Up the Snoqualmie
The Outlook and Future Prospects of the Valley - The Way the Settlers feel, etc.
Seattle Daily Intelligencer

Snoqualmie Prairie
Sept 23. 1879

The letter written from Falls City gave quite a description of the means of communication to and from this valley, yet something more remains to be said on this subject. During the past year the County Commissioners of Snohomish county have appropriated liberally for the improvement of the roads up the valley from Snohomish City. This money has been so judiciously expended, together with the road work of the districts along the route, that there is now a good wagon road from Snohomish City to Park Place, on the Skykomish river.

Along the river bank there is also a good wagon road up the river to George Saunders's place, three and a half miles above Snohomish City; from there a good trail goes up the bank of the Snohomish river to the Forks. Just below Chas Doty's clearing a rocky bluff comes to the edge of the river, and a foot trail passes close to the edge of the water at the foot of this bluff. It is expected that this fall the rocks will be blasted, so that a wagon road can be made between it and the river. As soon as this we done a wagon road will be cut out from Saunders's to Doty's places.

This will give a good wagon read from Snohomish City up to the mouth of the Skykomish river, on the north bank of the Snohomish. There is now a good road up the Skykomish over for some eight or ten miles. It is expected that a road will be laid out before long from a point on the Park Place road near Chas Cedergren's place, so as to strike the Skykomish river between one an two miles above its mouth. In opening up this route logging roads will be utilized, so that there will be very little more to do to make it a good road.

In the forks, between the Skykomish and the Snoqualmie a good wagon road extends across this very productive settlement from Harriman's and Johnson's places on the Skykomish to W. H. Reeves's place on the Snoqualmie river. From a point on this road near the Fitzmaurice place a trail, now passable, is being cut out in excellent shape over the high land to Rocky Point, on the Snoqualmie. From here there is a good trail for some miles up the river.

The King County Commissioners appropriated several hundred dollars to cut out the road from the Snohomish county line, at Mrs. Day's place, up the river to Falls City. This share of the work is being very thoroughly done, and the money is well expended. Enough has been said of the road to indicate the progress being made in that direction although no mention has been made of the trails on the south bank of the Snoqualmie and Snohomish rivers; these not affording as yet a continuous line of travel, are of less general interest.

From Falls City a new road is being cut out that will avoid some of the worst hills between that place and the Squak valley. It goes down the bottom some four miles and then makes a series of easy grades, thereby avoiding the deep canyon and materially improving the route to Seattle. Fails City is now quite centrally located as regards mail communications, there being two mails a week by carrier from Seattle, via Renton and Squak valley. and one each week from Snohomish City up the river.

Mr. William P. Smith now carries the mail from Seattle in place of Mr. Baxter, and Mr. Hans S. Hanson is the carrier from Snohomish City. Below J. D. Selleek's place all the railroad lands have reverted to the Government. The settlers as a rule feel quite confident, and are hopeful regarding the future. Above this where the lands have not reverted to the Government, the settlers are less hopeful. Many talk of going east of the mountains or some other place, where they can find land with no drawbacks.

The truth of the matter is that the settlers of the Snoqualmie, and particularly those far up the valley, have been very badly situated regarding the markets, perhaps worse than any other valley on the Sound. Some four or five years ago, when logging camps began to extend up the Snoqualmie river, the settlers were sanguine that these camps would furnish them an excellent market for their surplus products. They prepared to grow hay, vegetables, etc, for the camps; they were no more than prepared to furnish these things in quantities before they began to suffer severely by the breaking up of the loggers.

The lien law discriminated very unjustly against them, so that today the farmers would have been much better off if there had never been a logging camp on the river, as they by this time would have well established markets for their produce. Now those who placed but little dependence on the camps, but sought out other markets, are doing well, many of them making money, and all hopeful and confident regarding the future; while those who saw no other resource but a camp in which to sell their products are in despair.

