470 
COUNTRY UPON SHOAL WATER BAY AND PUGET SOUND. 
is reported to exist from Suquamish harbor to Port Townsend. The country in the peninsula 
between the canal and Admiralty inlet being of a general level, jOlympia can readily be connected 
with Port Gamble. 
The mountains lying between Hood’s canal and the ocean, to the whole of which the name 
of Otympic range has been given, are of perhaps greater average height than the Cascades, 
excluding the Snow Peaks. Some of them rise into the snow limit, as the principal point called 
Mount Olympus, the height of which Captain Wilkes gives as 8,138 feet. This, however, is not 
like the Snow Peaks of the Cascades, distinct and alone above the rest, but is hardly distinguish¬ 
able from the mass of mountains around; nor does it present the appearance of having formerly 
been, like them, a volcano. 
A geographical survey of this part of the country is very much to be desired, with a view of 
developing its agricultural resources as well as its topography. The emigrant has no time or 
means to conduct explorations, nor does he often know in what direction to extend them. He 
luns considerable risk, too, in venturing alone, or with but one or two companions, among the 
coast tribes, and his information when obtained is generally confined to himself. A survey could 
be conducted with most advantage by a party of about ten, whose labor would be chiefly per¬ 
formed on foot, or with an occasional resort to canoes. The principal streams entering these 
waters from the east, commencing at this point, are the following: the Stehchass, commonly 
called the Chutes or Falls river, a bold stream which rises in the lower hills of the Cascades, 
and empties into the head of Budd’s inlet at Olympia, near which town there are falls afford¬ 
ing fine water-power. 
The Nisqually, a somewhat larger river, rises, as is supposed, in the range between Mount 
Rainier and St. Helens, and empties into Puget sound proper, or the southern extremity of the 
main inlet, and a little above the fort. 
The Puyallup, believed by Dr. Tolmie, the chief factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company at Nis¬ 
qually, to head on the south side of Mount Rainier, and empty into Commencement bay. 
The D’Wamish enters Elliott bay above the town of Seattle. It has two principal forks—the 
main, or southern, called by the Indians, at different points in its course, St’Kamish and Smalh-ko, 
and by the settlers White river, from the color of its waters; and the northern, called Green 
river. The first rises on the eastern side of Mount Rainier, and turns northward around it, re¬ 
ceiving the waters of the latter, which heads with the Nahchess, and flows nearly west. Mount 
Rainier, it should be observed, stands on the western verge of the Cascade range. The emigrant 
road located the last summer, after ascending the north fork of the Nahchess to its source, crosses 
the summit to Green river, which it descends to its mouth, and then follows White river to the 
plains, where it leaves it, crossing.the Puyallup and running to Steilacoom. Both these streams, 
as well as the Nisqually, run in very deep bottoms, cut through the clay and gravel of the plains } 
and with steep bluffs on either side. A remarkable circumstance connected with the D’Wamish 
is, that at the western termination of these bluffs a large body of water breaks from it, through a 
tract of low country, and enters the Puyallup near its mouth. This canal, called by the Indians 
“Stuck,” is about twenty yards wide, deep and rapid. 
The D’Wamish river receives another tributary about thirteen miles from its mouth, in the out¬ 
let to a lake said to be fifteen or twenty miles in length, and six in its greatest width. This lake 
approaches to within a mile and two-thirds of the bay, near the town of Seattle, and, as is sup¬ 
posed, eight miles of the Snohomish river, and has a general course nearly parallel with the 
Sound. An Indian trail leads from it to the Snoqualme falls, passing another small lake in its 
route. The outlet of D’Wamish lake is about four miles in length, and affords an excellent 
water-power, which has been improved in the erection of a saw-mill. Upon this outlet a bed of 
coal has been opened, which will be referred to hereafter. 
The tide extends up the D’Wamish to the moulh of the lake fork, sufficiently to check the 
current in the flood at ordinary stages. The width of the stream is about one hundred yards, 
