THE BEAUTIES
OF THE
STATE OF WASHINGTON
[Illustration]
BY HARRY F. GILES--DEPUTY COMMISSIONER
STATE BUREAU STATISTICS & IMMIGRATION
I.M. HOWELL--SECRETARY OF STATE-EX-OFFICIO COMMISSIONER.
[Illustration: THE RHODODENDRON, WASHINGTON'S STATE FLOWER
"_Flowers rich as morning's sunrise hue_"
_Copyright by Asahel Curtis_]
[Illustration: STATE OF WASHINGTON
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
BUREAU OF STATISTICS & IMMIGRATION
I.M. HOWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE
EX-OFFICIO COMMISSIONER
THE BEAUTIES
of the
STATE of WASHINGTON
A BOOK FOR TOURISTS
BY HARRY F. GILES, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER]
[Illustration: SEAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON]
OLYMPIA
FRANK M. LAMBORN, PUBLIC PRINTER
1915
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Page
List of Full Page Illustrations 3
The Evergreen State 5
Our Mountains 9
Washington Forests 15
The Climate 19
Puget Sound 25-38
Ideal for Yachting and Cruising 29
Hood Canal 29
Other Trips 31
Commerce 32
The East Shores 32
The Islands 33
San Juan Group 33
Whidby Island 36
Other Islands 36
Olympic Peninsula 38
The Harbor Country 40-48
Grays Harbor 43
Willapa Bay 46
Mount Rainier National Park 49
The Columbia River 54
The Inland Empire 63-80
Chief Features 64
How to Reach Them 64
The Yakima Valley 65
The Wenatchee Valley 67
Lake Chelan 68
The Okanogan Highlands 70
The Spokane Country 75
The Wheat Plateau 79
The Walla Walla Country 80
The Columbia River 80
Our Scenic Highways 81-89
The Pacific Highway 81
Sunset Highway 84
Inland Empire Highway 86
Olympic, National Park, and Other Highways 89
A Sportsman's Paradise 91
Cities and Suggested Trips 95
Alaska--Our Ally 112
Map Showing Principal Highways
FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
Cover Design (a water color) Miss Zola F. Gruhlke
Engravings By Western Engraving & Colortype Co., Seattle
THREE-COLOR HALFTONES.
Title. Photographer. Page
The Rhododendron (C.) Asahel Curtis Frontispiece
Lake Chelan (C.) Kiser Photo Co. 8
A Forest Stream Curtis & Miller 16
A Puget Sound Sunset Webster & Stevens 32
Mount Rainier and Mirror Lake (C.) Curtis & Miller 49
Sunnyside Canal (C.) Asahel Curtis 64
Priest Rapids 80
Columbia River from White Salmon (C.) Kiser Photo Co. 96
ONE-COLOR HALFTONES.
Deep Lake Curtis & Miller 4
Snoqualmie Falls (C.) Romans Photo Co. 6
Mount Baker (Gr.) 10
Looking Across the Cascades (C.) Kiser Photo Co. 12
Principal Trees in Washington C. H. Ziddell 14
Lumber Industry (Gr.) 18
Sunset Falls and Mount Index (C.) Asahel Curtis 21
Yachting on Puget Sound (Gr.) 23
Bremerton Scenes (Gr.) 24
Tacoma and The Mountain Avery & Potter 27
Eastern Shores of Puget Sound (Gr.) 28
Seattle and The Olympics Curtis & Miller 30
San Juan Islands (Gr.) J. A. McCormick 34
Olympic Mountain Scenes (Gr.) 37
Lake Crescent Curtis & Miller 39
The Chehalis River (C.) Asahel Curtis 41
Southwest Washington Views (Gr.) 44
Surf on Washington Coast (C.) Asahel Curtis 47
Mount Rainier National Park (Gr.) 51
Mount Rainier and Lake Washington (C.) W. P. Romans 53
Along the Columbia River (Gr.) 56
Salmon Fishing Industry (Gr.) 58
Snake River Country Asahel Curtis 60
Rock Lake Curtis & Miller 62
The Yakima Valley Curtis & Miller 66
The Wenatchee Valley Curtis & Miller 69
The Okanogan and Methow (Gr.) 71
Irrigation Scenes (Gr.) 73
City of Spokane Frank Palmer 74
Wheat Fields (Gr.) 76
Walla Walla Scenes (Gr.) 78
Along the Scenic Highways (Gr.) 82
Olympia, Our Capital City (Gr.) B. C. Collier 85
Spokane Falls and Bridge Frank Palmer 87
Wild Elk in The Olympics (C.) Grant Humes 90
The Angler's Reward B. C. Collier 92
Spokane Scenes (Gr.) 94
Our Leading Educational Institutions (Gr.) 99
Our Earliest Pioneers (Gr.) 102
Seattle's Boulevards (Gr.) 105
Tacoma's Parks (Gr.) 108
Alaska, Land of the North (Gr.) 111
Those marked (Gr.) are groups; (C.) means copyright.
[Illustration: DEEP LAKE--A TYPICAL SCENE IN THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS.
Photo by Curtis & Miller.]
[Illustration: The EVERGREEN STATE
"O beautiful and grand,
My own my Native Land!
Of thee I boast
Great Empire of the West,
The dearest and the best,
Made up of all the rest,
I loved thee most."]
The state of Washington, most northwesterly state in the Union, named
for the "Father of His Country" and popularly called the "Evergreen
State," brings greetings.
