WASHINGTON 



6193 



WASHINGTON 



The early development of the territory was 

 retarded by the lack of railway communication, 

 but since the advent of railroads in 1884 the 

 growth in population and the development of 

 the natural resources have been almost un- 

 paralleled. Several vain attempts were made 

 to secure statehood, but not until 1889 was an 

 enabling act passed by Congress. A constitu- 

 tion was framed, and the state was admitted to 

 the Union in November of the same year. In a 

 quarter of a century Washington was trans- 

 formed from a wilderness of forests to an im- 

 portant industrial and commercial common- 

 wealth, and with its magnificent harbors and 

 rich resources it is destined to become one of 

 the Union's great commercial centers. 



Other Items of Interest. In certain regions 

 of Washington the firs condense the atmos- 

 pheric moisture at times when no dew is ob- 

 servable elsewhere. Sometimes the water drips 

 from the narrow leaves so copiously that the 

 ground is almost soaked. The inhabitants call 

 these firs "weeping trees." 



At the village of Port Gamble, on Puget 

 Sound, the sight-seer is shown the stump of a 

 huge tree from which were cut the spars for the 

 Great Eastern, for almost a half century the 

 largest ship afloat. 



Several of the highest mountains of the state 

 have glaciers on their upper slopes. 



A few deer and black bears still roam the 

 forests and mountain goats are numerous in the 

 Cascades, but for the most part the wild ani- 

 mals have been driven out. 



The northern boundary line of what is now 

 Washington caused much disturbance and was 

 the subject of the "fifty-four forty or fight" 

 controversy between the United States and 

 Great Britain. In 1846 a treaty was negotiated 

 which fixed the boundary line at 49. 



Several lines of steamers sail regularly from 

 Washington ports to China and Japan and to 

 Europe. 



Most of the Indians live on the twelve reser- 

 vations, which contain in all over 2.333.500 

 acres. A fairly large number, however, do not 

 live on reservations, but are occupied in the 

 logging camps or the fishing centers. E.B.P. 



Consult Meany's History of the State of Wash- 

 ington; Schafer's History of the Pacific North 

 West. 



Related Subject*. The reader who wishes 



more information as to the geography an- 1 in- 

 dustries of Washington will find much that is of 

 interest in the following articles: 



Aberdeen 



Bellingham 



Everett 



Hoquiam 



North Yakima 



Olympia 



Apple 



Lumber 



Pine 



Cascade Range 

 Coast Range 



Columbia 



CITIES 

 Seattle 

 Spokane 

 Tacoma 

 Vancouver 

 Walla Walla 



LEADING PRODUCTS 



Salmon 



Shingles 



Wheat 



MOUNTAINS 



Rainier. Mount 



RIVERS 



Snake 



ASH ' INGTON , the capital city of the 

 United States, in 1017 the seventeenth in popu- 

 lation among the cities of the American repub- 

 lic, and one of the most beautiful of the world's 

 of government. It is located on the 

 Potomac Km r. about a hundred miles from it* 

 mouth. MIX! is tlurty-i-iirht miles and 135 mil - 

 388 



southwest of Baltimore and Philadelpli 



dy. Nev. 228 miles north- 



east, and Atlanta is 648 miles southwest. Tin- 

 population in 1910 was 331,069; by 1916 it h.ui 

 increased to 363,980, according to a 1 

 estimate. More than one-fourth of tin- inhabit- 

 ants belong to the African race. 



