The 1898 Sales Pitch That Called the San Juan Islands a 'Klondike at Home'

COUNTY OF SAN JUAN. Beauteous Isles That Form the Northwest Corner of the Union—Rich and Diverse in Resources—A Mecca for Home Builders. RARE GEMS OF THE SEA. Written for Ranch and Range by Judge W. H. Thacker.

That beautiful and fertile group of islands bounded on the north by the Gulf of Georgia, on the east by the Straits of Rosario, on the south by the Straits of Fuca and on the west by the Straits of De Haro, known as the San Juan archipelago, and now forming the county of San Juan, is fast gaining a worldwide fame on account of the salubriousness of the climate and their remarkable adaptability for fruit growing.

It is here that the apple, the prune and the strawberry attain a size and flavor excelled in no other part of the known world. Apples from the young and thrifty orchards on these islands have already won attention in the Atlantic seaboard cities, and such was the size, beauty and flavor of those sent to the eastern markets that out of a few boxes sent to New York 30 boxes were shipped to England as specimens of the apples grown on the northwest coast, and were the first shipped into the English market from the state of Washington.

Such is the luxurious growth and yield of the prune grown here that for lack of facilities for curing a great share of the last season's crop rotted on the ground; but from the appearances of the orchards, and with sufficient drying capacity, which is now being prepared, the prune growers of the San Juan archipelago will have a Klondike at home.

It is not claimed this is either a corn or wheat country; but peas to a great extent supply the absence of both, yielding nearly as much per acre as corn, and being much cheaper grown, and especially when fed to hogs, producing 25 percent more fat than either wheat or corn, and when it is considered that hogs fed upon peas never have the cholera, we must admit that the saying that 'pigs and peas will take the place of hog and hominy' is founded upon logic.

A Sheep Country. As a sheep-growing country, the San Juan archipelago no doubt rivals the world, the sheep not only yielding an enormous amount of wool, but their increase is also much more rapid than in the interior, owing to the regularity and mildness of the climate, and there being no wild animals to prey upon them. They run on the range the whole year without care or feed, unless when they are being fattened for market, when they are put on extra pasture or fed on peas and roots. Moreover, the mutton produced here is in every way equal if not superior to that produced by England and Scotland.

Cows graze on the succulent grasses nine-tenths of the year. The thermometer seldom rises above 80 degrees in summer, and still more seldom falls below zero in winter, making it the finest butter-making country in the Union, and for the want of these facts being known to the outside world, we have not a single butter or cheese factory in the county. Although wheat and corn are not a success, oats grown here commonly run 40 pounds to the measured bushel, overrunning 25 percent, or 500 pounds to the ton.

Hay is among the best crops the farmer can grow, the soil being equally productive for grasses as it is for root crops; in fact, all kinds of garden products are grown in the greatest abundance, and remain in the ground all winter uninjured by the frost, unless the weather is unusually severe.

This equi-temperature is caused by the Japan current rushing through the group, together with the Chinook winds. The Japan current coming warm in winter and cold in summer, so that there is only about 10 degrees difference in the temperature of the water of the Sound during the year, being always cold—which serves to a great extent to regulate the atmosphere, which, while damp, is energizing and bracing as the ocean breeze always is.

This humidity, regularity and mildness of the climate gives to these islands a remarkable advantage in the growing of certain products over almost any other part of the country, such, for instance, as the growing of the Dwarf Essex Rape, the Italian prune, some rare kinds of garden seed, and also the growing of bulbs. It has been demonstrated by Mr. George Gibbs, of Orcas Island, San Juan county, that bulbs can be grown here with wonderful success, and notwithstanding the fact that near $2,500,000 worth of bulbs are imported annually from Holland into this country, better bulbs can be grown here than we can import. Last year 16,930,162 pounds of chicory were imported into this country, and yet chicory can be as easily raised here as can the parsnip, which grows in every garden.

The Dwarf Essex Rape will yield a ton of seed per acre, which is now worth 10 cents per pound per 100, while the green forage makes the best of feed for sheep.

Quarries, Fish and Other Things. Valuable limestone quarries have been developed, the rock running over 98 percent pure lime. The Roche Harbor lime works is one of the most extensive in the world.

The fish industry of this county, though in its infancy, having been operated in a systematic manner only a couple of years, is moving forward with such rapid strides that it bids fair to lead all other industries. The Island Packing Company's plant is the most extensive.

The waters are filled with nearly all species of the finny tribe, the choicest being the red-meated sock-eye salmon. The silverside, spring salmon, humpback and other varieties of the salmon family are found in myriads. The flounder, halibut, herring, smelt and other kinds too numerous to mention are seen in great shoals. The beach, tide flats, reefs and coves bristle with the most luscious shellfish, such as oyster, clam, crab, mussel and rock oyster. Sea urchins also abound.

Many Other Products. The health of the people is almost without a parallel in the history of the western continent. This is accounted for by the salubrious and regular climate, the continuous sea breeze that purifies the atmosphere and the cool nights that always afford rest and refreshing sleep. The ground is never flooded by the freshets so troublesome and devastating in other parts of the country, and no decaying matter is left to breed disease. The crops are not washed out by sudden excessive rainfalls and cloudbursts. Tornadoes and cyclones are unknown, and thunderstorms are not heard once a year.

The San Juan archipelago is an interesting field for the scientist and archaeologist, being almost wholly unexplored and rich in the fauna and flora of both sea and land, as well as the remains of the prehistoric inhabitants whose history is written in ancient shell heaps, cairns, mounds and cemeteries yet to be explored.

Beautiful Scenery. To the tourist this island group is a veritable paradise; for the beauty and picturesqueness of the scenery there are none to excel it. From almost every high point or headland can be had magnificent views of snow-crowned Baker and the Cascades to the east, Mount Rainier to the southeast and the cloud-capped Olympics in their mighty grandeur to the south.

From the summit of Mount Constitution on Orcas Island, nearly 3,000 feet above the sea, one can look down upon the surrounding landscape and see a thousand evergreen isles, like bouquets, seemingly afloat upon the bosom of the ocean, the straits and channels like silver ribbons stretched between, the great ranges of mountains wrapped in snowy whiteness, the busy cities with spires and domes piercing the skies, while to westward, drifting over the boundless Pacific, are seen the great steamers freighted with the traffic of nations, and the white-winged ships loaded with the commerce of the world. Indeed, tourists have truly said that for beauty and picturesqueness, the view from the summit of Mount Constitution is unrivaled in the world.