A Review of the Resources and Industries of the State of Washington, 1909 | Page 2

STATE.
By virtue of its varied topography, Washington is naturally divided into
a number of districts or sections, each possessing its own particular
characteristics.
Olympic Peninsula.
The first of these districts may be described as consisting of that section
of the state including the Olympic mountains and extending westward
from them to the Pacific ocean. Within the limits of this Olympic
peninsula, as it is ordinarily termed, there is standing one of the largest
and most valuable tracts of virgin timber yet remaining in the United
States.
[Page 6] Puget Sound Basin.
The second district includes the territory lying between the Olympic
and Cascade mountains, the chief physical feature of which is the great
inland sea known as Puget Sound. The shore front of this important
waterway exceeds 2,000 miles, and its length is broken by numerous
bays and harbors, upon which are located Seattle, the state's metropolis,
and the growing cities of Tacoma, Everett, Bellingham and Olympia.
The climate of this section is mild in winter and cool in summer,
extremes in either season being practically unknown. Deep sea
shipping enters the port of Puget Sound from every maritime country
on the globe, and the industrial and commercial interests of this section
are expanding with extraordinary rapidity.
The Cascade Mountains.
The Cascade mountains constitute the third of these natural divisions.
This range extends in a broken line across the width of the state, at a
distance of about 120 miles from the Pacific ocean. These mountains,
their rugged peaks capped with a mantle of eternal snow, their sides
covered with a heavy timber growth, and their valleys carrying
numerous sparkling mountain streams, with illimitable possibilities for
the development of power, are one of the important assets of the state,
the value of which has not as yet even been estimated. The mineral

wealth of the Cascades, only a slight knowledge of which has as yet
been secured, will ere long contribute largely to the prosperity of the
state, while the more moderate slopes of the mountains serve a valuable
purpose for the pasturage of numerous flocks and herds.
Okanogan Highlands.
The fourth district is known as the Okanogan highlands, and occupies
that portion of the state lying north of the Columbia river and east of
the Cascade mountains. This section of the state contains valuable
timber and mineral wealth in addition to presenting many attractive
opportunities to the farmer and horticulturist. It has been hampered thus
far by [Page 7] lack of adequate transportation facilities, and for this
reason land may be had at exceptionally reasonable figures.
Columbia River Basin.
The Columbia river basin is by far the largest natural division of the
state, and, generally speaking, includes the section drained by that river
and its tributaries. Within the confines of this district are the great
irrigated and grain-growing sections of the state, which are a source of
constantly increasing wealth.
This great "Inland Empire," as it has come to be called, has made
thousands of homeseekers independent, and is largely responsible for
the rise to commercial greatness of the splendid city of Spokane. Other
cities of growing importance lying within the Columbia river basin are
Walla Walla, North Yakima, Ellensburg and Wenatchee, while scores
of smaller communities are annually adding to their population with the
continued development of the districts of which they are the immediate
distributing centers.
The Southeast.
The Blue mountains form the chief natural characteristic of the extreme
southeastern section of the state, which constitutes the sixth division.
This is comparatively a small district, but one that is highly favored by
climatic and soil advantages, and it is well timbered and watered.
The Southwest.
The southwest is the seventh and final division of the state. It
comprises an extensive district, fronting on the Columbia river and the
Pacific ocean. It is heavily wooded and its chief industries are based
upon its timber wealth. The taking and canning of fish and oyster
culture are also important industries, while fruit growing and general

farming are carried on upon a constantly increasing scale.

[Page 8] NATURAL RESOURCES OF WASHINGTON.
Probably few other states in the Union excel Washington in the great
variety, abundance and value of the natural gifts prepared and ripe for
the hand of man within its borders. Preceding races were content to
leave its wealth to us, being themselves satisfied to subsist upon that
which was at hand and ready for consumption with no effort but the
effort of taking. The impenetrable forests were to them a barrier to be
let alone. For the minerals within the mountains they had no use, and to
gather wealth from the tillage of the soil needed too much exertion.
Fish and game and fruits all ready to gather were all they sought, and
the state had enough of these