Harry F. Giles

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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.
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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Far beyond the boundaries of our own state spreads this wonderful plain, but the brief description contemplated in these few pages must be confined chiefly to Washington. The curious sight-seer or the serious homeseeker can well afford to spend many days exploring this region, marveling at both the mighty forces of creation and the embellishments of man. Under far more pleasant circumstances can it be traversed now than when the early pioneers first fought their way over the mountains. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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? ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Easy approaches are being constructed to every town and hamlet and into every farming community. So vigorously has the work been pushed that Washington now outranks every other state, except Colorado, in the facility and directness with which its mountain recesses may be reached. Upwards of 50,000 miles have been already completed, presenting altogether a labyrinth of broad thorofares, boulevards, and country highways. The most important highways built and maintained at state expense are the Pacific, the Sunset, the Inland Empire, the Olympic and the National Park. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The trip from Lyle to Goldendale along the Klickitat River is a journey of surprises. The railroad follows the winding canyon past pretty waterfalls, crosses hurrying brooks, and emerges finally into a wide, fertile plain overlooking the Columbia basin. Fields of waving grain and other products exhibit the richness of the Klickitat valley. Those desiring can motor from Goldendale into the Yakima valley or return to the Columbia via Maryhill, where Hon. Samuel Hill has built a $100,000 road across his 6,000-acre farm. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 [58] way to Vancouver (and beyond) , at which city, the oldest in the state, a tourist should linger long enough to appreciate the [59] 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. ”

“ The north, south, and west are guarded by forest-covered hills, spurs of the Cascades, over which many trails lead to charming mountain lakes and streams, where summer homes are maintained, and game awaits the hunter. The east opens up toward the wheat fields of the Big Bend, while the Columbia River Valley to the north and south is tributary and joins in all the enterprises of the district. Every tiny tributary stream in the vicinity marks the location of a peaceful home supported in affluence by successful fruit culture or gardening. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Population about 19,000. All points in the lower Yakima and in South Central Washington are easily reached. Business and public buildings are of artistic design. City is symmetrically laid out with very wide streets, well shaded. It grew from a village to the metropolis in a few years, keeping pace with the rapid development evident all up and down the valley. A blossom festival is held annually in the springtime, and the State Fair in September. A sight-seeing electric car will take one forty miles through alfalfa fields and orchards where the results of irrigation are displayed. ”

“ In order to insure plenty of game at the right season of the year, five trout hatcheries are supported by the state and a number by separate counties. The state hatcheries alone planted 4,399,050 trout in 1913. The common birds are propagated and set free at both public and private expense.
With nature's already liberal supply, and the state and counties blending their united efforts to supplement and conserve, the true sportsman will never regret casting his lot with the state of Washington, where his outdoor propensities may be encouraged to the fullest degree. ”

“ The mountains are visible either to the north or the east. They are neither as lofty nor as rugged as the Cascades and Olympics, but they are nevertheless beautiful. The highest peak in eastern Washington is Mount Spokane, 5,808 feet, twenty miles northeast of the city. From its summit one may look out into the three northwestern states of Oregon, Idaho and Washington, and into the province of British Columbia; and count seventeen different lakes and rivers. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”