the only part of the state where almost simultaneously one may enjoy the
rare combination of the unobstructed ocean, an inland sea, and trout
streams lined with giant firs and cedars, which all but encroach upon
the dominions of the waters. Here the oyster, the clam and the crab
seemingly try to outdo one another and the mighty forest, in yielding
splendid profits to the people, who lend every encouragement to the
remarkable competition.
Thousands from the larger cities hie themselves to this section, at
least once during the summer, to feast their eyes upon another variety
of scenery, to enjoy its peculiar attractions, and experience again the
pleasure of riding through a valley that appeals alike to the Pullman
passenger and to the automobilist; for it is human nature to love a
change, even if one's home environment approaches perfection itself.
There are two important salt water harbors in southwest Washington, the
more northerly one in Chehalis county, and named Grays Harbor after the
great explorer who discovered it in 1792, and the southern one in
Pacific county bearing an Indian name, Willapa Bay. They are separated
by only a few miles of territory, which is served by no railroad other
than a short logging road. Regular traffic is usually around by
Centralia, excepting that during the summer months auto stages traverse
the beach from Cohasset to Tokeland; for the beach here is level and
broad, and the sands packed so firm, when the tide has receded, that it
is used as a highway, and even as a race track for automobiles and
motorcycles. This is true not only of the portion lying between the
two harbors but also of the twenty-five miles known as "North Beach"
extending from Willapa Bay to the mouth of the Columbia.
[Illustration: ON THE BANKS OF THE CHEHALIS, LEWIS COUNTY.
Copyright by Asahel Curtis.]
The entire region is fraught with charms that can be duplicated nowhere
else. Pacific, Moclips and Cohasset beaches are patronized especially by
people from the Sound cities and from southwest Washington. North Beach
to the south of Willapa Bay attracts as well crowds from Portland and
other Oregon cities. On Sundays or at week ends special excursions are
numerous, when great crowds avail themselves of the opportunity of
visiting the seashore.
[Illustration: POINT GRENVILLE.]
The modes of amusement are numerous. Wading and bathing in the surf or
burrowing in the warm sands; hunting for shells, agates, and Indian
relics; rowing, and trolling for salmon; or searching for the rare
floral specimens abounding in the neighboring woods occupy the time of
many. Others enjoy visiting the canneries, observing the motor races, or
watching the sailing vessels, with canvas inflated, gliding quietly into
the harbor or, heavily laden, being dragged out across the bar by some
fretful yet powerful tug boat. Then there are the clam bakes and, at the
end of the day, the big bonfires, the beach parties and the story
telling, after which one is lulled into sweet slumber by the unceasing
roar of the ocean surf.
So fascinating is this region that its extensive ocean beach will
undoubtedly in time be ornate with one continuous array of summer
resorts reaching from Ilwaco on Baker's Bay, at the mouth of the
Columbia, to Neah Bay at the entrance to the Straits, and interrupted
only by the narrow gaps marking the entrances to the two harbors. Every
manner of dwelling is provided for those who wish to stay several weeks.
Cottages may be rented, camping sites engaged, or board obtained at one
of the homelike hotels looking out upon the sea.
GRAYS HARBOR.
To reach Grays Harbor, unless approaching from the ocean, means a trip
through the wide fertile valley of the Chehalis river, either by auto or
over one of the three transcontinental railroads that serve it. The
entire journey presents a panorama of pretty landscapes. The stream
itself is conspicuous, tracing the valley's boundary on one side and
again on the other, as if choosing the most convenient course to the
sea. Sometimes it disappears from view, but its presence is still marked
by clumps of willows and cottonwoods protecting its banks, and again by
some rustic bridge where the highway crosses.
[Illustration: SCENE ON LOWER GRAYS HARBOR.]
More generously the beauties unfold as the valley widens and the harbor
is neared. Quaint towns are seen, including Oakville, noted for large
shipments of cascara bark; Elma, an industrial center; and Montesano,
the county seat and head of river navigation. Green meadows, wooded
slopes, and cultivated farms on both sides of the river absorb the
attention until Cosmopolis, Aberdeen, and Hoquiam, close by the harbor,
are reached. These cities have experienced a remarkable growth within
the past fourteen years. Aberdeen and Hoquiam have now a combined
population of 29,000 in place of 6,355, the census returns of 1900.
