CHAPTER XXXVII. WASHINGTON TERRITORY. History, area, and population-Boundary-Geography-Mountains -Lakes-Rivers-Bays-Harbors-Seasons-Climate-Agriculture-Grazing-Forests-Lumber-Commerce-Fish-GameNatives Gold, silver, coal, and other mines- Progress — Railroads. WASHINGTON TERRITORY was, until 1853, a part of the Territory of Oregon, at which time it was by act of Congress erected into a separate Territory, with an eraa of 69,994 square miles This Territory is the extreme western portion of the United States south of British Columbia, and possesses the greatest extent of navigable waters of any State or Territory in the republic. Passing through the centre of the Territory, from north to south and from east to west on its eastern boundary, are one thousand miles of the Columbia river; and on its western shore are five hundred miles of the Pacific ocean, and within the circle of its great harbor—the inland sea, Puget sound-including islands, are three thousand one hundred miles of shore line, all accessible to the largest class ships; making an aggregate of four thousand six hundred miles of navigable water line in the Territory. Washington Territory is bounded on the south by the River Columbia, which forms the line between this Territory and the State of Oregon; east it is bounded by Idaho; west by British Columbia, the boundary being the forty-ninth degree of north latitude; on its northwest corner is the Strait of San Juan de Fuca, and upon its western line the Pacific ocean, The general features of the surface of this Territory are dense forests of fir and other trees, broad plains, numerous fertile valleys, rugged hills, and snow-capped mountains, whose bald and snow-clad tops stand high above the surrounding country; numerous lakes, great navigable waters, and dashing streams of much volume and beauty. The two chief mountain chains in Washington are the Coast Range, broken and irregular, and the Cascade range, bold and well-defined. In this latter range is the highest mountain between California and Alaska, Mount Rainier, about seventy miles southeast from Olympia at the head of Puget sound, and standing 14,444 feet above the waters of the ocean. In the same mountain chain, and about the same distance from Olympia as is Rainier, but a little more toward the west, stands Mount St. Helen's, 9,550 above the sea level. Forty-five miles directly north from the town of Dalles, on the Columbia, is Mount Adams, 9,570 feet in height. All these mountains are in the Cascade range, and their snow-clad summits can be seen from Olympia, the Columbia river, and surrounding country at all seasons of the year. Near the northwestern corner of the Territory, and about fifteen miles from the British Columbia line, and twenty-five miles directly east from the ocean, is Mount Baker, 10,700 feet in height, and a most prominent object from the waters of Bellingham bay, Straits of Fuca, Puget sound, and adjacent country. The next mountain of prominence in the Territory is Mount Olympic, and, although less in magnitude than any of those already named, owing to its location, is the most prominent feature of the whole country. It stands upon the peninsula formed by the waters of the Pacific ocean, the Straits of Fuca, and Puget sound. It is sixty-five miles in a direct line southeast from Cape Flattery, the extreme northwestern point of the Territory; twenty miles south from Port Anglos, on the waters of the Straits of Fuca; forty-five miles about west from Port Townsend, at the entrance of Puget sound; and thirty-five miles northeast from the highest waters of the Pacific ocean. Lifting its head 8,138 feet above the ocean, looking far out upon the waters of the Pacific, and seeming almost to cast its icy shadow far over the sea, stands Mount Olympic-a prominent landmark and object for every navigator in this quarter of the Pacific, and presenting a strong and beautiful contrast with the verdure of the valleys and the deep green of the tall firs, whose tops struggle in vain to reach the ermine mantle of this stately sentinel of antiquity. The navigable waters of Washington Territory are of the most extensive and remarkable character. Beginning at the southern extremity of the Territory, at the mouth of the Columbia, which forms the southern boundary of the Territory, dividing Washington Territory and Oregon, it runs northward through Washington Territory and a great portion of British Columbia; has one thousand miles of navigable waters in Washington, one hundred and sixty miles of which-from the mouth of the Columbia to the Cascades-is navigated by ships and large ocean-steamers. At this point, after making a portage of six miles, and another at Dalles, farther up the river, small steamers and sailing vessels ascend for an additional distance of eighthundred and forty miles. Inside the Columbia bar are Gray's and Baker's bays, and twenty-five miles north of the mouth of the Columbia, on the sea-coast, is Shoalwater bay, celebrated for its oyster-beds, but navigable only for small vessels. Twenty miles north of Shoalwater bay is Gray's harbor, admitting vessels of light draught only. From this point to Cape Flattery, the extreme west headland of the Territory, there are several small rivers, but no harbor of any importance. Between Cape Flattery and the mainland of Washington Territory and Vancouver island, on the north and west, is the famous Strait of Fuca, fourteen miles in width, and in the shape of a half circle, sweeping for one hundred and fifty miles from Cape Flattery to near the mouth of Frazer river, in British Columbia, where it meets the Gulf of Georgia. In all this strait not an obstacle is found to impede navigation-no sunken rocks, reefs, or shoals; and ships of the largest size can go close to the main shore and the shores of the islands toward its eastern side. In the middle of the strait the water is more than one hundred fathoms deep, and in some places bottom has not been found. This strait leads into the great inland sea of Puget sound, which enters the northwestern end of Washington Territory. Juan de Fuca strait, so famous in the early records of the first voyagers on the North Pacific coast, received its name in 1792 from the navigators who, about this period, had confirmed the statements of its real discoverer, the old Greek sailor, Juan de Fuca, whose early voyage had not determined that Vancouver was an island, but still left the impression that the island. was a part of the mainland. Captain Cook's voyage of 1778, although extending northward beyond the strait, did not discover it. He had followed the outer |