For all who would behold, at close range, Nature in her most beautiful
expression when all component elements have been harmoniously combined,
these words of welcome are written. You are invited to come and share
the joy that emanates from the satisfaction of living in a country as
nearly perfect as any that earth has to offer.
In the creation of this region nothing was overlooked that might appeal
to the most fastidious. An empire within itself, it is provided with all
things for ministering both to man's physical needs and to his innermost
longings. All forces have contributed towards its glory. More careful
preparation was never made for the coming of man in any clime. Mountains
that reach to heaven and echo the music of celestial choirs in their
innumerable streams and waterfalls; valleys and plateaus that spring
into life when pricked by the harrow of the husbandman; forests of big
trees, perpetually green, to adorn and protect; the greatest of oceans
to temper with its breezes; inland seas and azure lakes to embellish and
attract--such are a few of the elements that make the State of
Washington and provide beauteous homes for its people.
[Illustration: SNOQUALMIE FALLS (268 FEET)--"THE NIAGARA OF THE WEST."
Copyright by Romans Photo Co.]
Have you yet discovered that cozy retreat imagined in your youthful
impressionable days, where true happiness is bound to reign? You can
find it here--a place where wonderful pictures, real and far grander
than the famous paintings of your favorite artist, are constantly
visible from your kitchen window or from your work shop--and they need
no expensive frames to enhance their loveliness and no dusting to
prevent their obscurity.
What are your favorite pastimes? Are you one of the brave mountaineers
who must yearly draw near the Almighty, and dare the elements by
treading dangerous yet entrancing trails to heights where the world
appears at your feet? Do you love to cruise in a little yacht built to
accommodate yourself and a few well chosen friends, or motor over scenic
highways to places of interest both near and far? Do you regard yourself
a mighty hunter and desire so to convince your friends? Or would you be
content to angle for the finny denizens of the deep with a certainty
that you will not in turn be tantalized?
The state of Washington affords unusual opportunity for all these. Its
mountains, glaciers and waterfalls are not excelled by the most boasted
scenes of Switzerland.
[Illustration: MOUNT ADAMS AND FOREST-COVERED FOOTHILLS.]
Almost the year round the waters of Puget Sound and the harbors of the
southwest invite the small craft. Nearly 50,000 miles of scenic highway,
passable for twelve months in succession, are ready for your
automobiles. Game, both large and small, feathered and hoofed, will lure
you through many a jungle of delicate fern and sweet scented bramble;
while countless streams and lakes teem with fish of many species.
Picturesque parks, dazzling sunsets, roaring ocean surf, cozy camping
sites, beach parties and clam bakes, college regattas, midwinter fairs,
roses at Christmas, golf the year round on turf that's always
green--these are a few of the charms that are as common in the state of
Washington as sands in the Sahara, or ice at the Poles.
If you are drawn by none of these, but desire only to satisfy that
exalted yet mysterious feeling which lurks in everyone's breast,
becoming manifest when the greatest works of the firmament are beheld,
then by all means visit this the "Evergreen State" and drink in the
glories which no book, howe'er so well written, and no picture, whoe'er
the artist, can portray with any degree of fullness or accuracy.
Washington is a region of variety and strong contrasts. At one moment
you may be jostled along the streets of some metropolitan center among
people of many nationalities and within a mere hour or so be wafted to a
sequestered spot of transcendent beauty, where no voice but your own is
echoed by the hills and where the existence of any other human being to
share this planet can be completely forgotten.
It is a state of large accomplishments. Big projects are planned:
mammoth irrigation schemes are carried out; lands are reclaimed from the
deep; orchards fill its valleys; wheat plateaus extend for miles; salmon
traps line the shores; its lumber supplies the world; its ships sail all
the seas; monstrous bridges cross the waterways; buildings vie with the
highest anywhere constructed; its schools rank first in the Union; its
men contribute to the world's greatness; its women vote and rear capable
families; the people make their own laws. Loyalty, originality,
enterprise, independence and liberality, all attributes of the western
spirit, are evident throughout the state.
Its population has grown in twenty odd years from 343,000 to over
1,400,000. In the meantime, wildernesses have been converted into
gardens, villages have developed into towns, while towns have grown into
cities, taking their places among the leading marts of the world. From a
frontier state it has come to be one of the greatest and most important
in the Union, adding to the galaxy of stars one of the brightest that
has yet appeared on the horizon.
[Illustration: LAKE CHELAN, ONE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL LAKE RESORTS IN
THE WEST
_"Pride of the waters of the world"_
_Copyright by Kiser Photo Co., Portland, Ore._]
[Illustration: OUR MOUNTAINS
"Touched with a light that hath no name,
A glory never sung,
Aloft on sky and mountain wall
Are God's great pictures hung."]
Perhaps the most prominent feature which attracts the eye of a visitor
upon his arrival in the Pacific Northwest consists of the mountain
ranges with their towering snowcapped peaks, forming, as it were,
ladders reaching from the green vales of earth to the blue vaults of
heaven. Silhouetted against the sky in the hazy distance, they are noted
by the westward bound traveler as soon as he reaches the highest point
in the divide of the Rockies, while to the mariner groping his way
eastward upon the Pacific Ocean they offer the first evidence of the
nearness of the welcome land.
These mountains mean much to the state of Washington, both for their
scenic grandeur and for the favorable influence they exert on the
climate and on the lives of the people who build their homes in the
valleys below. Their supremacy is reflected by the thermometer, the
barometer, and the aerometer; for they help regulate the temperature,
the rainfall, and the wind's velocity. They form great repositories for
the waters that feed the streams and keep full the cities' aqueducts.