Really it is a serious question, and our of vital interest to King and Snohomish counties, what shall the settlers raise that can be sold, and how shall they cheaply get their products to market? Ultimately the leading industry of this river will be the fruit and dairy business. There will doubtless before many years be a large cheese factory at Qualco for the farmers on the lower Snoqualmie and the Skykomish rivers, with some two or three others between there and Snoqualmie Prairie, but it will take several years to bring this about.

A steamer would greatly help them, but only a very small one would pay to run here until there was more money to cause business. The land is productive enough, and will grow large crops of moat anything that can be sold; but few of the ranches are at present adapted to grain raising. He sides this should always remain subordinated to other interests. Those who are forehanded enough to raise enough of any one kind of crop, to pay for them to ship in winter, hold it until then when the ordinary sternwheel steamers can come up the river their places, will do well.

Mr. G. D. Rutherford has some 70 fine sheep at Mr. Rufus Stearns's place, which he is now working. He an many others will find this very profitable, as they will keep very fat all winter, with very little food or care on these fertile bottoms. Many of the settlers on the San Juan Islands have a surplus stock of sheep, more than they can keep this winter, which they must dispose of cheaply. Should they be bought and brought here, where much feed will go to waste this fall and winter, this waste feed would make them fat enough to sell at a good price to Seattle butchers this winter, besides leaving a fair stock to grow on.

The big marsh on the south bank of the river above the residence of H. Spurrell. containing some 3,000 or more acres of land, it at yet wholly unimproved. This year, great quantities of cranberries are being gathered by the settlers from this marsh, both for home use and to sell at Snohomish City, where they bring a good price. On Saturday, the 20th of September, in company with Capt. W. B. Seymore, we ascended the steep high bluff immediately back of J. D. Selleck's place. We took with us a powerful telescope and a Holasteric barometer.

The telescope gave us a fine view of the marsh and river, while the barometer enabled us to measure the height of the falls on this mountain as well as the mountain itself. Mr. Selleck's house is probably not over fifty feet above sea level, while the falls are in perpendicular height above the level of the house about 250 feet. The mountain rises very steeply for 540 feet above the level of the house, then very gradually it recedes from the edge of the bluff.

At present very little water flows over Sellcck's falls, but in winter the quantity is great enough to make them very beautiful. Messrs Frazier, Sellcck and Day have places so sheltered from the early morning sun by this mountain as to peculiarly fit them for fruit raising, as they are never troubled by frost. Mr .Fraizer has a tree in his door yard that ripened a bushel and one-half of fine peaches this year. He has many young peach trees growing and in such a sheltered spot can successfully raise them.

We also saw a peach tree loaded down with fine fruit, ripening, at Fall City. Frank Dolan, Ned Ford and Phil Rutherford are about the only ones doing anything at logging on the Snoqualmie. Mr. Dolan in the last four years has opened up one of the largest farms on the river below the falls, besides carrying on his logging business. This year he raises perhaps more root crops than any other farmer on the river. He feeds but little grain to his oxen, and buys no supplies for his camp besides tea, coffee, sugar and part of the meat he uses; raising everything else. Managing it this way with the lessened wages and improved class of help be can ho says he can make more on four dollars per thousand for logs than he formerly could on five and six.

His crop of potatoes turnips, carrots, onions, etc. will this year be worth to him not far from one thousand dollars. Mr. Entwhistle has the largest hop crop of any one on this river; they are all well cured, and the sale of these hops at a good price this year will help him out finely. The view of these magnificent falls of the Snoqualmie, from the bluff below, is exceptionally fine. The sun shone on the mass of foam and water as it fell 272 feet on over down to the abyss below, reflecting in dazzling brilliancy all the colors of the rainbow. It is a sight well worth many days travel to see.

Tomorrow I start to cross the Snoqualmie Pass, afoot, and alone with a pack on my back. Will write again from Ellensburg or Yakima.

E. M