A Sixty-Mile Ditch and a Railroad Over the Mountains: Seattle Money Goes East

Learning that Judge J. R. Lewis had just returned from an extended trip through the great agricultural and grazing country east of and adjoining King county, and known as Yakima county, a Post-Intelligencer reporter called at that gentleman's office, and from him obtained the following information:

"It is growing rapidly, and a number of buildings are there being erected. The surrounding country is settling up at a moderate rate. The hop crop was very good this season, and the wheat, hay and oat crop is unusually fine in the Yakima valley. The business houses of Yakima City are all prospering. The First National Bank of Yakima, of which I have the honor to be president, has erected a very handsome building, built a sandstone vault, and placed in it a 4,000-lb burglar-proof safe, of the McNeale & Urban make. This building and fixtures cost $6,500. Edward Whitson is president and cashier, and J. H. Feuerbach [is] cashier. The capital stock is $50,000, all paid up, and the bank is very prosperous and doing a good business, which indicates general prosperity. Yakima City has a population of about 400 people; has four churches, a good schoolhouse, and a better courthouse than King county. The county is very large, and will be divided at the next session of the Legislature. The boundary line generally agreed upon is half way between Yakima City and Ellensburg. The eastern half will still be known as Yakima, with Yakima City for its county seat, and the western half as Kittitas, with Ellensburg as its county seat."

"Between Ellensburg and the falls of the Yakima the Northern Pacific Railroad Company have 1,000 men at work on the Cascade Branch, driving westward toward Snoqualmie Pass. I learned that the force would soon be greatly increased, and that a fifty-mile section would be completed this fall. The people now believe the railroad company really mean to build the Cascade Branch, and are jubilant over the prospects of soon being able to reach Puget Sound by rail."

"You will remember," said the Judge, "that about two years ago a number of Seattle business men invested largely in lands in Yakima county, under the United States desert land laws, and we are now arranging to cut a ditch sixty miles long from a point on the Yakima river east of the Lower Yakima [country] down through a large section of now unproductive country. We have an engineering party in the field running the lines for the water-way. By means of this ditch we will reclaim at least 350,000 acres of land which in its present state is wholly unproductive, but with irrigation can be made to raise 30 or 40 bushels of wheat to the acre."

"The country between Yakima City and Ellensburg, with the exception of the Wenas valley, is of little account except for grazing. At Ellensburg you strike the Kittitas valley, extending along up the Yakima river for thirty miles, with an average width of eight miles. This is all good land, and a very large portion of it is fenced and improved and will yield large crops this year. It is exceedingly well watered by the Yakima river and its tributaries, and there is excellent timber in the mountains from five to twenty miles distant. From Ellensburg, extending east and north for a distance of from 10 to 15 miles, is a very extensive agricultural valley, which is remarkably well watered. This portion of Yakima is probably the best watered valley on the Pacific Coast. In fact, the Kittitas valley, east and west, is remarkably productive, healthful and beautiful. It has a population of about 1,500 people — thrifty farmers in good circumstances, who are putting up good buildings and making extensive improvements on their places. There are five grist mills and three sawmills in this valley, one of the grist mills being a three-story brick structure. Skirting all these valleys are mountains not very abrupt, which are covered with bunch grass and make fine grazing lands, and the large herds of young cattle ranging upon them are all in splendid condition."

"Ellensburg is a thrifty little place of about 800 inhabitants. It has a good schoolhouse and three large general merchandising establishments, the proprietors being Shoudy & Stover, Thomas Johnson, and Smith Brothers & Co. All these houses carry large stocks of goods, and have the appearance of thrift and prosperity. Quite a number of immigrants have recently arrived and are settling in the valley. The great drawback to this section of country is the lack of a market. There are several hundred people working in the mines near Ellensburg, at which place they get their supplies. A very superior grade of wheat is raised in this valley, and Smith Bros. & Co. expect to ship flour from Ellensburg to Portland this fall. During my visit east of the mountains I ate bread made from Kittitas wheat flour, and it was the finest bread I have ever eaten. The First National Bank of Ellensburg has been organized, with a paid-up capital stock of $50,000, and will be ready for business within 30 days. The officers are: J. R. Lewis, President; Edward Whitson, Vice President; and A. W. Engle, Cashier. We have leased a building for two years, and are building a fireproof vault. We have ordered a 4,000-pound burglar-proof safe, with [all the improvements], and all the modern improvements. Our intention is to furnish the people all the money they want for legitimate business at one per cent per month. The present rate is one and a half and two per cent per month. We will, however, do a very conservative business, and see to it that the bank is at all times kept in a condition to meet all its obligations. The people have raised funds by subscription to build a wagon road to Seattle, and now have a good passable road for teams to Lake Kitchelas, which is six miles east of the summit. At this point a hotel is now being built. There are forces of men on both sides of the mountains, pushing the work, and it is expected before snow falls to have a good road over the entire distance. The people feel deeply interested in this enterprise, and are giving as liberally toward it as they can, and they expect the King county folks to stand firm and help them out."