A Review of the Resources and Industries of the State of Washington, 1909 Part 16

San Juan county is a group of islands lying between the waters of the Straits of Fuca and the Gulf of Georgia, off the southeast sh.o.r.e of Vancouver island. It has about 200 square miles of territory and about 4,500 people.

There are three large islands and several smaller ones. The islands are covered with soil and timber not different from the main land adjoining. Heavy timber in the forests, fine clay loams in the bottom lands, shot clay on the hillsides, big ledges of lime rock and other minerals and great shoals of fish in the waters are the foundations for prosperity for the citizens of the county.

RESOURCES.

The soils of the islands yield generously to good tillage, and wheat, oats, barley, potatoes and hay yield large crops. Dairying is profitable. Poultry-raising and fruit-growing, are especially attractive. Sheep and [Page 77]

cattle find splendid pasture. Great quant.i.ties of salmon and other fish are taken in the waters, and game-deer and wild fowl--are abundant.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 67.--Two Views of the Lime Works at Roche Harbor, San Juan County.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate No. 68.--A Typical Farm Scene in Skagit County.]

TRANSPORTATION.

There is no transportation save by water, but the islands are in the way of traffic from so many different directions that all parts are well served by steamboats.

ISLANDS AND TOWNS.

SAN JUAN ISLAND is the largest of the group, and its chief industries are farming, raising stock, salmon-fis.h.i.+ng, and manufacturing lime.

FRIDAY HARBOR, on this island, is the county seat and largest town, with about 500 people. A telephone system is in operation throughout the island.

ROCHE HARBOR is the home of great lime kilns.

ORCAS ISLAND is the leading fruit-growing district of the county.

EAST SOUND, near the center of the island, at the foot of Mount Const.i.tution, is a picturesque and charming fruit-growing section and summer resort.

ORCAS is an important center of the fruit and sheep raising industries.

LOPEZ ISLAND is a beautiful stretch of fertile agricultural land, much of it under tillage, and is the home of a prosperous community of farmers and stock-growers.

LOPEZ is the chief commercial center, with a cannery and creamery.

SKAGIT COUNTY.

Skagit county is the next county to the northwest corner of the state, stretching from Rosario straits to the peaks of the Cascades--about 100 miles east and west and 24 miles north and south. Its area is 1,800 square miles, with a population of about 35,000.

It is a county of great diversities in climate, topography and resources. The Skagit river and its branches drain nearly the entire county from the mountains to the salt.w.a.ter. Its deltas are great flat fields of wonderful fertility. Its valleys also, where cleared of forests, are very rich alluvial lands. Its upper lands carry a great burden of forests and are full of hidden treasures.

RESOURCES.

The resources of the county are its forests and minerals, its agricultural products, and fishes. Its great cereal crop is of oats; hops, fruits, hay and barley follow in the order named in importance, while the products of the dairy are rapidly multiplying.

Its minerals include the precious metals, iron, lead, coal, marble, limestone, granite, sandstone, etc.

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TRANSPORTATION.

Aside from its water transportation, the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific railways cross its westerly end and send a branch line through the valley of the Skagit river well up towards the mountains and to the salt water at Anacortes. And other roads are building, while there are 168 miles of modern graveled wagon roads.

The facilities for getting about are excellent.

PRINc.i.p.aL CITIES AND TOWNS.

MT. VERNON is the county seat, with about 4,000 people. It is on the Great Northern railway, on the navigable Skagit river, and is a city of much commercial importance to the agricultural district around it. The soil in the vicinity is renowned for its great fertility and astonis.h.i.+ng crops of oats, hay and gra.s.s. Creameries and a milk-condensing plant are supported profitably to all concerned.

ANACORTES is the chief town of the county, on the salt water. It has about 6,000 people, and is a center of lumbering and fis.h.i.+ng.

Factories for drying, salting, and canning salmon, halibut, and cod are increasing industries. There is also a fertilizing plant and a plant producing charcoal and the by-products of combustion, wood alcohol, turpentine, etc.

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, on both the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railways, has a population of 4,000, engaged in lumber industries, fruit, and vegetables, canning, dairying and gardening. It has a monthly payroll of $125,000.

BURLINGTON, on the Great Northern railway, has 1,800 people, and factories for making various wood products, concrete blocks, lumber, s.h.i.+ngles and condensed milk.

LA CONNER is a great oat and hay s.h.i.+pping point. It is at the mouth of the Skagit river and on tide water, and has 800 people.

HAMILTON, at the head of navigation on the Skagit river, is a mining and lumbering town of 300 people.

BAY VIEW, SAMMISH, MINKLER, PRAIRIE, FIR, and BIRDSVIEW are other s.h.i.+pping points.

BAKER, on a branch of the Great Northern railway, has 400 people, and is a center of cement factories.

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SKAMANIA COUNTY.

Skamania county, in the south central part of the state, has its southern boundary on the Columbia river, with Lewis county to the north. It is chiefly within the forest reserve, and includes Mount St.

Helens on the west and Mount Adams on its eastern border. Altogether it has an area of 1,636 square miles, chiefly mountainous, and about 3,000 people.

The north fork of the Lewis river drains the most of the mountainous region, while a lot of small streams drain the southern part, emptying into the Columbia river.

The climate is a mean between that of eastern and western Was.h.i.+ngton, and is very mild and salubrious. The soil of the valleys in the region of the Columbia river is very fertile.

RESOURCES.

The chief resource of the county is in its timber and lumber, yet its mineral and agricultural wealth is becoming better known and appreciated yearly. The fruit raised in its valleys is of excellent flavor, early in season, and the soil is generous in its yield.

Splendid pasturage in the foothills encourages stock-raising, and fis.h.i.+ng in the Columbia river is profitably followed by some of the citizens.

TRANSPORTATION.

Boats on the Columbia river and a railroad on each side of it are the means of transportation, and ample for the residents of the county in its southern portion. The coming of the North Bank railroad has given a decided stimulus to the growth of the county.

DEVELOPMENT.

Skamania county has developed slowly and the bulk of its natural wealth is still practically untouched. Its minerals, well known to be valuable, are attracting the attention of prospectors, while the forests, fisheries and farming lands will furnish a competence to hundreds of additional familles. The scenery, combined with the fis.h.i.+ng and hunting afforded, are additional attractions that will prove alluring to many newcomers.

PRINc.i.p.aL TOWNS.

STEVENSON, a small town on the Columbia river and railroad, is the county seat and has a population of about 450.