coal, 197.

IRON ORE 199

Handling the iron ores, 199--Furnace sites, 199--Salal Prairie, 200--Charcoal cheaply produced, 200--Quantity of charcoal to the ton of iron, 201--Bessemer ores commonly distant from fuel, 202--High cost of Lake Superior ores, 203--Cost of producing ore in Pennsylvania, 203--Cost of Bessemer-pig in Snoqualmie Valley, 203--Large market for steel rails, 204.

THE OTHER MINERALS 204

Limestone, 204--Marble, granite, sandstones, slates, 204--Precious and base metals, 205--Okanogan, Colville and Kootenai, 205--Coeur d'Alene, 206--Transportation lines to the mining regions, 206.

CITIES AND TOWNS 209

The only competition is between Tacoma and Seattle, 209--Advantages of Seattle, 210--Towns of East Washington, 210--Spokane Falls and its fine prospects, 211--Mr. Paul F. Mohr's article, 211--Sprague, Colfax, and Lewiston, 215--Notes on the Colfax country, 216--Lewiston, 217--Walla Walla, 217.

BRANCHES AND ROUTES FOR THE SEATTLE, LAKE SHORE AND EASTERN RAILWAY 218

Railroad branches, 218--The Palouse country, 219--Arguments for the Palouse branch, 220--Manitoba railroad, 220.

SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER, GIVING LATEST INFORMATION 222

Rapid growth of Seattle and Spokane Falls, 222--Change in the location of the railroad, 222.

REPORT FROM F. H. WHITWORTH, ESQ., CIVIL AND MINING ENGINEER ON SEATTLE, ETC. 223

Population of Seattle, 224--New manufacturing establishments, 224--New steamers, 224--The iron company at work, 225--Coking coals, 225--New discoveries of iron ore, 227--Lumber business growing, 228--Population and freights increasing, 228--Labor strike at Gilman Mine, 228--Gilman coal seams, 229--Progress of the West Coast Railroad, 229--Resources of the country along the new line across Cady's Pass, 230--Progress in building the road, 231--Cable Railway in Seattle, 231--Southern Pacific Railroad supposed to be coming to Seattle Harbor, 231.

REPORT FROM E. A. ROUTHE, ESQ., CONCERNING SPOKANE FALLS, ETC. 232

Growth of Spokane Falls, 232--Prodigious development of the mining interest, 233.

REPORT FROM PAUL F. MOHR, ESQ., CONCERNING THE CADY'S PASS AND WENATCHIE ROUTE 234

I. ENGINEERING FEATURES 234

Engineering details of the new route, 234.

II. RESOURCES 236

Mr. Mohr's account of the resources of the new route, 236

III. SCENERY 238

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

UPPER SNOQUALMIE FALLS. FRONTISPIECE.

LAKE WASHINGTON--SHOWING MOUNT RANIER IN THE DISTANCE. FACING PAGE 44.

A VIEW OF THE FOREST. FACING PAGE 62.

INDIANS GATHERING HOPS. FACING PAGE 74.

BRIDGE OVER THE SPOKANE RIVER. FACING PAGE 88.

LOWER SNOQUALMIE FALLS. FACING PAGE 92.

ENTRANCE TO GILMAN COAL MINE. FACING PAGE 106.

COAL-BUNKERS ON SEATTLE HARBOR. FACING PAGE 128.

A TRAIN-LOAD OF LOGS. FACING PAGE 176.

HAY-MAKING IN WASHINGTON TERRITORY. FACING PAGE 184.

VIEW OF THE CITY OF SPOKANE FALLS. FACING PAGE 210.

VIEW OF SEATTLE AND THE HARBOR. FACING PAGE 222.

LIST OF MAPS.

MAP OF ASIA AND PACIFIC OCEAN. FACING PAGE 27.

MAP OF WILKESON COALFIELD. FACING PAGE 109.

MAP OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE. FACING PAGE 170.

MAP OF SPOKANE FALLS. FACING PAGE 232.

MAP OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY. IN POCKET, INSIDE BACK COVER.

MAP OF UNITED STATES. IN POCKET, INSIDE BACK COVER.

ITINERARY.

