During the period of gigantic mountain building millions of years ago, the ancient peak Mount Si was covered by the Cascades, but never has there been real conformity between the hard primeval rock and the younger volcanic formation. The younger rock slips from time to time, as some earth movement takes place, and the resultant tremendous jar is felt throughout the region.
In the Proterozoic era, the earliest of the four geologic divisions of time, long before the Cascades had risen, an embayment of the primeval sea covered most of the Pacific Northwest region. The Blue Mountains, in the extreme southeastern corner of the present State, have been described by some geologists as a rocky promontory extending into this arm of the sea. Some 300 or more miles to the west of the old coastline, south from what is now Washington, lay an island, or islands, the existence of which has led to the erroneous belief that another continent lay to the west of this one in prehistoric ages.
After hundreds of millions of years, with alternating periods of submersion and dry land, the region was invaded by the sea from the north, in the Paleozoic era. The depositing of silt from adjacent land areas and other natural processes resulted in the filling up of the original embayment to a maximum depth of 30,000 feet. Present deposits of quartz, slate, marble, and schist represent these ancient ones, but greatly altered in structure and recrystallized. Paleozoic rocks found in various places across northern Washington contain valuable fossil specimens of marine life of that period.
During the Mesozoic era, which probably lasted for more than 100,000,000 years, the essential features marking the existing topography were formed. It was during the latter part of this era (Jurassic period), according to John Hodgdon Bradley, that the original uplift of the Sierra Nevada, the Coast Range, the Cascades, and the Klamath Mountains occurred. Also in this period, another great inundation laid down beds of mud and sand that gradually were transformed into the bedrock of the San Juan Islands. Large deposits of magnesite, especially in Stevens County, probably originated at this time. With the making of mountains, great masses of molten rock pressed upward through the earth's crust, and gold, silver and other metals were fused with the rock while in this liquid state. As the Cascades first, and later the Coast Range, were formed, successively they made new coastlines, low-lying barriers to the ocean. The Mesozoic era, the age of reptiles, gave to the world some of its most curious life forms, including the giant dinosaurs; many of these have been unearthed on the San Juan Islands and in other parts of the State. Many marine specimens have been found in the shales and limestones of Stevens County.
The latest era, the Cenozoic, was marked by some of the most dynamic changes of all, including the greatest lava flow in geologic history and the age of ice; it also gave to the region some of its most productive natural resources -- rich soil left by extensive lava flows, the great rivers and bays taking shape during this period, and the rich deposits of coal and other minerals being laid down. Of this era, the last 2,000,000 years constitute the recent epoch, within which came great volcanic eruptions and the period of glaciation. The Tertiary period, enduring for more than 50,000,000 years, was marked by long periods of sedimentation, erosion, and vegetation, alternating with periods of immense volcanic activity.
The western part of the State, except for the highest, or central, part of the Olympic Mountains, was covered with water, and great swampy flats extended along the edge of the present Puget Sound Basin. From these were derived the shales and sandstones, the gold-bearing gravel of Sauk River, the commercial coal deposits. Gradually the see floor was raised, and the Olympics were united with the mainland. Volcanic action, accompanying the building of the Columbian Plateau, brought forth great streams of lava, covering more than 200,000 square miles (estimates vary) in present Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. The weight of hot plastic rock tended to wear away all but the highest bills and to force streams to seek new outlets, with the changing of the watershed. The Columbia River was forced from its old channel into its present one, cut through granitic slopes at the edge of the lava plain.
With the cessation of volcanic activity, in the long periods of sedimentation and erosion, many forms of animal and reptile life inhabited the region. Immense forests arose; petrified logs remain to indicate something of the size and type of these ancient trees. Gingko Petrified Forest was formed by the flow of lava over fallen gingko, trees; ground water creeping through the rock brought quantities of silica which, in the form of quartz, gradually took the place of the wood. Whole stone logs are found, some wonderfully and delicately colored, in the shape of the Asiatic gingko tree.
Toward the close of the Tertiary period, various plateaus and hills were formed -- the Badger Mountains and Waterville Plateau, prominent folds of the Frenchman Hills, and the Spokane Divide. Large basins were created, and the Yakima River cut its way through ridge after ridge, as each in turn arose.
