A Road, a Railroad and a 10x10 Schoolhouse: Into the Wilds of Clallam County

Mr. S. W. Clark has just returned from a trip through that remote section of the state lying between Clallam bay and the Hoh river in the far western corner of Clallam county, and is enthusiastic over the beauty of the scenery, the great size of the timber and the richness of the soil.

He went from Clallam bay to Forks prairie, a distance of thirty-five miles, over the new road which the county has cut through the dense forest at a cost of $1,750 a mile. He found the soil of the prairie fertile and producing the finest crops of hay, oats, potatoes and hops, while vegetables grow in great profusion. In describing the rest of his trip he said:

"From here we went over a well-beaten trail eight miles to the Bogachiel river, where there is quite a large settlement of hardy pioneers. As yet but few women inhabit the land, but the well-built cabins contain one or two lonely bachelors who give the traveler a hearty welcome. They are well supplied with all that is necessary to appease the hunger of a fellow man. There is a tri-weekly mail to this river, and supplies come up from the coast at Lapush in Indian canoes, a distance of twenty miles, at a trifling expense.

"From Bogachiel river we went over a bad trail seven miles to the Hoh river. This beautiful valley promises all that one desires in making a rural home. The scenery is unsurpassed, the soil is a black, sandy loam, as good as that found in Ohio, Indiana or Illinois, and it is generously watered with many cool springs and sparkling rivulets coming down from the snow-clad Olympics. Here are thousands of acres of surveyed and unsurveyed land awaiting settlers. The Hoh river is midway between Port Angeles and Gray's Harbor, and has forty or fifty settlers who have from five to fifteen acres under cultivation.

"The drawback of this country is poor roads and no bridges across the streams. But the time of better facilities for getting in and out is near at hand. In fact the county has let the contract for building a road from Bogachiel river to the Queets on the south side of the county, a distance of twenty-five miles, and is also to have ferries across the larger streams. When this is completed this county will be accessible at any time of the year. The great need of this country is a railroad. At this time a large party of men is looking over the route, taking note of all the advantages of the country, supposed to be in the interest of some railroad company. It is generally thought the road will run from Port Crescent by the beautiful Crescent lakes, thence down the Soleduck river to Shuwah, then in a southerly direction to the Bogachiel, Hoh and Queets rivers, and on through the Quinault reservation to Gray's Harbor. There is no doubt but that such a road would be a paying investment, as it would go through the finest belt of timber in Washington, and an agricultural country not inferior to any in the state. The west end of Clallam and Jefferson counties will in the near future be clipped off and form a new county. As it is now settlers have to go 100 miles to Port Townsend to pay their taxes.

"The completion of the harbor improvements proposed by Senator Squire will give a new impetus and a needed outlet to this country.

"On the return trip we passed Beaver postoffice, which is kept in a small house surrounded by a dense forest. Still within its walls a spicy weekly paper, the Beaver Times, is issued. Surely that editor has pioneer pluck and a hat full of brains. As we dismounted for lunch ten miles further, a young man came out of a cabin followed by six children with hair of various colors. I was in a deep study how a young man could have such a medley of a family, but was told that he was a school teacher. As I saw no houses, I asked where the scholars came from. 'Oh, they just come out of the brush,' he said. A schoolhouse 10x10, a live school teacher and six scholars, shows the push of frontier life."