﻿P^ISHEKIES 
  OF 
  THK 
  I'ACIFIC 
  COAST 
  IN 
  1895. 
  603 
  

  

  COWLITZ 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  The 
  lisli 
  business 
  of 
  tliis 
  county 
  centers 
  at 
  Kalama, 
  at 
  which 
  point 
  

   the 
  IsTorthern 
  Pacific 
  Railroad 
  crosses 
  the 
  Columbia 
  River. 
  Its 
  direct 
  

   railroad 
  facilities 
  for 
  .shipping- 
  to 
  neighboring 
  markets, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  

   cities 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  and 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  East, 
  and 
  its 
  location 
  near 
  

   the 
  fishing-grounds 
  have 
  brought 
  Kalama 
  to 
  the 
  front 
  as 
  a 
  receiving 
  

   and 
  distributing- 
  point. 
  

  

  The 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  h:»cal 
  fishermen 
  finds 
  a 
  ready 
  market 
  with 
  the 
  two 
  

   wholesale 
  firms 
  here 
  located. 
  The 
  aggregate 
  of 
  the 
  leading 
  species 
  

   haiuUed 
  at 
  Kalama 
  in 
  1895 
  amounted 
  to 
  2,747,950 
  jiounds 
  of 
  salmon 
  

   and 
  101,233 
  pounds 
  of 
  sturgeon. 
  Of 
  salmon 
  received, 
  1,711,085 
  pounds 
  

   were 
  disposed 
  of 
  to 
  the 
  canneries 
  located 
  down 
  the 
  Columbia 
  River, 
  

   and 
  1,030,265 
  pounds 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  fresh-fish 
  markets, 
  some 
  going 
  to 
  

   England 
  and 
  to 
  Hamburg, 
  Germany. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  

   fish 
  in 
  the 
  Columbia, 
  Cowlitz, 
  and 
  Lewis 
  rivers, 
  all 
  bordering 
  on 
  or 
  

   within 
  the 
  county. 
  

  

  Cowlitz 
  River, 
  in 
  the 
  northwestern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  county, 
  and 
  Lewis 
  

   River, 
  the 
  dividing 
  line 
  between 
  Cowlitz 
  and 
  Clarke 
  counties, 
  on 
  the 
  

   south, 
  are 
  of 
  some 
  value 
  for 
  their 
  fisheries; 
  the 
  former 
  for 
  its 
  salmon 
  

   and 
  both 
  streams 
  for 
  their 
  run 
  of 
  Columbia 
  River 
  smelt. 
  This 
  small 
  

   but 
  excellent 
  food-fish, 
  Thaleichthys 
  imcijicus 
  (known 
  locally 
  by 
  the 
  

   names 
  of 
  Columbia 
  River 
  smelt 
  and 
  candlefish, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   name 
  of 
  eulachon), 
  enters 
  the 
  Columbia 
  from 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Ocean 
  during 
  

   the 
  winter 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  The 
  last 
  of 
  November, 
  or 
  early 
  in 
  

   December, 
  it 
  appears 
  near 
  Clifton, 
  Clatsop 
  Count}', 
  Oreg., 
  where 
  to 
  

   a 
  limited 
  extent 
  it 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  haul 
  seines. 
  The 
  catch 
  in 
  this 
  locality, 
  

   amounting 
  to 
  30,000 
  i:)onnds 
  in 
  1895, 
  was 
  taken 
  during 
  January 
  and 
  

   February 
  ; 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  it 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  December. 
  The 
  fish 
  slowly 
  

   move 
  up 
  stream, 
  entering 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Columbia 
  

   River 
  between 
  its 
  mouth 
  and 
  the 
  Cascades, 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  run 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  entering 
  the 
  Cowlitz 
  or 
  Lewis 
  rivers. 
  Small 
  numbers 
  arrive 
  at 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Cowlitz 
  River 
  about 
  February 
  1; 
  later 
  the^' 
  increase, 
  

   the 
  largest 
  run 
  being 
  in 
  ^larch, 
  ending 
  about 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  A]U'il 
  or 
  soon 
  

   after. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  enter 
  both 
  the 
  Cowlitz 
  and 
  Lewis 
  rivers 
  the 
  same 
  

   year. 
  During 
  1895 
  but 
  few 
  entered 
  the 
  former, 
  a 
  large 
  run 
  going 
  into 
  

   the 
  latter; 
  in 
  1890 
  this 
  was 
  reversed, 
  the 
  main 
  body 
  entering 
  the 
  Cow- 
  

   litz 
  River. 
  Some 
  parties 
  say 
  these 
  fish 
  formerly 
  entered 
  the 
  Lewis 
  

   River 
  each 
  year 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  late 
  date, 
  since 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  alternated 
  

   between 
  the 
  two 
  streams; 
  others 
  report 
  the 
  years 
  o\i\y 
  exceptional 
  that 
  

   the 
  fish 
  have 
  missed 
  the 
  Cowlitz 
  or 
  been 
  plentiful 
  in 
  the 
  Lewis. 
  

  

  The 
  Indians 
  have 
  a 
  singnlar 
  superstition 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  variable 
  

   movements 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  — 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  corpse 
  is 
  carried 
  across 
  either 
  stream 
  

   about 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  no 
  run 
  can 
  be 
  expected 
  during 
  

   that 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  streams 
  are 
  only 
  18 
  miles 
  apart 
  at 
  their 
  outlets 
  into 
  the 
  

   Columbia, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  seldom 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  run 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  them. 
  

   On 
  the 
  Cowlitz 
  River 
  the 
  catch 
  for 
  market 
  by 
  the 
  professional 
  fisher- 
  

  

  