Within their immeasurable depths lie buried huge deposits of precious
and useful metals, besides vast fields of bituminous coal. Their lower
zones provide fertile and safe localities for the growth of Washington's
big timber, while the alpine meadows above secure for the timid deer and
ptarmigan asylums of temporary freedom from too frequent disturbance by
prowling huntsmen. Still higher are the rugged bare prominences,
reserved for the wild goat or mountain sheep, and the snow fields
traversed by the more venturesome seeking to gain the summits.
Everywhere the true sportsman finds ample opportunity for proving his
prowess, while trailing the beast to its lair, and the sight-seeking
mountaineer is fully rewarded for all the struggle required to reach
some dizzy height.
[Illustration: A GLIMPSE FROM PACK CREEK
A CREVASSE
AT THE SUMMIT
SHUKSAN FALLS
LAKE SIX-THOUSAND FEET
MOUNT BAKER FORTY MILES EAST OF BELLINGHAM.]
Within the immense bosoms of these mountains nestle innumerable lakes,
beauteous beyond compare, near whose shady shores is many a sequestered
spot, most tempting to the camper who loves the mountain region; and
many a brook goes trickling over its stony course to join the rivers
below, pausing here and there in some shady dell to create a deep pool
for luring the fisherman, or hurling itself over some lofty precipice as
a waterfall of wonderful magnitude and magnificence.
The mountains are a link connecting us with the past. They remind us
perhaps of the period when volcanoes belched forth their fiery refuse,
or of the era when the sea covered most of what is now land.
Indestructible they stand and their rocky heights are in places
insurmountable. The works of man trespass everywhere else, but these
huge pillars of the ages rise in their majestic splendor and with
sublime dignity seem to say: "Thus far and no further! We will preserve
and guard your water and fuel supply. We will protect you from the
furies of the elements and produce materials for building your palaces.
We will create charming nooks where you may camp under the clear sky,
and shady forests where you may pursue the chase. We will fill the
brooks with swift darting fish; carpet the meadows with myriads of
flowers, ferns, and shrubs; and paint you pictures undreamt of by men
who have scorned our acquaintance. You are permitted to build roads
whereby your Pullmans and your automobiles may cross to the other side,
but not one of our number shall be moved nor its form be changed in the
least, except by that same invisible power at whose mighty will we were
brought into existence."
[Illustration: LOOKING ACROSS THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS.
Copyright by Kiser Photo Co., Portland, Ore.]
Each mountain range possesses its own distinct characteristics. Of least
importance, but none the less beautiful, are the Blue Mountains in the
southeastern corner of the state, providing pleasant summer retreats for
the people in that vicinity. The Olympic range practically envelopes the
Olympic Peninsula and all but encroaches upon the agricultural lands
lying between the foothills and the salt waters on three sides. In
this range are the most rugged mountains in Washington, presenting some
of the wildest and most inspiring scenery anywhere to be found.
Most prominent and of greatest importance in the geography of the state
are the Cascades, having an average altitude of from 5,000 to 8,000 feet
and named for the many hurrying streams that have cut their deep courses
upon the shady slopes. They extend from the British Columbia line
slightly southwest until divided by the Columbia river, whence they
continue through Oregon and become the Sierra Nevadas of California. By
them the state of Washington is separated into two quite distinct parts,
known as Eastern and Western Washington, the former comprising a portion
of the great Inland Empire. Forming a sort of spur on their east side,
north of the Columbia, and extending to the mountains of Idaho are the
beautiful rolling hills known as the Okanogan Highlands from 5,000 to
6,000 feet in altitude without sharp abrupt prominences and bearing on
their higher surfaces forests of pine.
Throughout the Cascade range several prominent peaks tower above the
others like giants among dwarfs. The loftiest by far is Mount Rainier
(or Mount Tacoma), second highest mountain in the United States proper,
14,408 feet in altitude and the chief mountain resort out of Seattle and
Tacoma; Mount Adams, 12,307 feet, on the boundary line of Skamania and
Yakima counties; Mount St. Helens, 9,697 feet high, at the western edge
of Skamania county, reached from Castle Rock or Vancouver; Mount Baker,
10,730 feet, forty miles from Bellingham and one of its main
attractions; Mount Stuart, 9,470 feet, in Chelan county; and Glacier
Peak, 10,436 feet, in Snohomish county. In this latitude 7,500 feet is
the snow-line, but Washington has many peaks above that elevation.
Fifty-seven have already been named and measured.
All these peaks are accessible and, together with Mount Olympus in the
Olympics, constitute the main goals of the mountain loving clubs of the
northwest. Mountain phenomena are displayed in all with a maximum degree
of grandeur, insuring ample reward to those venturing to explore their
many fastnesses.
[Illustration: A FIR, A CEDAR, AND A HEMLOCK--PRINCIPAL TREES IN
WASHINGTON.]
Photo by C. H. Ziddell.
[Illustration: WASHINGTON FORESTS
"Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm,
A sylvan scene, and as the ranks ascend
Shade above shade, a woody theater
Of stateliest view"]
Dense forests of evergreen trees almost envelop the hills and mountains
of the state of Washington. Scarcely any portions were originally left
bare, excepting the higher peaks, which in a spirit of independence seem
to have pushed their bald heads up and above this beautiful covering
protecting the regions below. Into the fertile valleys and along the
river banks clear to the sea the stately ranks of these forests once
advanced, but such localities are now, for the most part, given over to
the cities and the husbandmen or else in a state of semi-transformation
are awaiting the day when they too will be devoted to the peaceful
pursuits of agriculture; for the broad Columbia plain was the only part
of the state dedicated from the first to the sole task of producing food
supplies rather than fuel and building material.