The Quaternary (later Cenozoic) period was one of discordant events that completely changed the topography, producing marked climatic differences between eastern and western Washington. From a chain of vents along the line of the Cascade Mountains, volcanoes discharged great quantities of cinders and ash and exuded molten rock. Temporary cessations of the latter allowed incrusting materials, chiefly andesite, to build up great cones to form such peaks as Baker, St. Helens, Adams, and Rainier. The largest of these was the truncated mass of Mount Rainier. Active as late as the early part of this century and still steaming and emitting gases, this mountain once attained a height of more than 16,000 feet, only to lose 2,000 feet of its peak in an explosion. Other unrelated lava flows occurred at this time throughout the Cascade Mountains.
Later, as the climate turned colder, enormous glaciers slid down from the north to cover the upper part of the State. Elevations were greater than now. Puget Sound was dry. On the lofty Cascade Mountains and the major volcanic peaks, constant snows packed into glaciers that plowed down the slopes.
With a reversion to comparative warmth, melting ice sent debrisladen floods roaming over the Columbian plain, seeking or creating new channels as they rushed down the gradients caused by an earlier tilting. The abandoned rock-walled channels are today known as coulees. The Columbia River, much greater in volume than it is today, was blocked by the Okanogan Ice Lobe at the present site of Coulee Dam. The powerful stream, augmented by the run-off from adjacent and distant glaciers and the sudden draining of large lakes as far east as Montana, excavated a new channel. Abandoned when the retreating glacier allowed it to resume its former course, the old channel is now known as the Grand Coulee. A waterfall, one of the greatest in earth's history, thundered over the cliffs in what is today Dry Falls State Park.
A great lake, named by geologists Lewis Lake, and many minor bodies of water covered large areas of central and eastern Washington. The White Bluffs, 600 feet high and 30 miles long, on the Columbia River in Franklin, Grant, and Benton Counties, were created at this time. The force of the streams stripped sediments from the underlying lava, and these, transported southward, fill the fertile farming areas today. The denuded regions are the Channeled Scablands, more than 2,500 square miles of bare lava intricately channeled by ancient streams, now dry.
The shallow edges of the glaciers in the Puget Sound region, reaching as far south as Tenino, melted quickly, forming "mystery mounds" -- the hundreds of little hummocks and hills of that "mound prairie" region. Vast clay deposits, characteristic of Puget Sound topography south of Admiralty Inlet and Deception Pass, indicate a damming of the melting waters at these points. With the disappearance of the ice dams, the quick run off carved numerous valleys out of the sea bed. When the sea level rose again these became deep harbors and channels bordered by high cliffs.
Fossils found in central Washington beds tell of lush vegetation and abundant animal life -- temperate zone and subtropical flora and fauna -- maintained by the rich lava-formed soil. Fossilized leaves of fig, oak, cypress, elm, and gingko (the Sacred Tree of China) have been uncovered. Sequoia trees grew in several parts of the State.
Rocks along the margins of Puget Sound have revealed marine forms of the recent, or Cenozoic, era. Bones of mammals of this period, including the mammoth, the horse, and the bison, may be seen in the Whitman College Museum at Walla Walla. A skeleton of the mastodon (Elephas Columbi), built up from remains uncovered in the vicinity of Latah near Spokane in 1878, is a highly valued exhibit in the Field Museum in Chicago.
Washington Climate
Washington's topography, together with warm sea currents, strongly affects the climate, which varies greatly in different areas. Rainfall ranges from extremes of 6 inches in the eastern part to 160 inches in the western. East of the Cascades summer temperatures are often above 100° F. Not uncommonly, eastern Washington winters drop to -- 20° F. and -- 300° F., and crop seasons in the northern and higher portions are sometimes less than 100 days, increasing to 200 days towards the south. The average annual precipitation of 16 ½ inches in this section ranges from 60 inches in the mountains to 6 inches on the plains. The westerly prevailing wind's average velocity is low -- between 5 and 6 miles per hour -- but occasional sand or dust storms visit the and areas.
In western Washington, the heaviest rainfall in the United States occurs on the southwestern slope of the Olympics, at Wynooche, where the average is 141 inches. On the northern side of the Olympics, Sequim has the lightest rainfall, averaging 17 inches, and requires irrigation. The average in the western section, however, is 36 inches. The rainiest month is likely to be December, and the driest, July. Winter temperatures average 40° F., with a daily average minimum of 35°. Summers average 61° F. with a daily average maximum 0f 74°. Yearly snowfall varies widely, averaging less than 13 inches at Seattle, while Snoqualmie Pass has had 400.
Puget Sound area crop seasons average 207 days, diminishing to 185 in the valleys south. First frosts usually occur in November, and the last frosts in March. Wind velocities vary from a yearly average of greater than 12 ½ miles on the coast, with occasional seasonal bursts of hurricane intensity, to 6 miles per hour in the interior.
