The Struggle to Clear the Skagit River

We have received a communication from Mr. Wiswell of the Skagit, and information from him concerning that section of our Territory and the attempts being made in the river. Our informant thinks that the settlement of the country will be retarded, judging from what has already occurred this season in that direction, and proposes an immediate restoration to the public domain of the lands on the river held by the N. P. R. Co. He says that nearly all the unoccupied lands on the river are held by this company, and were it not for this fact, he believes there would be four times as many settlers in the valley as there are at the present time. Now, branding this region as unsettled, the tide of immigration has been setting in strong of late, and especially since the cutting of the log jam. Many have already 'squatted' on the railroad lands, hoping to make their claims at some future time. The first jam in the river was three-quarters of a mile across. A channel was cut through this 100 feet wide, and since then a large portion of it has been smashed out by the current during the recent freshet. A large piece broke off and came rushing down the river. It was carried down into the north fork and lodged near its junction with the main river, making a jam as solid and firm as the original one. From the fact of its having gathered with large deposits of driftwood, and the impetuous rate at which the drift stuff is collecting there, Mr. Wiswell is of the opinion that the north fork will soon fill up, and the current that has heretofore set through there will find an outlet through the south fork. The upper jam is being rapidly cleared away and as soon as it is removed, a large portion of timber land and the best agricultural land on the river will be available. These camps have already been started on portions of the river, and as soon as the jam is out of the way, there will be a large amount of logs ready for market there. The Skagit is a beautiful large strong stream, running through a broad, handsome valley of the richest soil, at present covered mostly with a thick growth of alder and vine maple, with a dense fir forest in the back ground. Much of the bottom land needs dyking, but the river overflows its banks only slightly; these dykes are not expensive.