About ten million acres of these forests have been locked up in eleven
national reserves, and set aside for our future needs, or to insure
permanent haunts where Nature may always be seen in her full pristine
glory--Conservation! Nearly six million acres more are under private
ownership. Investigation reveals evidences that their birth occurred
very many years ago, possibly five hundred or even six hundred years;
for that many rings have been counted on some of the largest trees. The
foliage appears every month in the year just as beautiful as when it
first mingled with the landscape--hence the name "Evergreen State."
The effect produced by this verdant growth upon the scenery of the state
of Washington can be best realized by climbing to one of the heights
overlooking the timber line. From here one can readily see how perfectly
it hides every blemish of the irregular contour, blending beautifully
with the blue waters in the distance and the pale clouds floating above.
Thousands of greenish tints are distinguishable, shading from a light
yellowish tinge to a deep prismatic blue, while occasionally a streak of
bright red or a touch of pure white lends a striking contrast.
Leaving the point of vantage, however, to delve into its midst,
breathing in the aromatic odors from the balsams and cedars, it is easy
to note hundreds of interesting distinctions in size, form, color, and
variety, for
"No tree in all the grove but has its charms,
Though each its hue peculiar."
One should know, too, that he is buried in one of the densest forests of
the temperate zone; while standing proudly on every side are individual
giants, which for size can be duplicated nowhere else in the world,
excepting by occasional specimens of the famous Red Woods of California.
These sturdy monarchs have all been honored with names and thoroughly
worthy of their names they are, without a blemish to mar their fame in
spite of the ages through which they have lived. Most prominent is the
Douglas Fir, or Douglas Spruce (Pseudotsuga taxifolia), the giant of the
forest, growing erect as a plumb-line until it ends in a pyramidal crown
two hundred feet or more above the ground. This is the most important
tree of the state, for its product houses the people, and for the past
ten years has insured Washington first place in lumber production in the
United States. Some of the largest trees reach the enormous proportions
of eight, ten, and even twelve feet in diameter, a single one producing
material sufficient to build a palace of huge dimensions.
[Illustration: _Photo by Curtis & Miller_
ONE OF MANY LURING STREAMS
"_O'erhung with wild woods, thickening green_"]
Of great importance also is the "Red Cedar," reaching sometimes a height
of 200 feet and having a diameter in rare cases of over 20 feet;
yielding for the state of Washington two-thirds of all the shingles
produced in the United States. Similar to the Cypress, its sweet
soporific scent is everywhere conspicuous and always pleasing. Other
trees which provide lumber and add grace to the Washington woods are the
hemlocks, spruces, larches, and white firs, in the western part of
the state; and the pines and tamaracs in a number of the eastern
counties.
Many other species, of minor commercial value, are sprinkled throughout
the forest in sufficient plentifulness to complete the artistic design.
There are the wide-leafed maples; the red barked madronas; the pale
barked quivering cottonwoods and their allies, the bitter tasting
willows; the white flowered dogwood, prominent throughout the forests
until late in the spring, and occasionally found blooming in the fall;
the gray barked alder protecting the springs and mountain streams; the
sturdy oaks, skirting the gravelly prairies; the long lived juniper; and
the hardy Scotch broom; besides various other trees and shrubs. Many of
these are so beautiful that landscape gardeners find nothing more
suitable for decorating lawns or lining the city parks and boulevards.
Here and there are many trees, shrubs and vines that seem to have been
destined especially to yield food for the natural wanderers of the
forests; for it is intended that nothing shall be wanted in the state of
Washington. There is probably no other section of the world where wild
berries grow in greater profusion. Very prominent is the wild cherry,
the wild apple, the salmon berry, the thimble berry, the huckleberry,
the salal berry, the Oregon grape, the blackberry, the strawberry, the
wild currant, and the raspberry.
Hiding within the shade of these, playing hide and seek with nature
lovers who enjoy threading the romantic trails for which this section of
the world is noted, is many a modest flower which in some sections
blooms nearly the whole year round, so soft is the climate; while the
pink petaled rhododendron, of bolder nature, Washington's state flower,
is prominent in June tossing its beautiful head among the dry logs and
lining the course of many a pretty driveway.
Penetrating everywhere and saturating the atmosphere with its sweetness,
may be heard the music of some rippling stream winding its happy way
down the mountain side and playing, as it were, an accompaniment to the
duets of soul mated song birds unable to restrain their songs of joy. If
this is a wilderness then a wilderness is a paradise on earth.
[Illustration: ONE INDUSTRY IN WHICH WASHINGTON RANKS FIRST.]
[Illustration: THE CLIMATE
"Eternal Spring with smiling Verdure here
Warms the mild Air and crowns the youthful year."]
People considering a change of residence or a vacation trip are always
interested in the climate of the locality attracting their attention,
for they know that absolute contentment in any clime, even for a brief
period, is impossible without a friendly attitude on the part of the
elements. So many regions seem to have been permanently blighted by
conditions opposed to human happiness, or at least to have been
forgotten in certain important essentials when Nature was passing round
her favors.
The state of Washington, however, received a full share of climatic
blessings as well as scenic beauties. Without extremes either of heat or
cold its climate is as temperate as that of southern England--a most
remarkable fact when one realizes that its latitude is higher than that
of the state of Maine and its northern boundary line corresponds to that
of North Dakota and Minnesota. Such equability is caused chiefly by the
protecting mountains and their dense forests together with the breezes
blowing direct from the ocean and warmed by the mysterious Japan
Current.
