F 899 541)6 WASHINGTON THE vSOUND STATE AND ITS CHIEF CITY m EATTIiE ISSUED BY ^\lQ (^l^amber of (^ommerc? JUriE, 1890. Glass ___Faa£i__ Chamber of CoMMERCii Buieding. A WONDERFUL CITY, LKADING AIJ, OTIIlvRS IN WASHINGTON, QRKGON, MONTANA, Idaho and British Columbia : SEATTLE, Its Past History, Recent Progress and Present Advanced Position. By J. W. J)()D(;E, vSkcrktary of the Chamber of Commerce. 1890 Seattle. Lownian & Hanford Stationery and Printing Company. iSgo. Seattle Chamber of Commerce 1890 OFFICERS. President - - - . - JOHN LEARY Vice-President - . . . . .' E. 0. GRAVES Second Vice-President THOS. W. PROSCH Treasurer ----- - E. F. WITTIER Secretary ----- J. W. DODGE TRUSTEES. • PERCY W. ROCHESTER B. F. SHAUBUT C. H, KITTINGER HERMAN CHAPIN A. HOLMAN U. R. NIESZ A. P. MITTEN W. E. BAILEY G. DAVIES JACOB FURTH G. H, HEILBRON ^ N -^. ,P R E F A C E. • This pamphlet is issued by tlie Seattle Cliamber of Commerce lor the purpose of giving briefly, autlieiitic information as to the. eliinate, resources and advantages of that portion of the State of Washington adjacent to Paget Sound, and especially of Seattle, the metrojiolis of the State ; conveying to home-seekers and to capital- ists desiring profitable investments a correct idea of what will be found here in the way of natural resources, climate, transportation facilities, commerce, trade and social advantau'es. MT. RAIN11;R, IKUM JvAKl'; WASHINCtTOX. THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. C,qAS]IINGTON was ci-eato(I a TeiTitory Mairli 2, ^^ 18-")3, and was admitted to statehood Novend)er ^m. ISSl). It lies between the 46tli and 49th i)aTallels of noi'lh latitude and the llTtli and I'ioth ineridians of P longitude west from CJreeinvie]!. It li'as an area of a ()J),994 square miles and an estimated })oj)ulation of :M(),000. The State of Waslnngton is greater in area tlian any State east of the Mississi[)})i river, and is greater than all six New- England States comljined, or Pennsylvarna, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland together. It is not only greater in area, but also in resourees. The growth of the Commonwealth has been comparatively slow until of late years. This has been due to remoteness from the centers of trade and poi)ulation and to lack of railroad facilities. The following table, showing population and wealth, will s})eak for itself: Year. Population. r86o 1870 1875 1880 1885 1889 1890 (E.stimated)- Wealtii. 11,594 $ 4,394,735 23.955 10,642,863 44,842 14,569,156 75,116 23,^13,693 130,465 5o,/84,437 240,000 125,058,879 350,000' 155,000,000 Let the reader imagine a further continuance of this growth at the same ratio of increase and the year 1900 will find 1,200,000 people in the State, owning })roperty valued for taxable purposes at $900,000,000. Tlie first American settlement on Puget Sound w^as made in Octol)er, 1.S45, at New Market, now Turn water, by Col. M. T. Sim- mons and others. Prior to this the Hudson Bay and Northwestern Fur Companies had established trading posts at different points and THE SOUND STATE. had iridaced one party of farmers from the Red River valley of the nortli to settle at Nisqually, in November, 1841. There were also early missionary settlements at Salem, in 1scMit time. By reason of the })rolits in tliis line of business I'arniinu- lias l)een neii'lected. A\"liilo there are now many fine farms, tlie area of tilled land as eompared with that yet unck^ired and uncultivated is very small. The natural fertility of the soil, the present heavy and steadily growincr pound. The avera-c yield of the State is 40,000 l)ales of 200 pounds each. In New York State tlie average yield of ho])s is (500 |M)unds per acre ; in England and ( terniany, SOO pounds per acre. In Wiishington the cro[) is not subject to pests or disease, while in all other districts it is aft'octed to a, greater or l(>ss extent, 'i'lie crop of this State is grown chielly in King and Ti^'rce counties, though more or less are produced in Sk;igit, Lewis, Yakima, Walla Walla and other counties. The yield of ho})s is greater here than in any other ])rirt of the Vvorld. The business is a permanent and growing one. By far the most important })ortion of Washington is the region adjacent to Puget Sound. This body of water is in reality an in- land sea. It was discovered in 1592 by A})ostolus Valerianus, called