OUR PACIFIC NORTHWEST 



By N. H. Darton, U. S. Geological Survey 



VISITORS to the great Alaska- 

 Yukon - Pacific Exposition in 

 Seattle this summer will be 

 greatly impressed by the wonderful diver- 

 sity of features and products presented by 

 Washington and Oregon. They will find 

 plains and prairies, high mountains and 

 wide valleys, arid lands and regions well 

 watered by nature. The desert plains 

 and ridges are treeless, while in the great 

 forests of the western slopes are some 

 of the largest woodlands and finest tim- 

 ber in the country. The two states con- 

 stitute a somewhat isolated province. On 

 the east are the high mountains of the 

 northern Cordillera, and on the south is 

 the high, rough, thinly populated district 

 of northern California. On the north is 

 the Canadian wilderness, and on the west 

 the Pacific with a wild, rough coast 

 broken by but few harbors. 



Twenty-five years ago this province 

 had but a meager population. Now it is 

 occupied by about 1,600,000 persons, and 

 the number is increasing more rapidly 

 than in any other large section of the 

 United States. 



One of the most important reasons for 

 this rapid . increase in population is the 

 fact that a large amount of valuable land 

 is purchasable at low prices. There are 

 now practically no more free "home- 

 steads" available in most parts of the 

 West on which a settler can make a bona 

 fide home and a living. Much land can 

 be purchased in the great Middle West, 

 but it rarely is suited for high-priced 

 agricultural products, and the region is 

 now overcrowded with stock and sheep. 

 The rapid growth of the Northwest coun- 

 try is well illustrated in Yakima County, 

 where the population is 45,000, yet one of 

 the first settlers is now an active business 

 man but little past middle life. 



Washington and Oregon are separated 

 into two strongly contrasted physio- 

 graphic provinces by the long, high range 

 of the Cascade Mountain';, which extends 



from north to south across their western 

 portion. To the west is a zone plentifully 

 supplied with rain by the moist air from 

 the ocean, while to the east is a great 

 irregular basin with low or moderate 

 precipitation. These features are shown 

 on the rainfall map on page 647. In this 

 map it will be seen that the southeastern 

 portion of Oregon is a desert region, 

 while on the immediate ocean coast the 

 rainfall is over 70 inches, and in places 

 the amount is 100 inches a year. The 

 contrast is strongly expressed in the 

 vegetation; there is a dense forest with 

 heavy undergrowth extending from the 

 Cascade summit west, while to the east 

 are wide areas of treeless plains or ridges 

 with open pine woods. 



WEALTH IS INCREASING RAPIDLY 



Five great continental railroads reach 

 the Pacific in Oregon and Washington 

 and handle a vast volume of freight. The 

 great ocean to the west is the outlet to 

 many foreign markets, and the steamship 

 trade, rapidly increasing in volume, now 

 carries abroad nearly $90,000,000 worth 

 of freight from the larger ports of the 

 Pacific Northwest. All kinds of indus- 

 tries are developing rapidly, some of 

 them supplying all local demands and 

 others shipping widely to other parts of 

 this country and abroad. The invested 

 capital is rapidly growing on the profits 

 which it is gaining, and as much of it is 

 local, the region is becoming independent 

 of Eastern financial aid. Owing to this 

 fact, there is diminishing danger of seri- 

 ous disturbance by the depressions which 

 are felt every few years in other portions 

 of the Union. 



It is claimed that climatic conditions 

 aid the prosperity of the far Northwest, 

 for the moderate temperatures are highly 

 favorable to labor, and undoubtedly a 

 pleasant climate attracts population. 

 There is surely a great contrast between 

 one's feelings on an average summer day 



