The Beauties of the State of Washington Part 5

[Ill.u.s.tration: MOUNT RAINIER--LOOKING ACROSS LAKE WAs.h.i.+NGTON.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE COLUMBIA RIVER

"Or lose thyself in the continuous woods Where rolls the Oregon."]

This wonderful and majestic river whose history is enhanced with legend, offers the exploring tourist or curious sight-seer unusual opportunities to indulge his unbounded imagination and to satisfy his desire for the spectacular in nature. Upon its banks were enacted events of greatest importance in northwest history, while interwoven with the incontrovertible happenings is many a fascinating Indian story and song.

Overlooking its waters were the first settlements of the Pacific northwest, upon whose sites are now built, within easy hearing of its persistent das.h.i.+ngs, some of the proudest and most prosperous cities of the country.

One of the largest rivers on the American continent, with many important tributaries, it drains a territory equal to five times the area of the state of Was.h.i.+ngton. By a series of cataracts, falls, cascades, and bold turns, it flows nearly 1,400 miles with a total drop of 2,500 feet, before finally delivering the waters gathered from many sources to the great Pacific ocean.

Like other great rivers, some portions have needed vast expenditures to increase its value as a navigable stream. Near Stevenson the government has built locks at a cost of several million dollars, enabling large vessels to reach The Dalles, at present the head of navigation. At Celilo, two hundred miles from its mouth, where, in twelve miles distance, the river falls eighty-one feet at low tide, other locks are being constructed. When these are completed, merchant vessels can go direct from the sea as far as Priest Rapids, a distance of over four hundred miles. As many miles additional are navigable, but broken in places by rapids and falls.

[Ill.u.s.tration: INDIAN CANOE RACE.]

Important as this river is from a commercial and geographic standpoint, the greatest interest by far centers in the phenomena that are of its own creation, visible every mile from its mouth to its source. A journey upon its surface rivals one along the historic Rhine, the picturesque Hudson, or the beautiful St. Lawrence. The panorama includes besides the wilder grandeurs, economic scenes suggesting the fecundity of the earth and the industry of the husbandman. To enumerate and describe these ever so briefly would require an entire volume. This short chapter is a suggestion only that "By reason of scenic grandeur, absorbing interest of physical features, the majesty and mystery of its flow through some of the wildest as well as some of the most beautiful regions of the globe, and at the last by the peculiar grandeur of its entrance into the greatest of the oceans, this 'Achilles of Rivers' attracts alike historian, scientist, poet, statesman, and lover of nature."

In many places the natural appearances are the same now as when Gray, Lewis and Clarke, the Astorians and the Northwest and Hudson's Bay Company men first viewed its banks, with the exception that the sh.o.r.es have in places been denuded of their largest timber and either a younger growth has inherited the dominion or portions have been claimed for the agriculturist.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "BRIDGE OF THE G.o.dS"

CASTLE ROCK

CAPE HORN AND CIGAR ROCK

PACIFIC OCEAN FROM CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT LIGHT

ALONG THE COLUMBIA RIVER.]

Here and there may be seen the little fisherman craft, "chugging" away from their moorings in the early dawn and returning at the setting of the sun heavily laden with the famous Columbia river salmon that feed thousands throughout the world. On sandbars or sand islands, of which there are many in the lower part of the river, the "purse seiners" are conspicuous and the horses dragging the nets strangled with the products of the deep. In the deeper waters close to the sh.o.r.e, but far from the sea, are the fish wheels whirling by the force of the same waters that conceal the treasures being sought.

Cities appear at frequent intervals, both on the Was.h.i.+ngton side and in Oregon. Before the entrance to the Snake River is reached, one will have pa.s.sed Ilwaco, Cathlamet, Kalama, Vancouver, Camas, Washougal, Stevenson, White Salmon, and Wallula on the Was.h.i.+ngton side, besides many important cities on the Oregon sh.o.r.es: namely, Astoria, the site of the first settlement on the Columbia; Portland, the largest city in Oregon, near the mouth of the Willamette; and The Dalles, for many years the head of navigation. Kennewick and Pasco are located just beyond the mouth of the Snake River, ready to derive full benefit from the improved navigation conditions of the future. Between these larger towns is many a tiny hamlet, while isolated farms and orchards surrounding pretty dwellings slope gently towards the river and tend to make the traveler dissatisfied with his own home.

