.'s^i's^^m' 





HE ILLIISrOIS FARMEH. 



179 



to keep them in existence. A few ga- 

 ther and sell to the whites cranberries 

 for the San Francisco market, of which 

 plant there are large marshes on the 

 coast. 



The lands on the Chehalis river are 

 very fine for the purposes of agriculture. 

 They are alternately prairif! and timber. 



The current of population in Washing- 

 ton Territory seemed to set towards the 

 harbors of Puget Sound, and consequent- 

 ly there are bat few claims taken up on 

 the Chehalis river. There is no telling, 

 however, how seon the tide may set in 

 this direction; and when it does, all the 

 prairie country will be wanted in a short 

 time. ' ;. 



The advantages of this country for 

 farmers, are — that the soil is good, 

 loamy, little of clay — that it is fertile 

 and will produce good crops of every 

 thing which will grow with you except 

 corn — ^that wh€at, barley, rye, oats, peas, 

 and vegetables generally, are far more 

 certain crops than with you — that grasses 

 are green all winter, requiring little or no 

 food to be raised for stock — that the 

 country is in reach of market, which 

 will be greatly improved by the discov- 

 eries of gold on FraEer river — and that 

 the climate is one of the most salubrious 

 in the world. I have said that Indian 

 corn cannot be grown here; but I have 

 understotd that the natives a hundred 

 miles north on Puget Sound do grow » 

 small kind of Indian corn. 



There are peculiarities in our climate 

 which you may not understand. Though 

 we are considerably north of you, our 

 winter seasons are much more mild* 

 They are as mild as in the most south- 

 eastern parts of Virginia, and I may say 

 as in Charleston. The winds of winter are 

 from the West and Southwest; they bring 

 a mild atmosphere and much rain. We 

 have here very little snow, and that 

 staj's on • but a few hours. I have 

 a meteorological journal kept in 1853- 

 '54, at Steilacoom, more than 100 miles 

 north of this location. It will show you 

 our temperature. Commencing with 

 November: ; - ; . ■ " . 



18 AverogA. Lowest. 



53...NOV. 44° 63' _ -j; = 



" „.Dec. 44° 74^ 23 = 



lSy4....laii. 31° 6S^ — 



♦' ...feU. 43° -22° 



" ...March 40° 08' -28° 



" ...April 51) -» 06^ 04° 05' 



'• ...MRy 56° 51' :',r.o 



" ...Juuo 61° 04' _ 44° 



'• ...July 65= 45° 



" —August 05° 01' — -..4s°08^ 



" ....Sept. 69= 07' 44° OS^ 



" ...Oct: 51° 04' .33° 



Thus our winters, in mildness, approx- 

 imate to those on the Western coast of 

 Europe. They have this peculiarity also 

 --they are rainy. Much rain falls. 

 There are but few comparatively clear 

 days. Much of the weather, however, 

 will not prevent a man from working out 

 doors. Though farmers, everywhere, 

 can always find employment here, they 

 are not compelled to haul fodder and feed 



their stock in winter. They should look 

 after them; — have sheds where they 

 can go if they choose; — but the grass is 

 sufficient for their support. 



In March there is but little rain; and 

 Spring commences, and after that no 

 more rain falls than is wanted, until Oc- 

 tober, and even then and through winter 

 the rains make the grass and the winter 

 crops grow and keep them green. I do 

 not say that every thing is agreeable in 

 this climate. I know it is not in yours, 

 as your letters of last summer show, 



I have spoken of the crops that can be 

 cultivated to advantage. Peaches suc- 

 ceed in Oregon and I do not know why 

 they should not in Washington. Other 

 fruits, which have been cultivated on the 

 Hudson's Bay Company farms, have done 

 well. There are two promising nurseries 

 near Olympia, which will furnish almost* 

 all the varieties of fruit trees and fruit 

 shubbery that would be called for. I en- 

 tertain the idea that a nursery here would 

 be a fair investment. A stock would 

 scarcely be raised for sale before there 

 would be a good demand. : • ' • 



You might expect me to speak of game, 

 as this is a new country. There is little 

 game here, — perhaps a few deer, grouse, 

 and many aquatic fowl, — which can be 

 seen in acres up and down Gray's Har- 

 bor and other waters. I have told you 

 that we have varieties of shell fish; other 

 fish in our bays and waters, and salmon, 

 excellent as need be, in untold numbers. 