Thoroughly cosmopolitan, they contain the homes of some of the
wealthiest men in the state.
[Illustration: MT. ST. HELENS AND SPIRIT LAKE
SMELT FISHING ON THE COWLITZ
AT THE OCEAN BEACH
THE KALAMA RIVER
A LOAD OF OYSTERS--WILLAPA HARBOR
WHALING STATION ON GRAYS HARBOR
SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON VIEWS.]
Such development has been due largely to the importance of the lumber
industry which in this section of the state has assumed large
proportions. The ravenous mills, the capacious yards, and the huge
vessels loading for foreign ports are common sights within the cities.
Farther away in the logging camps the agility of the lumberjack is
exhibited as he lays low the giants of the forest and trims the logs
ready for the mills.
The harbor may be most thoroughly appreciated by taking a ride upon its
waters. Regular steamers make the round trip each day, stopping at many
points of interest, both in the north and the south bay, including the
North Jetty under construction by the United States government,
Westport, where the life saving station and the wireless telegraph
station are located, and Bay City, one of the largest whaling stations
in the northwest. On the same trip the clam and crab fisheries may be
seen. At the week end it is pleasant to get off at Westport and visit
Cohasset Beach, there to enjoy the modern social pastimes that engage
the evenings of the summer dwellers.
Pacific Beach, Moclips, and a number of other ocean resorts near the
terminus of the Northern Pacific, also deserve visits; while those
desiring more strenuous exercise can make profitable excursions into the
wild Olympic region, exploring the forested hills, visiting the oil
prospects, or hunting and fishing.
Splendid highways lead in different directions. In Chehalis county alone
are 325 miles of gravel roads, every part of which passes near
interesting scenes. One road extends to the south of the harbor and
another to the beach resorts at the north. The Olympic Highway, one of
the state primary highways, leads east to the Sound country, and
northward up the Humptulips Valley, through the big timber to Lake
Quiniault, located in the midst of grand solitude on the edge of the
Quiniault Indian Reservation, making this lake a handy resort for the
people living near Grays Harbor. Those who take the trip should plan
their return so as to include a ride down the Quiniault River in Indian
canoes. The Mountaineers who returned this way from Mount Olympus in
1913, pronounced it the best part of the entire outing:
"The trip down the Quiniault river with its manifold beauties and
experiences beggars description--the swift current, the whirling eddies,
the deep, dark-green water, trout leaping into the air to catch the
flying insects, the banks clothed with magnificent forests, log jams
through which or under which we passed, animated branches marking the
rhythmic motion of the current, the floating canoes gliding into the
deeper, darker water to seek the current that hurried them on and ever
on to the ocean. The Indians skillfully guided the little craft through
the dangerous places, then settled back to rest until the next test of
skill or strength was necessary, in the meantime relating bits of
history or legends which explained names or some natural phenomenon. The
boom of the surf announced the end of the journey. As the Mountaineers
left the canoes on the beach at Taholah, it was agreed that the trip
down the Quiniault marked the red-letter day of the 1913 outing."
WILLAPA BAY.
[Illustration: TWO PATRIARCHS--ONE 65 FEET IN CIRCUMFERENCE.]
The water area of this bay is 100 square miles, composed of two
sections, one extending southward and separated from the ocean by a long
narrow peninsula, nowhere more than two miles in width, and the other
reaching eastward to South Bend and Raymond. Into it flows Willapa
river, besides other short but swift mountain streams teeming with trout
and other game fish. The bar is about a mile wide and the waters
covering it 28 1/2 feet deep at low tide, thus enabling sea-going
vessels to cross without the aid of tugs--a great advantage to ocean
liners and big lumber schooners, which may be seen almost any day either
lying at the docks or loaded to the gunwale passing out to sea.
The southern arm approaches within three miles of the Columbia River.
People in Pacific County say that Uncle Sam plans to dig a canal
through this narrow strip so that vessels may enter the river by way of
Willapa Bay and avoid the Columbia bar, kept open by jetties built at
enormous expense.
[Illustration: SURF ON WASHINGTON COAST
Photo by Asahel Curtis.]