At times is visible a beautiful waterfall, a palisade of wonderful basalt, and occasionally some island draped with verdure of many tints.

Further away a murmuring brook or crystal streamlet may be heard hurrying down a rocky hillside or winding between towering cliffs, adding its share to the tuneful sound of the powerful orchestra that seems everywhere to be heard. Constantly s.h.i.+fting color and shade attract the eye and tones of varying quality please the ear.

When the mouth of the Cowlitz is neared there appear, stretching toward the north, broad areas where man has mingled his skill with Nature's works. Green fields, sometimes fringed with willows, near the waterfront, and dotted with orchards, farm houses, and dairies, are visible as far as the eye can see. These evidences of man's encroachments are noted all the way to Vancouver (and beyond), at which city, the oldest in the state, a tourist should linger long enough to appreciate the region which arrested the attention of our earliest settlers and inspired the beginning of the first city in Was.h.i.+ngton. A bridge, costing nearly two million dollars, will soon connect it with the beautiful city of Portland.

[Ill.u.s.tration: READY FOR MARKET

SALMON FISHER'S RETREAT--MOUTH OF COLUMBIA

50,000 AT THE CANNERY

"LIFTING THE BRAIL", PUGET SOUND

THE SALMON FIs.h.i.+NG INDUSTRY.]

Cultivated lands are seen on either side as the river is ascended, until the mountainous region is reached and the roar of the cascades is distinctly heard. These cascades, according to Indian lore, were created by the falling of the "Bridge of the G.o.ds," which once extended from sh.o.r.e to sh.o.r.e and formed the great highway connecting the mountains on the north and their extension to the south, while beneath a mighty river peacefully pursued its course to the sea. The perpendicular b.u.t.tresses on either hand, the forest areas that apparently fell from above, trees growing out of the water, petrified logs up in the reddish cliffs within the vicinity of Stevenson, and many other freaks of nature all seem to strengthen the evidence on which this story is based.

Throughout the mountainous region are wonderful examples of Nature's diverse skill. Among the most striking are Castle Rock, or Wehatpolitan's gravestone, a great basaltic rock 900 feet high; St.

Peter's Dome, a sublime elevation of 2,000 feet, considered one of the wonders of the American continent; Oneonta Gorge, almost concealed behind towering rocks; Multnomah Falls, a matchless waterfall with a sheer drop of 800 feet; Cape Horn, a long palisade of basalt; Rooster Rock, unsurpa.s.sed for beauty of form and variety of color; and Cape Eternity, a ma.s.sive precipice 1,000 feet in height.

Thorough appreciation of the surrounding charms necessitates climbing some of the neighboring hills, or traveling over the wooded river banks and visiting the rustic towns that lie at the foot of the mountains and guard the gateway to the alluring valleys. Near Stevenson, county seat of Skamania county, overlooking the cascade locks, and Carson, are several hot springs where accommodations for the most particular are available. From these towns one may follow the Wind River Valley to its source beyond the headquarters of the rangers where the U. S. forest nurseries are maintained. A few miles further are the Government Hot Springs, near which many low peaks, easy for climbing, offer expansive views of the surrounding country.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE SNAKE RIVER COUNTRY AROUND CLARKSTON.

Photo by Asahel Curtis.]

A twenty-five mile drive up the famous White Salmon Valley takes one to Trout Lake, not far from the ice and lava caves in the foothills of Mount Adams, and near Huckleberry Mountain, a pow-wow place for the Indians. On the way, hundreds of scientifically developed orchards, and oat fields yielding over 100 bushels to the acre, are pa.s.sed; also the Northwest Electric Company's power plant, which, generating 20,000 horse power, supplies power to cities seventy-five miles away. From the ma.s.sive bluffs of White Salmon a panorama of perfectly blending color may be seen, formed by the unusual combination of the Columbia River and the mountains to the east and the west, while the entire Hood River Valley, with Mount Hood beyond, is visible on the Oregon side.

The trip from Lyle to Goldendale along the Klickitat River is a journey of surprises. The railroad follows the winding canyon past pretty waterfalls, crosses hurrying brooks, and emerges finally into a wide, fertile plain overlooking the Columbia basin. Fields of waving grain and other products exhibit the richness of the Klickitat valley. Those desiring can motor from Goldendale into the Yakima valley or return to the Columbia via Maryhill, where Hon. Samuel Hill has built a $100,000 road across his 6,000-acre farm.