[Sidenote: Great Plain.]

[Sidenote: Cascade Mountains.]

[Sidenote: Hop Ranch.]

I entered Washington Territory, by way of the Northern Pacific Railroad, on the morning of October 27, 1887, coming first to the valley of the Spokane River, and spending the entire day in traversing the plains of Eastern Washington, reaching Pasco Junction a little after nightfall. I crossed the Cascade Mountains on the Switchback, and arrived at Tacoma about noon of the 28th, at which point I took a Puget Sound steamer, and landed at Seattle about four P.M. the same day. The next morning, accompanied by Mr. F. H. Whitworth, engineer, and Mr. F. M. Guye, I went out on the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad to the end of the road, near Newcastle, where we took horses, and reached Hop Ranch, on the Snoqualmie River, the same night.

October 30.--Proceeded up the south fork of the Snoqualmie River, and reached the engineers' camp near the top of Cascade Mountain, at Snoqualmie Pass. Distances by rail and by wagon road: Seattle to Coal Creek, near Newcastle, twenty miles; Coal Creek to Squak Valley, five miles; Squak to Falls City, ten miles; Falls City to Hop Ranch (or Snoqualmie) six miles; Hop Ranch to Engineers' Camp, twenty-six miles; Camp to Summit, five miles.

[Sidenote: Snoqualmie Pass.]

The railroad on which I left Seattle is a narrow-gauge coal road. Between its terminus and Squak Valley is a high mountain spur. The proportion of cleared land along this whole line is not large in comparison with the forests of evergreen timber, but there are many farms of great fertility, some of them large. The timber increases in quantity and size nearly to the top of the mountain. On these points I shall speak fully hereafter. My object in thus hastening to the Cascade Mountains was to make my observations first at the point where I was most likely to be interrupted by bad weather. I found the engineers, headed by Mr. Thompson, busily engaged in making the location of the railroad, beginning at Snoqualmie Pass (the summit), and working westward and downward, so as to connect with their finished work in the neighborhood of Hop Ranch.

[Sidenote: Guye Mines.]

[Sidenote: Mt. Logan.]

Spending the night of October 30 at the camp, I went next morning to the Guye Iron Mines, which were one mile from the line of the railroad. The outcrops of ore and limestone lie high on a mountain, which I named Mount Logan, in honor of General T. M. Logan, who seems to have been among the first of the Eastern men to put faith in the resources of this remarkable region. I returned in the evening to the engineers' camp.

[Sidenote: Denny Mine.]

The next day, November 1, I spent visiting the Denny Mine, two miles from the railroad line, and also high on a mountain, and again returned to camp. The Chair Peak Mine (also called the Kelley Mine), thirteen miles distant from the railroad, and Guye's Mine on Middle Fork Mountain, six miles distant, I did not visit, owing to want of time.

[Sidenote: Salal Prairie.]

[Sidenote: Moss Bay Co.]

November 2.--First rain. We returned down the mountain, and stopped for an hour at Salal Prairie, where we found a large camp occupied by the employees of the Moss Bay Iron and Steel Company, of England, who expected to build iron furnaces on this admirable location.[A] This night we spent at Hop Ranch, a description of which is given hereafter.

[A] This wealthy company has since determined to establish its works on Lake Washington, at Kirkland.

November 3.--Spent the most of this day in examining the coking coal beds on Snoqualmie Mountain, three miles from Hop Ranch, and reached Falls City that night, pausing by the way to look upon that wonderful sight, the Snoqualmie River Falls, 267 feet high.

[Sidenote: Raging River.]

November 4.--Left the line of the railroad and went up Raging River ten miles, where I visited the coal openings, and spent the night at the miners' camp. The Raging River valley and mountain-sides are covered with large timber.

[Sidenote: Gilman Mines.]

November 5.--Descended Raging River valley six miles to the line of the railroad, which we followed to the Gilman Coal Mines, on Squak, passing a bed of ochreous earth, which might have value for paint, and may lead to a bed of iron-ore.

At Camp Gilman I looked at all the openings which were accessible, and observed the preparations making for large mining. Spent the night at Tibbett's in Squak Valley, two miles distant.

November 6.--Returned to Seattle.