A Review of the Resources and Industries of the State of Washington, 1909 | Page 5

Grays harbor,
the majestic straits of Fuca and the equally majestic straits of Georgia
on the north are all great open highways from the sea, not only for
merchandise laden ships, but for myriads of salt water food fishes
which annually traverse their bottoms. Into these open mouths flows a
great network of fresh water rivers and streams, draining the entire area
of the state and providing the spawning waters for the fishes from the
sea not only, but for millions of strictly fresh water fishes. Not only
these, but late years have proven the shore waters of the state to
produce also great numbers of oysters, clams, crabs and shrimp. Nor is
this all, because the proximity of the state to the ocean gives it a great
advantage in profiting from the fishing industry among that class of the
finny hosts who refuse to leave their salt water homes. So that from the
whales of Bering sea to the speckled beauties that haunt the mountain
[Page 13] streams, through the long list of delectable salt and fresh
water food, the fisherman of Washington has an enticing and most
profitable chance to satisfy his love of sport and adventure not only, but
to increase his bank account as well.
SOILS AND LANDS.
Washington is particularly blessed in having a diversity of soils, all
admirably adapted to some department of agriculture and giving the
state the opportunity of great diversity in the occupations of its people.

The central plateau of eastern Washington, made up of level stretches
and undulating hills, is all covered with a soil composed of volcanic
ash and the disintegration of basaltic rocks which, together with some
humus from decayed vegetation, has made a field of surpassing fertility
for the production of the cereals with scant water supply; but under the
magic touch of irrigation it doubles its output and makes of it not only a
grain field but an orchard and garden as well. Underneath the forests of
eastern Washington, along the northern border of the state and in its
southeastern corner there is added a large proportion of clay, a
necessary element for perpetual pasturage, and widening the field for
fruit growing.
In western Washington, upon the bench lands and on the hills and
foothills the forests are supported upon a gravelly soil, intermixed with
a peculiar shot clay which disintegrates with successive tillage so that
when the forests are removed the soil becomes ready for all the grasses
and grains and fruits. In the valleys more silt and humus make up the
soil, and when the cottonwoods, alders and maples are gone there is left
a soil deep and strong for the truck gardener and general farmer, which
will endure successive tillings for ages. At the deltas of the rivers are
large reaches of level lands, some of which have to be diked to prevent
the overflow of the tides, which have had added the fertility of the salts
of the ocean and are probably the richest lands in the state fit for cereals
and root crops, not omitting the bulbs which have made the deltas of
Holland famous. There are also extensive peat beds which,
scientifically [Page 14] fertilized, will produce abundant returns to the
intelligent farmer.
LANDS.
The lands of the state are owned, some by Indian tribes, some by the
general government, some by the state, but largely by individual
citizens and corporations.
Indian Lands.
Of the Indian lands most of them have been "allotted" and the balance
will soon be thrown open to settlement. Of these the largest in western
Washington are the Quinault and Makah reservations and in eastern
Washington the great Colville reservation. This latter will in time make
two or three counties of great value, being adapted to general farming,
dairying, fruit growing and mining, and having an abundance of forest

area for fuel and building purposes. Those in western Washington are
timbered areas at present.
Government Lands.
The remnant of government lands are chiefly among the more barren
areas of eastern Washington and the poorer forest lands of western
Washington. The method of obtaining title to government lands is
generally known, and if not, can be obtained from the general land
offices, one of which is in Seattle, Olympia, Vancouver, Spokane,
Waterville, Walla Walla and North Yakima. The government still holds
title to nearly six million acres, and, while the best has been acquired
by others, the diligent searcher can still find homesteads and desert
claims worth energy and considerable expense to secure.
State Lands.
A recent estimate of the value of the state lands still in possession
makes them worth 56 million dollars. They include nearly 3,000,000
acres, a large portion of which is heavily timbered. These lands may be
obtained from the state through the state land