 Most persons, however, have little time 

 to hunt game or fish. These things can 

 always be bought of the natives, if de- 

 sired, who are now too few and too pusi- 

 lanimous to be feared, and Avho can be 

 made useful to themselves by being use- 

 ful to the whites. 



Gov- Simpson, late Governor of the 

 Hudson's Bay Company, in his remarks 

 on Washington Territory, (then consider- 

 ed as belonging to the British govern- 

 ment,) speaks in undisguised admiration 

 of the open lands on the Chehalis river, 

 and of the extraordinary timber found in 

 places upon the same. He says that 

 there are trees thirty-five feet in circum- 

 ference and 350 feet high— and he 

 mentioned one which had fallen and found 

 it to be more than 250 feet in length. 



The country about the mouth of the 

 Chehalis and portions of the shores of 

 Giay's Harbor, used to be considered the 

 "Indian's Paradise." Here they came 

 to gather their stocks of food for the win- 

 ter — salmon, which they smoked and 

 dried, and clams which underwent the 

 same process. Here on the beach they 

 had their racing gro^nds — and enjoyed 

 all the pleasures of the savage life. 



I have taken, withmy son-in-law, pos- 

 session of 160 acres at the place where 

 there must be a landing for shipping near 

 the mouth of the Chehalis. Avhere I prO' 

 pose to make some improvements, and 



open a small establishment for trading 

 with the natives, who will be likely to 

 visit this point from the north, instead of 

 those more distant, for trading. So soon 

 as it will be any object for vessels to visit 

 u.'«, this will be done. The governmeat 

 officer in charge of the surveys on this 

 coast, did not deem it necessary to survey 

 Gray's Harbor, because, as he said, there 

 were no settlements upon it. 



The discovery of gold upon Frazer's 

 river, will change the destiny of Washing- 

 ton and Oregon Territories most rapidly. 

 I know that the gold discoveries are pro- 

 nounced a humbug. That persons can 

 go to the gold diggings and make for- 

 tunes at once, is a humbug, I verily be- 

 lieve. It is a difficult work to reach the 

 diggings. They are a considerable dis- 

 tance up a river of bad navigation and of 

 no navigation at all. They are reached 

 with great difficulty. The country is the 

 wildest imaginable. It is at a great dis- 

 tance from supplies. Supplies have to 

 be taken there at great expense. There 

 are Indians in the vicinity; such as have 

 not been demoralized by intercourse with 

 the whites. They are savage and reck- 

 less. All these and other difficulties are 

 to be met by miners. But there is gold 

 to be found there. Enough to satisfy the 

 most sanguine, if they have perseverance, 

 industry, means, and economy and 

 health to carry them through their trials 

 as miners. A great many have come 

 back. These are those who have no 

 means and are destitute of the quality of 

 continuance. The reward is only for 

 those who persevere, and of these there 

 are great numbers remaining. In a short 

 time the mining will be done more sys- 

 tematically, and will pay better. In 

 Washington Territory, about Colville, 

 there is gold as I know, and which will 

 pay good wages when the Indians can be 

 controlled, and food and other comforts 

 can be had there for the miners. .- • ■ 



The Frazer river diggings can be 

 reached about as well from your side of 

 the mountains as here. Expeditions can 

 leave the Upper Mississippi in the spring 

 and reach the diggings in time to take 

 advantage of the low state of waters in 

 the fall. 



I will write yoK as I have opportunity. 

 We have no mails here; but will have 

 them as soon as our settlements are or- 

 ganized. 



I am now looking out upon the Pacific. 

 Its blue waves are rolling upon the shore, 

 and far out as the sight can reach there 

 is nothing to be seen but the waste of 

 waters. They remind me of the great 

 ocean of eternity to which we are all has- 

 tening. If I do not meet you here on 

 earth, I shall meet you there — and I re- 

 main, yours truly, H. 

 — — ' — ^— — .«•» 



B^"PraIrie Creek PostofiBce, Logan county, 

 has been ree.stablished, and John Tyler ra]- 

 pointed Post Master. 



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