The cities of Raymond and South Bend are other examples of what
lumbering and fishing have done for Washington municipalities. Where a
few years ago was nothing but a wilderness, known only to the Indians or
an occasional fisherman, are now busy marts with extensive waterfront
factory sites. Pretty roads start from these cities and wind along the
harbor front or penetrate the interior. Excursions by water may be made
to Bay Center and Tokeland, summer resorts and fishing stations. Crab
and clam fisheries and the oyster beds may be seen here to advantage,
Tokeland being the place where eastern oysters were first transplanted
for mercantile purposes.
South Bend and Raymond are also starting points for the North Beach
ocean resorts. On this trip one gets a full view of the bay, and the
ocean surf tumbling over the bar. At Nahcotta, a pretty oyster village,
all passengers are transferred to the O.-W. R. & N. train bound for
Ilwaco and Megler, whence regular steamers cross to Astoria. This train
makes frequent stops, permitting close scrutiny of the attractive summer
cottages that face the boundless ocean constantly visible on the right.
Located at almost the southern extremity of the peninsula is the quaint
town of Ilwaco, overlooking the Columbia bar. Near by are the most
extensive cranberry marshes in the state. Another attraction is "North
Head," most southwesterly point in the state of Washington, where an
unobstructed view of the ocean is obtained. From this point may be seen
the waters of the Columbia mixing with the ocean, "Tillamook Head" in
Oregon, the light house, the life-saving station, Fort Canby, the
wireless station, and the "Seal Rocks," where hundreds of sea lions are
usually sunning themselves.
Instead of returning by the same route, the Columbia River may be chosen
to Kalama, whence the Sound Country may be quickly reached by the
Pacific Highway or by rail. Every tourist should make at least one visit
to the Harbor Country and see the ocean from the southwest corner of the
state.
[Illustration: MOUNT RAINIER REFLECTED IN MIRROR LAKE
"_Owning no mightier but the King of kings_"
_Copyright by Curtis & Miller_]
[Illustration: MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK
"What vastness and sublimity
Were spread before our eager gaze!
What wild and varied scenery!
What pictures for the poets lays!"]
One day, late in summer, I was sitting upon a commanding promontory
nearly 7,000 feet in altitude, entranced by a panoramic view most
wonderful to behold. The sky was clear, the sun's warm rays were
unobstructed, and the air I breathed pure as the nectar of heaven. Only
five hours before I had left the city of Tacoma and a little earlier
Seattle--two great cities throbbing with the activities of nearly a half
million people engaged in manufacturing and mercantile pursuits.
Just beyond the foothills visible towards the west were the green
valleys in which these metropolitan centers lay--the nearest only forty
miles distant by an air line, close to the waters of Puget Sound. Yet
here, almost in sight of them, I was enjoying a quietude known only to
the haunts of nature. More than seven thousand feet above me towered the
majestic dome of the second highest pinnacle in the United States,
reserving observation to the north until its summit should be reached,
while far toward the east and the south extended range upon range of
mountain peaks, like an army of giants gathered around their chief. Here
and there among them appeared the sub-chiefs, Adams and St. Helens in
Washington; and Hood, Jefferson, and the Three Sisters, far beyond, in
Oregon. Between their serrated ranks darker shadows marked the deep
canyons where grows some of the choicest timber in the state.
Near by crawled the huge glacial bodies gnawing their way down the
mountain side and splitting its surface into rugged ridges. Between them
and below were spread the meadowed alpine parks or abandoned
cirques--veritable fairylands--which had been carved out by these
superhuman agencies eons before. Barely distinguishable was the road by
which I had made the circuitous ascent, bending back and forth across
the face of an apparently perpendicular wall, while the glacial streams
glittering in the sunshine, resembled huge serpents lying in the
profound hollows formed by the extending hills.
The hours spent in reaching this favored point were of themselves worth
the effort. Either rail or automobile may be chosen to Ashford where
each train is met by an auto stage. Leaving Tacoma, the highway threads
a picturesque gravelly prairie for thirty miles, ascends the beautiful
canyon road, crosses the Ohop Valley, leads to the brink of the
Nisqually Canyon a thousand feet deep, plunges through dense virgin
forests, reaches Longmire, and zigzags to the snout of the Nisqually
Glacier, whence the ascent to the Camp of the Clouds may be continued
afoot, on horseback, or by horse stage.