Washington is a region where nature, on the whole, has been kind, barring it from catastrophic earthquakes, cyclones, drouths, and extensive floods, and endowing it with a climate assumed by scientists to be highly favorable for physical and mental exertion.
In western Washington, the heaviest rainfall in the United States occurs on the southwestern slope of the Olympics, at Wynooche, where the average is 141 inches. On the northern side of the Olympics, Sequim has the lightest rainfall, averaging 17 inches, and requires irrigation. The average in the western section, however, is 36 inches. The rainiest month is likely to be December, and the driest, July. Winter temperatures average 40° F., with a daily average minimum of 35°. Summers average 61° F. with a daily average maximum 0f 74°. Yearly snowfall varies widely, averaging less than 13 inches at Seattle, while Snoqualmie Pass has had 400.
Puget Sound area crop seasons average 207 days, diminishing to 185 in the valleys south. First frosts usually occur in November, and the last frosts in March. Wind velocities vary from a yearly average of greater than 12 ½ miles on the coast, with occasional seasonal bursts of hurricane intensity, to 6 miles per hour in the interior.
Washington is a region where nature, on the whole, has been kind, barring it from catastrophic earthquakes, cyclones, drouths, and extensive floods, and endowing it with a climate assumed by scientists to be highly favorable for physical and mental exertion.
Washington Natural Setting
Washington, the Evergreen State, occupies the northwest corner of the United States, with the Pacific Ocean on the west, Canada on the north, Idaho on the east, and Oregon on the south. Although its northwest corner is chewed out by the sea, and its southern border is determined by the meanderings of the Columbia River from the point where it swings westward, the State is roughly rectangular, measuring 360 miles east to west and 240 miles north to south. With a water area of 1,721 square miles and a land area of 66,836 square miles, Washington is larger than all New England.
The State, consisting of seven distinct physiographic areas -- the Olympic Mountains, Willapa Hills, Puget Sound Basin, Cascade Mountains, Okanogan Highlands, Columbia Basin, and Blue Mountains -- represents virtually every topographic variation known in the United States.
The Olympic Mountains, a part of the coastal range, lie between Puget Sound, Juan de Fuca Strait, and the Pacific Ocean, and are separated from the Willapa Hills by the valley of the Chehalis River. The region presents a labyrinth of peaks -- Mount Olympus (8,150 alt.), Mount Fitzhenry (8,098 alt.), and Mount Constance (7,717 alt.), outstanding -- and serrated ridges, broken and eroded. Alpine valleys lakes, and torrential rivers are numerous.
South of the Olympic Mountains are the Willapa Hills, a region of sedimentary and igneous rocks of the Tertiary period. Relatively low, rarely approaching 3,000 feet in elevation, this area receives less rainfall than the northern region, yet vegetation is rank, and there are many streams draining into the Columbia River and Willapa Harbor. Only along the bank of the Columbia River do the hills become abrupt.
The Puget Sound Basin lies between the Olympic and Cascade Mountains in the form of a broad trough, extending from Juan de Fuca Strait, which connects Puget Sound with the Pacific, half way to the Columbia River. It averages 100 feet in elevation in its central portion, while its flanks rise to join the mountains. Based upon rugged folds of sedimentary rocks, rock beds, glaciation, and lava flows, the erosion of innumerable streams has made it relatively uniform. At its southern end are extended plains, reaching almost to the Columbia River. Puget Sound, for which the basin is the trough, is 80 miles long, 8 miles wide at the broadest point, and has depths of 900 feet: a body of water flanked by forested bluffs and low dikelands, with extensive bays, inlets, and passages between the 300 islands that lie within its shores, Of these, the 172 inhabitable islands of the San Juan group (see Island Tour 3) and Whidbey Island, second largest in continental United States, are most noteworthy.
Extending across the State from north to south at its approximate middle longitude is the great barrier of the Cascade Mountains -- shaped somewhat like an hour-glass -- a range, 100 miles wide at the Canadian and Oregon boundaries, and 50 miles at its middle. The numerous peaks average from 6,000 to 8,000 feet in elevation, while the volcanic cones of Mounts Rainier, St. Helens, Baker, Adams, and Glacier Peak rise much higher. Of these peaks, only one, Mount Adams, is on the range axis; the others, St. Helens, Baker, Glacier Peak, and Rainier are on the western flank. Because of their origin, the northern and southern Cascades are quite dissimilar. The rugged southern portion resulted from great igneous activity due to volcanoes, while the northern portion, seemingly a great raised plateau at one time, is more uniform; whatever ruggedness it possesses has resulted from erosion rather than from volcanic action. The streams of the range, as a whole, are strong and deeply bedded. Mountain valleys, once the beds of great glaciers, have been deeply eroded -- leaving grand cirques and amphitheaters, such as the water-filled gorge of Lake Chelan, that are among the great attractions of the range. Only the Columbia River crosses the Cascade Mountains. Three tunnels -- the Cascade, the Rockdale, and the Stampedepierce the Cascades for rail transportation; and the Chinook, Stevens, and Snoqualmie passes make them surmountable by highways.