Nor do all the wonders belong to the lower Columbia. Before being joined by the Snake River, it has drained a region noted for agricultural superiority and contributed liberally to the needs of irrigation. The "Big Bend" on the left, and the valleys watered by its tributaries from the right, are described under the chapter ent.i.tled "The Inland Empire."

Following its channel still farther towards the source, wilder scenes are met with, the gorges are deeper, the cascades noisier, native trees more plentiful, waterfalls higher, and the course of the stream more winding. Startling phenomena appear in rapid succession, and scenes unimagined will astonish the tourist who spends a little time in re-exploring this great river, for ages a prize eagerly sought by the searchers for the unknown.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ROCK LAKE, 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPOKANE.

Photo by Curtis & Miller.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE INLAND EMPIRE

"See Pan with flocks with fruits Pomona crowned: Here blus.h.i.+ng flora paints the enameled ground; Here Ceres' gifts in waving prospect stand, And nodding, tempt the joyful reapers hand."]

Thousands of years ago, scientists tell us, there existed between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade range a vast inland sea--the waters left imprisoned when the ocean had receded. After many ages these pent up waters burst the restraining barriers and forced their way to the ocean, creating the deep canyon of the Columbia, but leaving behind a broad plain, now known as the Inland Empire.

What was once a desolate waste, however, has been transformed into a "Land of Canaan." Its plateaus unite to form one of the bountiful "bread baskets of the world" while its valleys yield generously of nearly all the products of husbandry. Near its borders the mountains, with their retinue of trees, flowers and gra.s.sy meadows, reach as far as the invisible power permits and then dispatch their emissaries, the rivers, to wind through and through and distribute the welcome waters that enkindle the irrigated districts with life and activity.

Far beyond the boundaries of our own state spreads this wonderful plain, but the brief description contemplated in these few pages must be confined chiefly to Was.h.i.+ngton. The curious sight-seer or the serious homeseeker can well afford to spend many days exploring this region, marveling at both the mighty forces of creation and the embellishments of man. Under far more pleasant circ.u.mstances can it be traversed now than when the early pioneers first fought their way over the mountains.

Lewis and Clarke, the Hudson's Bay Company men, and Marcus Whitman, supplemented their st.u.r.dy limbs and indomitable courage with the trusty saddle horse, the slow prairie schooner or the rude river raft. Today the palatial cars of four transcontinental lines make daily trips across the state; branch lines accommodate the territory north and south; and parts not reached by rail are served by well constructed thorofares.

CHIEF FEATURES.

In addition to the Columbia river basin, the most important features are the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys; the Lake Chelan region; the Okanogan Highlands with the valleys of the Methow, Okanogan, San Poil, Colville and Pend Oreille; the Spokane Country; the Walla Walla valley; the Snake River; the Big Bend and Palouse wheat sections with their "coulees"; and the Blue Mountains. There are also a few low bare ridges of a semi-mountainous character which relieve the prairie effect and permit cycloramic views of the surrounding territory. Among these are the Saddle Mountains, the Simcoe Hills, and the Horse Heaven Plateau; while a number of spurs from the Cascades, including the Wenatchee Mountains, help form the fertile valleys to the west of the plain.

HOW TO REACH THEM.

These different sections may be easily reached from almost any city in the state. Visitors coming by way of Spokane can make a quick yet comprehensive survey of eastern Was.h.i.+ngton in two ways. After seeing the immediate Spokane vicinity and visiting the Pend Oreille Valley to the north, either automobiles or Great Northern trains will convey them up the Colville Valley to the junction of the Kettle and Columbia rivers, whence the trip may be continued to Republic by train, and down the San Poil by auto. At Republic trains connect for Oroville, whence the journey may be continued to Wenatchee down the Okanogan Valley, both by auto and rail. Side trips may be taken up the Methow Valley and the Lake Chelan canyon, as well as to numerous other places of interest. From Wenatchee the Great Northern railway or the Sunset Highway insures an interesting ride back to Spokane through the wheat fields of the Big Bend. The southern half of the region will be seen by making a tour through the Palouse to the Snake River and Walla Walla country.