EXPLORATIONS ON THE NORTHERN SLOPES 



For twenty miles from the Sound the valley is nearly 

 level. The bluffs along the river are of coarse gravel, 

 the soil is alluvium, and a well sunk a hundred feet 

 at the little town of Puyallup passed through gravel 

 and sand to tide mud and brackish water. From the 

 foot-hills to its mouth the river meanders over an old 

 valley of unknown depth, now filled with material 

 brought down by its several branches. About eighteen 

 miles above its mouth the river forks, and the northern 

 portion takes the name of Carbon River ; the southern 

 was formerly called the South Fork, but it should re- 

 tain the name of Puyallup to its next division far up in 

 the mountains. A short distance above their junction 

 both Carbon River and the Puyallup escape from nar- 

 row, crooked canons, whose vertical sides, one hun- 

 dred to three hundred feet high, are often but fifty feet 

 apart. From these walls steep, heavily timbered slopes 

 rise two hundred to eight hundred feet to the summits 

 of the foot-hills. These canons link the buried river 

 basin of the lower stream with the upper river valleys. 

 The latter extend from the heads of the canons to the 

 glaciers. They are apparently the deserted beds of 

 mightier ice rivers, now shrunk to the very foot of 

 Mount Tacoma. 



From New Tacoma the entire course of the Puyallup 

 and part of Carbon River are in view. Across Com- 

 mencement Bay are the tide marshes of the delta ; 

 back from these salt meadows the light green of the 

 cottonwoods, alder and vine-maple mark the river's 

 course, till it is lost in the dark monotone of the fir 

 forest. No break in the evergreen surface indicates 

 the place of the river canons ; but far out among the 

 foot-hills a line of mist hangs over the upper valley of 

 Carbon River, which winds away eastward, behind 

 the rising ground, to the northern side of Mount Ta- 

 coma. Milk Creek, one of its branches, drains the 

 northwest spur, and on the western slope the snows 

 accumulate in two glaciers, from which flow the North 



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