North of the "Big Bend" of the Columbia River and north of the Spokane River, and merging into the Cascades on the west and the Rockies on the east, are the Okanogan Highlands: beautifully rounded, broad, low hills sloping gently from watersheds to the river beds, with divides -- often 6,000 feet in elevation -- never sharp or abrupt. The Highlands, unlike the heavily wooded Cascades, are largely open and park-like, with a minimum of undergrowth.
South of the Okanogan Highlands almost to the Oregon boundary,and extending east of the Cascades almost to the Idaho boundary, is the Columbia Basin, an area of approximately 1,500,000 acres of sage and scabland. From an elevation of 500 feet at the Columbia River, lowest point in the region, the basin rises rapidly westward toward the foothills of the Cascades; eastward, the rise is more gradual to an elevation of approximately 2,000 feet at the Idaho Line. Ridges, extending east and west through the basin and marking the eroded course of past ice sheets, once rose across streams, but the latter in time have cut through them. The area of the Big Bend is scarred by great, ancient, long-dry river courses, of which Moses Coulee and Grand Coulee are excellent examples. Some of the coulees, however, still hold chains of lakes, strongly alkaline. From the region of the deep canyons of the Snake River and its tributaries, rolling plateaus -- the Palouse Country -- extend north and east, a fertile region of wind-borne soil deposits. In the southeastern corner of the State are the Blue Mountains, a prominent uplift of some 7,000 feet in the lava plain. The rounded domes, rising 2,000 to 4,000 feet above the surrounding basin lands, receive, in contrast to the contiguous country, enough rainfall to support forest growth. The streams, in deep valleys, have affected general contours very little.
The State, consisting of seven distinct physiographic areas -- the Olympic Mountains, Willapa Hills, Puget Sound Basin, Cascade Mountains, Okanogan Highlands, Columbia Basin, and Blue Mountains -- represents virtually every topographic variation known in the United States.
The Olympic Mountains, a part of the coastal range, lie between Puget Sound, Juan de Fuca Strait, and the Pacific Ocean, and are separated from the Willapa Hills by the valley of the Chehalis River. The region presents a labyrinth of peaks -- Mount Olympus (8,150 alt.), Mount Fitzhenry (8,098 alt.), and Mount Constance (7,717 alt.), outstanding -- and serrated ridges, broken and eroded. Alpine valleys lakes, and torrential rivers are numerous.
South of the Olympic Mountains are the Willapa Hills, a region of sedimentary and igneous rocks of the Tertiary period. Relatively low, rarely approaching 3,000 feet in elevation, this area receives less rainfall than the northern region, yet vegetation is rank, and there are many streams draining into the Columbia River and Willapa Harbor. Only along the bank of the Columbia River do the hills become abrupt.
The Puget Sound Basin lies between the Olympic and Cascade Mountains in the form of a broad trough, extending from Juan de Fuca Strait, which connects Puget Sound with the Pacific, half way to the Columbia River. It averages 100 feet in elevation in its central portion, while its flanks rise to join the mountains. Based upon rugged folds of sedimentary rocks, rock beds, glaciation, and lava flows, the erosion of innumerable streams has made it relatively uniform. At its southern end are extended plains, reaching almost to the Columbia River. Puget Sound, for which the basin is the trough, is 80 miles long, 8 miles wide at the broadest point, and has depths of 900 feet: a body of water flanked by forested bluffs and low dikelands, with extensive bays, inlets, and passages between the 300 islands that lie within its shores, Of these, the 172 inhabitable islands of the San Juan group (see Island Tour 3) and Whidbey Island, second largest in continental United States, are most noteworthy.