So uniform is the general temperature, excepting in the mountainous
regions, that the same weight of clothing is by many found sufficient
the year round. In every section there is a long growing season and only
a short mild winter, known on the west side as the "rainy season." There
is never danger from blizzards or intense "cold waves," for these are
deflected to the country east of the Rockies. Trees retain their green
foliage the year round; in most parts there is usually some pasture
available every month; and in certain sections many varieties of
flowers will be found blooming outdoors in January. Cattle may be turned
loose almost any day in the year and the farmer is saved the necessity
of spending all his summer's profits in order that his livestock will
not starve during a long cold period. The lowest monthly normal
temperature, as deduced from a period of years, is for Seattle, 39°;
Spokane, 27°; and Walla Walla, 33°. Contrast these with the normal
temperatures of the following cities for the same month: Duluth, 10°;
St. Paul, 12°; Des Moines, 20°; and Chicago, 24°.
The summers may be considered ideal. A breeze is generally stirring.
There are no sunstrokes, for even in the warmest parts the dryness of
the atmosphere favors evaporation. The nights are everywhere cool. When
millions in other climes are rolling about in their torturous beds,
struggling for the relief that sleep alone can impart, the Washingtonian
doffs his clothes, tucks himself comfortably between his cozy quilts,
and is soon wafted into the land of nod from which he awakes in the
morning refreshed and ready for life's battle.
MEAN MONTHLY AND SUMMER TEMPERATURE OF WASHINGTON
CITIES COMPARED WITH THAT OF OTHER U. S. CITIES.
_June_ _July_ _Aug._ _Sep._ _Sum'r_
Puget Sound District 57 62 61 57 59
Seattle 60 64 63 58 61
Tacoma 58 63 63 57 60
Spokane 63 69 68 59 65
Chicago 66 72 71 64 68
New York City 69 74 73 66 70
Boston 66 72 70 63 68
Washington, D. C. 73 77 75 68 73
Philadelphia 72 76 74 68 72
The summers, too, are particularly free from excessive rainfall, such as
discomforts the people in eastern cities during those months and causes
so many disappointments; for 80 per cent of our precipitation occurs
between October 15th and May 15th, and 75 per cent between sunset and
sunrise, so that the pleasures of the day are seldom marred.
The heaviest fall of moisture occurs on the mountain slopes while the
valleys, where the people make their homes, have no more than enough to
produce a vigorous plant growth. The average for the year on Puget Sound
is about the same as in Chicago and only three-fourths as much as in New
York or Boston. The Cascade Mountains prevent as high a precipitation
in the eastern counties where it corresponds more to that of California.
[Illustration: SUNSET FALLS AND MOUNT INDEX, 40 MILES EAST OF EVERETT.]
The normal annual precipitation during a 36 year period, according to
the government statistics, was for Seattle, 36.6 inches; Spokane, 18.8
inches; Walla Walla, 17.7 inches; Chicago, 33.3 inches; New York, 44.6
inches; Jacksonville, 53.2 inches; Kansas City, 37.4 inches; Boston,
43.3 inches; Los Angeles, 15.6 inches; and San Francisco, 22.3 inches.
MONTHLY AND SUMMER RAINFALL OF U. S. CITIES.
_June_ _July_ _Aug._ _Sep._ _Sum'r_
Puget Sound District 1.59 0.67 0.74 2.01 5.01
Seattle 1.41 0.61 0.46 1.98 4.46
Tacoma 1.97 0.69 0.66 2.79 5.91
Spokane 1.61 0.67 0.48 1.01 3.8
Walla Walla 1.2 0.4 0.4 0.9 2.9
Chicago 3.52 3.62 3.02 3.06 13.22
New York City 3.41 4.08 4.38 3.44 15.31
Boston 3.14 3.51 4.15 3.44 14.24
Washington, D. C. 3.74 4.34 4.98 3.25 16.31
Philadelphia 3.27 4.14 4.69 3.36 17.46
The same forces that affect the temperature and precipitation also offer
protection against the extraordinary meteorological occurrences that so
often terrorize the people in more exposed regions. "The Weather Bureau
has no authentic record of a real tornado anywhere in the state of
Washington" says G. N. Salisbury, Washington Section Director of the U.
S. Weather Bureau. Violent thunderstorms are in most parts unknown. Loss
of life never occurs from any of these causes. The atmosphere is always
pure and salubrious and the death rate is lowest of all states in the
Union, while its two largest cities have the lowest death rate of all
cities in the United States, having a population of 100,000 or over.
After all has been said it were best to come and see. Spend a season
where no dreary winters will engender melancholy while waiting for a
lingering spring, and where no sizzling heat will threaten prostration.
Come to a state that is as free as possible from the ills of unfriendly
phenomena, and where one beautiful day passes into the next as a
pleasant dream shades into the sweetest realities of life.
[Illustration: YACHTING ON PUGET SOUND.
A Pleasure Fleet
Racing for Lipton Cup
Motor Boating
Idle Hour
A Favorable Breeze]
[Illustration: SCENES AT BREMERTON--ONE OF THE LARGEST U. S. NAVAL
STATIONS.
The Oregon in Drydock
A Naval Fleet in Port
Battleship Nebraska
Drydock]
[Illustration: PUGET SOUND
"A land locked sea with harbors deep and wide
Where all the navies of the world could hide"]
One glorious expanse of calm picturesque water is the great inland sea
known as Puget Sound, extending from the Strait of Juan de Fuca far into
the interior of the state of Washington. If the Strait mentioned,
together with Hood Canal and a portion of the Strait of Georgia are
included, and they will be in this article, nearly 2,000 square miles of
mirror like surface are encompassed within the green wooded shore lines
of as many lineal miles. With sinuous arms, these waters reach in every
direction, reflecting in their depths sometimes the lofty mountains, at
other times gardens and farms of unusual attractiveness, and again the
modern cities located upon the shores.
