The Magic Well of the Upper Skagit

There has been much speculation regarding the source of the Skagit river. The head of the river was termed by the Indians a 'magic well,' from the fact that no party ever ventured beyond the head of canoe navigation. The party consisted of Frank Scott, John Batter, Chas. Presentien, O. H. Klement, John Duncan and John Rowley. We found that this river has its source east of the Cascade range. Near the forks, the valley opens out, where there is a basin 50 feet high, hills covered with fir and here and there a cedar. Passing down the river, about two miles below the forks, is another wonder of nature: the river passes through a tunnel about one mile in length. At the upper end is a grand arch about two hundred feet high by one hundred wide, fully two thousand feet beneath the surface of the mountain. On a clear morning, it presents the appearance of a furnace or a subterranean water cavern; it emits volumes of smoke or steam so dense one can scarcely see to travel, clearing away each day between ten and eleven o'clock. In the vicinity of the forks and tunnel, game is found in great quantities. Deer, elk, and the black, cinnamon, and grizzly bear are all very plentiful. There is an abundance of grouse, but most numerous is the bald eagle; from the great number of them, it may well be called the home of the American eagle.