tGetter from Washington Territory. 
Having received so many calls for in¬ 
formation concerning Puget Sound, I 
thought a description of Washington Terri¬ 
tory in general, and Puget Sound in par¬ 
ticular would prove interesting and in¬ 
structive to tlio numerous readers of Seed- 
Time and Harvest, I will therefore try 
to furnish such facts as an acquaintance of 
Tver ten years has enabled me to gather 
joncerning this country. 
Situated in the extreme north west cor¬ 
ner of the United States, north of Oregon, 
< 30 . the Pacific Coast (until recently isolated 
by distance and the barriers of the Rocky 
Mountains) lies Washington Territory, the 
Corner Stone, if not the Key Stone of the 
Republic. Possessing many great natural 
resources in many respects a wonderful 
country, having within herself all the ele¬ 
ments for a great Empire, until lately she 
has been little known to the East. Settle¬ 
ments having been made here upwards of 
thirty years ago, progress has been slow, 
Awing to their inaccessibility. Practically, it 
might as well have been an island a thou¬ 
sand miles west of San Francisco in the 
oiidst of the Pacific Ocean, for, until last 
September, the easiest manner of reaching 
it, and the only way by steam, has been by 
« sea voyage of nearly a thousand miles up 
die coast from San Francisco. The com¬ 
pletion of the Northern Pacific Railroad 
marked an important era in the history of 
this country, and we are to day as near the 
East as is California. Heretofore hampered 
and crippled by having to pay tribute to 
her southern neighbors, California and Or¬ 
egon, henceforth she is to have commercial 
dealings directly with the East. Not alone 
will this newly opened country be the 
gainer by the railroad connection, but the 
East will also be enriched by the abundant 
Valuable products Nature has held here in 
reserve for untold centuries. Bounded on 
the north by the British line, on the south 
by the Columbia River, on the east by the 
Eocky Mountains, and on the west by the 
Pacific Ocean this great Territory is nat¬ 
urally divided into two widely different 
parts, the Eastern and the Western, by the 
Cascade Range. 
The Eastern part is a vast valley , drained 
by the Columbia River. It is a prairie 
country, suited to the production of wheat 
and stock. A grainery and a pasture field, 
furnishing room for homes for millions. 
Having a fertile soil, by means of irriga¬ 
tion can it be made to produce all the fruits 
and vegetables, and other products indi¬ 
genous to the North Temperate Zone. A 
vast plain surrounded by a fringe of innu¬ 
merable fertile sheltered valleys, that reach 
like radiating sjiokes up into the surround¬ 
ing hills and mountains, where timber, 
rains, and grass are more plenty. Railroad 
outlet to the world will soon transform 
this now sparsely setlled region into a hive 
of industry, teeming with wealth, herds, 
and millions of prosperous people. 
The Western portion, known as the 
Puget Sound Region, is an entirely differ¬ 
ent country. Almost exactly the opposite 
in every respect. Here we find that won¬ 
derful inland sea, Puget Sound; breaking 
in through the Straits of Etn a, it ramifies 
like a great hand, with fingers extended 
right into the heart of a vast forest; the nu¬ 
merous canals, bays and channels, giving 
the largest ships easy access to the enor¬ 
mous supply of timber. Thickly clad (from 
the mountain tops, down to the waters 
edge) with giant trees of fir, spruce, pine, 
and cedar, this is a lumberman’s paradise. 
Not ^lone has Nature been lavish by cov¬ 
ering the surface with lumber, but under 
these everlasting evergreen forests, lie in¬ 
exhaustible stores of coal, limestone, and 
also gold, silver and copper. The whole 
Sound region is a vast coal field. Here we 
find the happy combination of coal, iron, 
limestone and lumber, navigable waters in 
close proximity, and a mild and healthy 
climate. The presence of each makes all 
more valuable. What more could be want¬ 
ing to insure the prosperity of this favored 
country ? And who will doubt that here 
will rise great manufacturing and com¬ 
mercial industries? It needs but time with 
the magic wand of labor and brains to 
transform all these natural resources into 
material wealth. Much has already been 
done. Many great saw' mills have been 
built on the shores; numerous mines have 
been opened, and there are continually pass- 