Almost everywhere have been sprinkled pretty emerald isles beckoning
with all the lure of nature, while tree bedecked peninsulas shelter
hundreds of cuddling coves. Near the dividing shore line the "tide
lands" reach out from the sunny beaches and supply a sort of neutral
ground, enjoyed now by the clam diggers or oyster culturists and again
claimed by the enveloping waters.
Rising gently from the water's edge broad areas of fertile lands, which
have been released from their forest burdens, are now devoted to the
pursuits of husbandry and yield liberally to feed the multitudes
dwelling in the neighboring large cities. Here and there patches of
virgin growth in primeval splendor may still be seen, but usually,
excepting in the Hood Canal region, the forests have been forced back to
the foot hills, leaving in their wake the so-called logged-off areas
which are in turn rapidly giving away to meadows and orchards. Further
back to the east and west the mountains stand guard, while innumerable
streams with incalculable water power pierce their sides, transect the
lower levels, and pour the sweets of the mountainous regions out into
the salts of the deep.
Occasionally rocky bluffs or promontories stand boldly out of the water,
and command the view for miles in every direction. Pictures are
everywhere presented which reproduced on canvass would insure the
immortality of any artist. Altogether the region presents the likeness
of one vast kingly garden where every plant that will grow is nurtured
and all wonders combine to enchant the visitor.
[Illustration: SUMMER TIME PLEASURES.]
This beauteous sea is not locked away behind impenetrable bulwarks of
mountain walls, like many of nature's wonders, but is at the very door
of the people and enjoyed by them while going about their daily tasks.
Nearly a million human beings look out upon its placid waters and
rejoice at their good fortune in being permitted to play, as it were,
upon its banks, and to feel the tender caresses of the soft whispering
breezes that make the region such a pleasure ground in summer, and a
haven in winter--and there is room for ten times as many to make their
homes where these same joys may be experienced.
Not in the lifetime of an individual, nor even in the period required
for the most extravagant display of human skill, was this great pleasure
resort created. Ages elapsed, say geologists, between the rising of the
waters that "drowned" the rivers once flowing where now the Sound
reposes and the advent of the glaciers which deposited the fertile
sediment to nourish the luxuriant growth appearing on every hand.
[Illustration: TACOMA, THE CITY WITH A SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAIN IN ITS DOOR
YARD.
Photo by Avery and Potter.]
[Illustration: Bellingham From Sehome Hill
Skagit River Valley
Everett Cascade Mountains In Distance
Berry Patch In The Puyallup Valley
VIEWS NEAR THE EASTERN SHORES OF PUGET SOUND.]
IDEAL FOR YACHTING AND CRUISING.
One can pass the entire summer on Puget Sound without seeing a bit of
rough weather. The largest ocean liners ride here safe from the storms
that pound sometimes against the outer coast line; for its waters
compose one great harbor, protected by the forests and mountains. One
may see "Uncle Sam's" powerful fighting machines almost any day steaming
toward Bremerton, one of the U. S. Naval Stations, where the largest dry
dock owned by the U. S. Government is located.
But this peaceful body of water is not for the big vessels alone. It
could not have been improved if created especially for the yacht, the
motor launch, the row boat and even the venturesome canoe. Upon its
surface is held many a local speed contest, and the annual power boat
race is run from Ketchikan, Alaska, to Seattle. Conditions here are
ideal for the college regatta and for the difficult feats of the
hydroplane. During festive days many important events are pulled off,
while the happy spectators, dressed in holiday attire, are crowded along
the water's edge or perched on the ridges and house tops above.
For cruising, no waters in the world offer such advantages--never
threatened by tempests and always within reach of some of nature's most
glorious beauty spots. Landing places suitable for camps are easily
found, from which short inland excursions may be made through alpine
meadows by winding trails to the summit of some mountain or to the
shores of some peaceful lake.
Those who are not fortunate enough to have their own craft are not
necessarily deprived of enjoying these waters; for regular passenger
steamers, of ample capacity and stately appearance make regular trips
throughout the year from every city on its shores to nearly every other
part of the Sound; while special summer time excursions are made from
the metropolitan centers to all the principal points of interest on
Puget Sound and to the cities of British Columbia and Alaska.
HOOD CANAL.
The waters that put one in closest touch with the mountains are in the
narrow channel, or fiord, known as Hood Canal, extending southwesterly
and bending back into the heart of the Kitsap Peninsula. Tourists
riding over these waters for the first time are elated with the
splendors, and the frequent visitor never tires of the inspiring scenes
that everywhere greet the eye. The eastern shores reveal the neat farms
and settlements in Kitsap and Mason counties, while the western edge is
at the very foot of the Olympic range, whose white serrated ridges are
continually visible from the deck of a passing steamer. Easily
distinguishable also are the deep canyons cut by the several main
streams working their way towards the canal, plunging over rocky cliffs
and creating falls of exquisite beauty. The Little and Big Quilcene, the
Dusewallips, the Duckabush, the Hamma Hamma, and the Lilliwago, are some
of the mountain streams whose canyons with rugged trails are familiar to
those making frequent pilgrimages thither.
[Illustration: A BUSINESS SECTION IN SEATTLE--ELLIOTT BAY AND THE
OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS BEYOND.
