Commerce and transportation are two affinities, ever seeking each
other. They have found on Puget Sound an ideal trysting place. Here
the ships of the ocean reach immense placid waters, not duplicated
on either side of the continent, and for this reason the railroads
have come from the interior to meet them. From foreign ports all over
the world ocean carriers are bringing in great loads of merchandise
and passengers, and the railroads coming from the Atlantic coast
across the entire continent bring like loads of merchandise and
human freight, and here they are exchanged. Teas from China and
Japan for cotton from Galveston and cotton goods from Massachusetts;
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rice and silk, hemp, matting, tin, copper and Japanese bric-a-brac
are exchanged for grain, flour, fish, lumber, fruit, iron and steel
ware, paper, tobacco, etc. Merchandise of all sorts from Asia,
the Philippines, South America and Australia is here exchanged
for different stuffs raised or made in every part of the American
continent and some from Europe. This commerce, however, is in its
infancy. The Northern Pacific and Great Northern railways have
fattened on it for years. All their rivals have looked on with
envious eyes till now a mad rush is on among them all for vantage
ground. The Milwaukee, Canadian Pacific and Burlington systems
already run their trains here, while the Union Pacific and others
are rushing for terminals on Puget Sound tide water. And while
thus racing for the great long haul prizes, they are incidentally
giving to the state a complete system of transportation in all
its parts and for all its multitudinous productions.
Of almost equal importance to the state is its great fleet of local
steamers which ply its inland waters, and the numerous electric
lines that are rapidly uniting its cities and villages and giving
a new and cheap method of migration. From the city of Spokane and
radiating in every direction, electric lines are in operation and
more are in course of construction, bringing the most distant points
of the great "Inland Empire" into close touch with its metropolis
and great distributing center. On the west side the same thing is
true, only in less degree. Between these two groups of transportation
facilities, and the commerce which the union of rail and tidewater
has created, the citizens of Washington have found innumerable
opportunities of employment.
These opportunities are increasing and broadening every year with
the continued development of the state and in multiplied and varied
form they await the newcomer who possesses the ability to rise to
the demands of the situation.
[Illustration: Plate No. 23.--FERRY COUNTY VIEWS. Plant of Karamin
Lumber Co., Karamin, Ferry County. (1) Track of Spokane & B. C.
Railway. (2) Track of Spokane Falls & Northern Ry.]
[Illustration: Plate No. 24.--Helphrey Ranch, Curlew, Ferry County.]
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OPPORTUNITIES IN WASHINGTON.
Washington is a land of widely diverging natural conditions. Its
topographical characteristics vary from the low southern exposures
of the inland river valleys, where strawberries mature as early
as April, to the mountain summits of the Cascades and Olympics,
where winter reigns supreme the year round. Between these extremes
may be found every range of climate known to the semi-tropical
and temperate zones.
For the Homeseeker.
Our lands include those suitable for the successful raising both
of the more tender, as well as the hardier fruits. Every grain,
other than corn, yields splendid results, while the truck gardener,
small fruit grower, dairyman, stock raiser and, in fact, every man
who aims to secure a living and a competence from some form of farm
industry will find, if he looks for it, a spot within the confines
of this state that will meet his most exacting requirements.
To insure success in any of the above lines requires pluck, energy,
stick-to-it-iveness, a determination to secure desired results, and
some capital. But given these, the man who is looking to Washington
as a favored location for the establishment of his household gods
need have no fear of the outcome.
Land may be secured suitable for any of the different purposes
mentioned, and with proper care it may be made to yield beyond
the most sanguine expectations. A market is ready and waiting to
absorb every class of product at profitable prices. Transportation
facilities are already excellent and the millions now being expended
in new railway construction through the state give some idea of
what the future holds forth in this particular.
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For the Business Man.
To the business man a new state, developing as is the State of
Washington, naturally offers numerous and attractive opportunities.
New communities are springing up along the lines of the Milwaukee,
the Portland & Seattle, and other railways now in process of
construction, each demanding its quota of commercial enterprises,
while the older cities and towns are continually absorbing new
additions to their population, thus paving the way for new business
facilities.
For the Investor.
The investor will find an attractive field of action in Washington,
and with the exercise of caution and prudence may anticipate far
better returns than he has been accustomed to, without undue risk
of the impairment of his capital. Raw lands, timber lands, improved
farms, irrigated lands and city and town property are exhibiting
a steady increase in value and undoubtedly will continue to do so
for years to come. The capitalist may take his choice of any of
these forms of investment, or he may turn to private, industrial or
municipal securities which are constantly being offered on excellent
terms and based upon unimpeachable assets.
For the Manufacturer.
To the manufacturer this state offers all the conditions that may
be classed as prerequisite to success. Cheap electric power is
available in nearly every community of any size in the state, while
millions of horse power remain still undeveloped in the rivers and
mountain streams. Raw material is here, in abundance, and the markets
of the world are accessible through rail and water transportation.
The principal manufactured products of the state consist of lumber
and lumber products, flour, feed and various cereal foods, butter,
cheese, evaporated milk, crackers and candy, baking powder, soda,
fruit extracts, clothing, boots and shoes, baskets, bags, beer,
ice, brick and other clay products, iron products, wagons and
agricultural implements, turpentine, leather products, cordage,
saws, boilers, asbestos, water pipes, tin cans, railway equipment,
ships and
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boats, canned fruits and vegetables and a variety of other products.
Desirable locations are frequently offered free to those who will
establish manufacturing industries.
For the Wage Earner.
The wage earner who comes to this state sufficiently fortified
to maintain himself and family for a period may usually expect to
find satisfactory employment at good wages. Washington has never
been exploited as a poor man's paradise, but there is a tremendous
development in progress throughout the state in every line of industry
and there is a steady demand for mechanics and laborers of all
classes.
The foregoing is intended to present in brief form an outline of
the opportunities that await the enterprising newcomer in this
state. Success is being achieved in all of the various lines touched
upon, by thousands who have located here in the past few years,
and as yet the resources of the state have scarcely been touched.
The future of Washington is big with promise, based upon results
already achieved, and in that future the newcomer may expect to
participate in proportion to the effort he expends.
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WASHINGTON'S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
The importance of a complete and well rounded public educational
system has not been overlooked at any stage in the growth and
development of this commonwealth. From kindergarten to university
no link is wanting to supply the ambitious boy or girl with the
very best training that modern educational experts have evolved.
The common school system of the state is based upon the theory
that every child must be educated, and that the state must provide
the facilities for the accomplishment of this purpose. This theory
has been carried out so thoroughly and intelligently that there is
scarcely a child in the state of school age who does not live within
easy reach of a school house. Moreover, attendance is compulsory and
no child is excused unless satisfactory reasons are presented to
the proper authorities.