This region was only recently set aside as a National Park. Perhaps no
other area in the world brings so many and such varied natural wonders
to the very doors of two great cities. It contains a total of 207,360
acres, or 324 square miles, of which 100 square miles is occupied by
Mount Rainier (or Mt. Tacoma), king of mountains, rising apparently
directly from sea level, and visible from almost every point in the
state.
No grander expression of Nature's sculptural art exists than this mighty
pinnacle, 14,408 feet in altitude, whose glacial area, no less than 45
square miles in extent, exceeds that of any other peak in the United
States. One of the most interesting glaciers is Carbon on the north
slope, reaching down to a lower elevation than any other; the most
readily reached is the Nisqually, five miles in length; and the largest
is the White or Emmon's. Other primary glaciers are the Cowlitz,
Ingraham, Winthrop, North and South Mowich, Puyallup, North and South
Tahoma, and the Kautz. The most important secondary glaciers are Van
Trump, Frying-Pan, Stevens, Paradise, and Interglacier.
[Illustration: PARADISE PARK
ON THE WAY DOWN
AVALANCHE LILIES
THE ASCENT
IN MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK.]
The summit may be reached by five different routes. These are the
Paradise Valley, Indian Henry's, the Kautz Glacier, Ptarmigan Ridge, and
Emmon's or the White Glacier route. The Paradise Valley (known also as
the "Gibraltar") route, on the south side, is by far the most popular,
for it is well provided with hotel accommodations, and both the
government road and Paradise trail lead right up to the Camp of the
Clouds, at the mountain's foot. It is usual to leave this tented village
at midnight, arriving at Muir Camp (10,062 feet elevation) at about
5 a. m., and Columbia Crest, the highest point on the mountain, at about
11 a. m. From this celestial height one may see more than a hundred
miles in every direction, far away to the ocean on the west and into the
great Inland Empire on the east. The snow-capped peaks already noted are
seen toward the south, Mount Olympus to the northwest, and Baker,
Shuksan, Stuart, and Glacier Peak to the north; while the Mother, the
Sluiskin, the Sourdough Mountains, and the Tatoosh Range near by seem
like mere foothills, between eight and nine thousand feet below. No
grander or more inspiring view may be observed anywhere in the world.
Scaling the peak, however, is a feat undertaken by only a few, and
always with the aid of an experienced guide. The largest measure of real
joy is found in the alpine "parks." The best known and most frequented
is along the Paradise River. Tributary to it and reached from Longmire,
are Indian Henry's, Van Trump, Cowlitz and Magnetic Parks. Others
requiring more time to visit are Summerland, one of the largest and most
beautiful, Elysian Fields, and Morain, Saint Andrews and Grand Parks.
Surrounded by rugged peaks and snow fields these natural amphitheaters
present a pleasing contrast. Scarcely any underbrush exists in them but
many beautiful flowers, shrubs, and trees abound; three hundred distinct
plants are said to exist; pretty lakelets gem their surface; and all are
drained by trickling streamlets or cut by raging rivers producing
waterfalls of rare beauty as they go tumbling from the melting glaciers
to the sea. Excellent trails, built by the government, lead to every
point of interest and extend clear around the mountain. Camping places
are plentiful or accommodations may be obtained at comfortable hotels.
[Illustration: MOUNT RAINIER--LOOKING ACROSS LAKE WASHINGTON.]
[Illustration: 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 dashings, 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 Washington. 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.
[Illustration: 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 shores
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.
[Illustration: "BRIDGE OF THE GODS"
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 shore, 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 Washington side and in
Oregon. Before the entrance to the Snake River is reached, one will have
passed Ilwaco, Cathlamet, Kalama, Vancouver, Camas, Washougal,
Stevenson, White Salmon, and Wallula on the Washington side, besides
many important cities on the Oregon shores: 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 shifting 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 Washington. A
bridge, costing nearly two million dollars, will soon connect it with
the beautiful city of Portland.
[Illustration: READY FOR MARKET
SALMON FISHER'S RETREAT--MOUTH OF COLUMBIA
50,000 AT THE CANNERY