Photo by Curtis & Miller.]
Other attractive places are Lake Cushman, a mountain summer resort
reached from Hoodsport, and the rich Skokomish valley containing the
Indian reservation of the same name. At Union City one may take the
stage over a well traveled road through groves and vales to Shelton,
county seat of Mason county, where regular steamers connect with all
Puget Sound points--thus encircling the Kitsap Peninsula.
OTHER TRIPS.
Equally delightful are the little voyages over the main traveled waters
of the Sound from Seattle or Tacoma to Olympia and Shelton, to
Bremerton, Everett, Bellingham, Anacortes, Port Townsend, and Port
Angeles; also out to the ocean or through the San Juan Islands to
Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia. The mountains are always in
sight although not so close as on the Canal trip, and there passes a
continual procession of groves, hills, pebbly beaches, rocky palisades,
gardens, orchards, green meadows, and summer homes.
Entrancing is the view at the sun's rising or setting when a myriad
shades of reddish and bluish tints are painted on the hovering clouds,
which assume various grotesque shapes above the shimmering waters; and
even at night time when threading the channel marked by the twinkling
beacon lights, or entering the harbor of a city resplendent with
thousands of glittering incandescents.
COMMERCE.
Besides scenes that appeal chiefly to the esthetic are many that suggest
the state's commercial importance, for these waters produce many million
dollars worth of fish each year, and the neighboring shores have the
largest saw mills in the world, supplying a big share of the
4,000,000,000 feet of lumber which is Washington's annual contribution
and insures her first place in the Union. Out from Bellingham and
Anacortes may be observed the rare spectacle of huge fish traps being
raised, with sometimes 50,000 Puget Sound salmon wiggling within their
meshes, soon to be preserved in the largest canneries of the world and
shipped to all corners of the globe. Big ocean liners heavily laden are
seen in the harbors or met upon the waters, carrying away cargoes of
manufactured products which for the entire state approaches the
stupendous sum of $300,000,000 yearly.
THE EAST SHORES.
The loudest buzz of commercialism is to be heard on the east shores,
where fertile valleys and sightly plateaus checkered with farms and
gardens stretch away to the foot hills of the Cascade Mountains,
comprising five of the most densely populated counties in the state.
Here, too, are four of Washington's five largest cities, Seattle,
Tacoma, Everett and Bellingham, each the center of a rich territory
supporting numerous smaller cities. At the southern limit is Olympia,
the state capital.
Without irrigation the region yields liberally of fruits, berries,
vegetables, hay, oats, dairy and poultry products, which go to support
those engaged in the lumbering, fishing, ship building, mining, and
other manufacturing industries, and the diversified business pursuits.
Eight transcontinental railroads operate trains, an almost unbroken
string of electric railways render good local service, while excellent
roads, including the Pacific Highway, crisscross the section and unite
the people with indestructible bonds of friendship and mutual
interests.
[Illustration: _Photo by Webster & Stevens_
A PUGET SOUND SUNSET
"_When Sol in joy is seen to leave
The earth with crimson beam._"]
A number of lakes beautify this region, as well as the other parts of
the Puget Sound country. The largest is Lake Washington, one of the
grandest in the west, twenty miles in length, forming the eastern
boundary to Seattle, providing sites for country homes and parks, and
embellishing its boulevard system. Near Bellingham is Lake Whatcom, of
similar importance to that city. Lake Stevens is handy to Everett, and a
number of smaller ones are tributary to Tacoma.
THE ISLANDS.
Puget Sound would not be nearly so interesting without the many
enchanting isles dotting its surface from Olympia to Blaine and within
easy reach of the cities located upon its shores. Some are hidden within
partially concealed bays and others appear like portions of the mainland
until circumnavigation has proved their seclusion. Although a few have
sufficient area and commercial importance to form entire counties, the
larger number are of rather small compass, and a few are tiny gems
suitable only for private resorts away from the busy cities. Nearly all
are clothed in evergreen trees, bespangled with flowers and ferns, and
girdled with gravelly beaches suggesting the real charms of camp life.
SAN JUAN GROUP.
Travelers agree that no islands anywhere are more beautiful than the San
Juan group, blocking the entrance to the Straits of Georgia, rivaling as
they do the Thousand Isles of the St. Lawrence or the classical Grecian
Archipelago. There are 172 of them, including 122 with names suggesting
their own peculiarities and others known chiefly by their location and
shown only on the mariner's chart. The largest are San Juan, Orcas and
Lopez. Apart from them but closer to the mainland are Lummi, Guemes, and
Cypress, similar in formation and of like attractiveness. They are
approachable with almost any kind of craft, no great distances separate
them, and often there is just passage for a steamer. They offer rare
opportunity for playing hide and seek on the water, a game which in days
gone by men played in earnest; for the smuggler stealing away from the
international boundary line found within their shady inlets havens of
safety from the unfriendly eye of "Uncle Sam's" revenue cutter.
[Illustration: THE SUCIA ISLAND
BATTLESHIP ISLAND
WALDRON ISLAND
JAPANESE ISLAND. EAST SOUND
FIRST IRISHMAN IN AMERICA--BLAKELY ISLAND
TURTLEBACK MOUNTAIN, ORCAS ISLAND
AMONG THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS.
Photos by J. A. McCormick.]
And only to think, these islands were nearly lost to us! Had it not been
for the wise decision of William I. of Germany in 1871, the Union Jack
instead of the beloved Stars and Stripes might today be floating over
them. The two distinct camps on San Juan Island where the British "Red
Coats" and the American "Blues" waited and watched from 1860 to 1872,
are still protected as points of interest; the former near Roche Harbor,
and the latter near Friday Harbor, the county seat.