Juan de Fuca, a Greek navigator, and the straits connecting the Sound with the Pacific ocean bears the nanu^ Ijy which he was known. Puget Sound extends from north to south entirel}' witlnn the State, parallel with and about 90 miles from the Pacific ocean. It has a surface area of 2000 square miles, and a shore line of over 1600 miles. With its numerous bays, harbors and estuaries, it is one of the most beautiful sheets of water in the world. From the entrance of the straits to the extivnie southern end of the Sound there is an average de|)th of 70 fathoms, l)old waters to the shores, and not one hidden danger, rock, quicksand or shoal, and being land-locked severe storms are uidcnown u[)on it, therein' affording a direct, un- interru})ted and unsur[)assed highway for commerce to all ])orts of the world from a section of country })ossessing more natural ad- vantages and resources than any other ])art of the Union. The climate of this region is the most equable known, there l)eing no extremes of heat or cold and no severe droughts. Tins is chiefly due to the close proximity of the nnghty Pacific ocean and of the warm Japan current, keeping the temperature nearer uniform than in any otlier part of the Union. Government records show the highest temperature within the past ten years to have been 94 degrees and the lowest during the same time 3 degrees above zero. During the past twelve years the rainfixll, as recorded at Port Blakely (on the 0])})Osite side of the Sound and nine miles from Seattle) by the official signal observer, has averaged 41.03 inches per year. During this time there were three years when no snow fell. The average fall of snow per year for the period was 17.6 inches. The mean tempera- ture for the past twelve years has been 53 degrees above zero. 12 THE SOUND STATE. Liimljer-making has been tlie leading manufacture of Wash- ington in the })ast and will be the leading industry, doubtless, for many years to come. The outjnit from Puget Sound mills for the year^l o2 > III s S n n > o 2; w t/5 TONS. NO. TONS. NO 49-935 60,816 60,295 52,260 61,506 56,043 52,756 62,119 52,221 60,797 66,497 79,987 74 88 80 72 86 64 79 79 62 75 80 12,272 7,193 2,428 7,373 7,507 8,876 3,681 5,588 3,828 7,506 TONS. NO 9,483 21,665 25,471 14.520 23.900 13,768 17,250 14,011 14,009 10,820 18,449 17,041 17 26 23 31 19 19 16 17 16 25 26 TONS. NO. 1,485 1,235 2,603 619 1,380 2,392 1,839 2,442 628 561 t8 THE SOUND STATE. VESSELS CLEARED. MONTHS. Tune 1889 July August ' ' Sept. " Oct. Nov. " Dec. Jan. 1890' Feb. March " April " May " o « TONS. ! NO. t< o 2 Vi TONS. s « 1J O C TONS. NO 55-503 67,307 65,072 67,088 64,359 62,176 65,900 59,829 59,045 61,091 77,405 86,720 80 89 91 90 84 80 j 80 73 68 I 77 I 96 III 9,616 11,790 9.338 5,765 7,866 6,011 11,779 5,184 2,495 4,831 2,709 6,868 16 II 6 II 7 15 7 3 3 4 II 8,384 10,158 16,538 10,717 17,928 12,373 12,648 9,349 9,975 13,193 13,156 13,685 10 14 18 13 20 14 18 II 12 16 16 19 TONS. Tsro 12,351 The total value of exports from the Puget Sound Customs Dis- trict for May, according to the report just completed at the Customs House, was $307,781. This is an increase of $63,000 over the ex- ports of the month of April. Of the exports, goods to the value of $124,104 were carried in American bottoms, and to the value of $183,777 in foreign bottoms. The destination of exports and their value is as follows : Ireland |i36,82l British Columbia 88,561 China 34,273 Chili 20,951 British Possessions 13,226 Hawaii _-, 8,597 Mexico 5,352 Total 1307,781 The following statement, kindly furnished by the Collector of the District, shows the business of Puget Sound District as com- pared with Boston, New York, San Francisco and New Orleans : 33 £ c rt o Sis ccgo 05 05 §22 C0O1 223,969 865,373 408,268 480,060 S5S OfcS OiOl-'*. -h-' *.>-' ro tocn tl M ^ 5S ^- wt h— c;t i^^a 4^ Ol Oil ■-to M H-4 too as 2^ o3 S3 o - 00 I— Go CC05 -I ► s o r O S in'O o a "5^ S ^Oh-M C»-JI-'I— GC Oi ^J rf». ^-; H- 1 it^ Cn-O Oi ^h-i OltO^tO CJi LO cn C: h-^Ol-0 CO I-" CI 00 52 to -a K- O h- ^- >— ' t;' OTCoi—; 0 E'oo:"*. GO I— '-a to oi a> M -jH-^^Oi ! !^ ^ ►tJ i^ W O -t '^3 !-■ M *. tp I— ii 03 00 4- It. O3Oi00 4^HJ to COCCI-' M CJl ■-£ M O 00 00 10}0 X co'o'toV-i ^— :d h- Oi cn 00 H- H- oa ii l—OS' tO' H-' K" i^cn 't-^'zO 00 oo'-^i O ^J h- 33 CZ.' 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