The usual way to reach them is by steamer from Seattle, Bellingham or
Anacortes. The boat stops at all the main towns including Friday Harbor,
where the University Marine Station and two large salmon canneries are
located; Roche Harbor, where one of the largest lime kilns is
prospering; and Deer Harbor, West Sound, East Sound, Rosario, Olga, and
Doebay, attractive as summer resorts.
Many people spend their summers among these isles. The tourist with
limited time should, besides visiting the historic sites on San Juan,
make a trip to Mount Constitution on Orcas Island. Two good wagon roads
lead all the way to the top, the one from East Sound and the other from
Olga. A pleasant day's outing is enjoyed by going up one way and
returning by the other. Its altitude, 2,408 feet, is nothing compared
with the peaks in the Cascades. Nevertheless, few places offer more
comprehensive outlooks. On the descent it will be difficult for the
"wise" to resist the temptation to pass through Rosario, the beautiful
country estate belonging to Robert Moran, a retired Seattle ship
builder, who has harnessed the water power from the lakes lying a few
hundred feet above and equipped a modern mansion with all that man can
desire or money and art can supply. Who would guess that a great pipe
organ might be heard in this seemingly remote spot in the universe,
bursting out in unexcelled magnificence, rendering the masterpieces of
the great composers.
WHIDBY ISLAND.
Extending about fifty miles in front of Skagit and Snohomish counties,
midway in the Sound where the views of the Cascades and the Olympics are
unobstructed, is Whidby Island, the second largest island in the United
States proper and sometimes called "The Long Island of Puget Sound."
With Camano Island on the east and two other very small ones it
constitutes an independent county. Having much water front and its
western shore facing the straits where direct breezes from the ocean are
felt, it draws many campers from the cities. There are no mountains to
climb, although a number of eminences offer views of the distant
landscape.
The largest improvement has been near the southern extremity and between
Coupeville and the northern limits, where the world's record for wheat
production per acre was made. A beautiful road decorated with
rhododendrons leads from Fort Casey to Deception Pass separating it from
Fidalgo Island on the north, which is connected with the mainland by a
first class highway. Near Coupeville is Still Park, where summer
Chautauquas are held and many campers congregate.
OTHER ISLANDS.
A few minutes' ride out of Seattle is Bainbridge Island, having forty
miles of water front lined with summer homes or suitable for camping
sites. Tributary to both Seattle and Tacoma are Vashon and Maury
Islands, practically one, comprising some twenty-three thousand acres,
which yield for these cities berries, fruits, vegetables, and flowers,
and offer some of the most delightful sites for homes along their fifty
miles of attractive shore line.
Fox, Anderson, and McNeils Islands are integral parts of the Bay Island
country, a rich district tributary to Tacoma and offering unlimited
opportunities for campers who are always welcomed by the hospitable
ranchers. Hartstine Island maintains one of the largest vineyards in the
west, yielding delicious grapes which find their way to distant eastern
markets. Numerous smaller islands are scattered about the Sound and
insure pleasant retreats for all that love the simple life.
[Illustration: MT. OLYMPUS
FALLS
BRIDAL VEIL FALLS
OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS FROM HOOD CANAL
WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN THE OLYMPICS.]
OLYMPIC PENINSULA.
Lying between Hood Canal and the Pacific Ocean and extending from the
Strait of Juan de Fuca southward toward the Chehalis river valley is the
vast Olympic Peninsula, whose resources and wonders are probably less
known than almost any other section of the world. The central portion
constitutes one great forest reserve within which is the Olympic
National Monument set apart by the government for the enjoyment of
nature lovers. The population is distributed among the cities and towns
situated on the level lands skirting the waterfront. This Monument
contains the most rugged mountains, the deepest canyons, the most
turbulent rivers and the thickest forests in the state.
The Peninsula is now reached both by steamer and automobile. Highways
lead well up into the foothills from the cities of Port Angeles, Sequim,
Port Townsend, Quilcene, Shelton, Aberdeen, Hoquiam, and Hood Canal
points, and passable trails thread their way to the summits beyond. It
is easy to surprise both deer and elk, confident of safety from the
approach of man. Numerous flowering parks display seas of gorgeous
colors which make the region famous for its beauty.
It also serves as a huge treasure chest. Billions of feet of choicest
timber remain uncut; valuable ore veins and a vast lake of petroleum are
buried within its depths; land well suited for agriculture girdles the
entire peninsula; and the neighboring waters yield liberal quantities of
fish.
Certain beauty spots in the mountains have been supplemented with the
conveniences and luxuries of modern invention. Among these are Sol Duc
Springs, at the headwaters of the Sol Duc river, where a little palace
has been lifted into the mountains, Government Hot Springs, and Lake
Crescent, all reached from Port Angeles; Lake Cushman, approached from
Hoodsport; and Lake Quiniault, north of Grays Harbor. A visit to any of
these resorts or any part of the peninsula will satisfy the most
extravagant expectations of tourist and mountaineer.
[Illustration: LAKE CRESCENT, A POPULAR LAKE RESORT NEAR PORT ANGELES.
Photo by Curtis & Miller.]
[Illustration: THE HARBOR COUNTRY
"We stand on beetling crag or cliff and gaze from farthest west
To the bounding ocean billows, to the broad free sea,
We hail the flags of all the earth and welcome here to rest
Amidst the smiling waters by the tall fir tree."]