Extending across the State from north to south at its approximate middle longitude is the great barrier of the Cascade Mountains -- shaped somewhat like an hour-glass -- a range, 100 miles wide at the Canadian and Oregon boundaries, and 50 miles at its middle. The numerous peaks average from 6,000 to 8,000 feet in elevation, while the volcanic cones of Mounts Rainier, St. Helens, Baker, Adams, and Glacier Peak rise much higher. Of these peaks, only one, Mount Adams, is on the range axis; the others, St. Helens, Baker, Glacier Peak, and Rainier are on the western flank. Because of their origin, the northern and southern Cascades are quite dissimilar. The rugged southern portion resulted from great igneous activity due to volcanoes, while the northern portion, seemingly a great raised plateau at one time, is more uniform; whatever ruggedness it possesses has resulted from erosion rather than from volcanic action. The streams of the range, as a whole, are strong and deeply bedded. Mountain valleys, once the beds of great glaciers, have been deeply eroded -- leaving grand cirques and amphitheaters, such as the water-filled gorge of Lake Chelan, that are among the great attractions of the range. Only the Columbia River crosses the Cascade Mountains. Three tunnels -- the Cascade, the Rockdale, and the Stampedepierce the Cascades for rail transportation; and the Chinook, Stevens, and Snoqualmie passes make them surmountable by highways.
North of the "Big Bend" of the Columbia River and north of the Spokane River, and merging into the Cascades on the west and the Rockies on the east, are the Okanogan Highlands: beautifully rounded, broad, low hills sloping gently from watersheds to the river beds, with divides -- often 6,000 feet in elevation -- never sharp or abrupt. The Highlands, unlike the heavily wooded Cascades, are largely open and park-like, with a minimum of undergrowth.
South of the Okanogan Highlands almost to the Oregon boundary,and extending east of the Cascades almost to the Idaho boundary, is the Columbia Basin, an area of approximately 1,500,000 acres of sage and scabland. From an elevation of 500 feet at the Columbia River, lowest point in the region, the basin rises rapidly westward toward the foothills of the Cascades; eastward, the rise is more gradual to an elevation of approximately 2,000 feet at the Idaho Line. Ridges, extending east and west through the basin and marking the eroded course of past ice sheets, once rose across streams, but the latter in time have cut through them. The area of the Big Bend is scarred by great, ancient, long-dry river courses, of which Moses Coulee and Grand Coulee are excellent examples. Some of the coulees, however, still hold chains of lakes, strongly alkaline. From the region of the deep canyons of the Snake River and its tributaries, rolling plateaus -- the Palouse Country -- extend north and east, a fertile region of wind-borne soil deposits. In the southeastern corner of the State are the Blue Mountains, a prominent uplift of some 7,000 feet in the lava plain. The rounded domes, rising 2,000 to 4,000 feet above the surrounding basin lands, receive, in contrast to the contiguous country, enough rainfall to support forest growth. The streams, in deep valleys, have affected general contours very little.
From Sagebmsh to Seacoast
Despite the multiplicity of means of communication today, many people still conceive of the State of Washington as virtually a frontier wilderness, accessible only to the rugged and the adventurous. This impression derives in part no doubt from the State's geographic location, in part from its historical association with an Indian war, and in part also from frontier fiction, which usually offers an exaggerated, romantic account of pioneers, cowboys, lumberjacks, and desperadoes.
Two hundred years ago, this region was largely unexplored. The eastern section was a semiarid plateau of rolling hills covered with sagebrush and bunchgrass, the habitat of prairie dogs, coyotes, and rattlesnakes. Here Indians roamed, hunted, and fished. Through these sun-drenched barrens, the majestic Columbia River cut its way to the Pacific Ocean. Forests of lodgepole and ponderosa pine, fir, and tamarack ascended the northern highlands and the eastern slope of the Cascades. On the more humid western side of the range, another dense forest of spruce, Douglas fir, cedar, and hemlock swept down to the coast, unbroken except for Indian trails and occasional prairies and lowland valleys, and somber save when brightened by pink rhododendrons, the shimmering white of dogwood trees in flower, the golden catkins of maple and alder, or in some localities the flame of autumn leaves.
Within these forests, bear, deer, elk, and cougar were plentiful, and the many lakes and rivers, abounding in fish, were frequented by beaver, mink, and otter. Grouse and ptarmigan whirred across the uplands, ducks sought the sheltered waters of inland lakes, and geese honked along the rivers and lowland marshes. Coastal waters and the larger streams teemed with salmon; blackfish and porpoise sported in the Sound and Strait, and whale spouted offshore.
Something of this primitive condition remains today. The visitor to the Evergreen State can still find magnificent virgin forests, vocal with the songs of many birds. He can follow miles of woodland trails and enjoy the beauty of mountain summits, deep gorges, turbulent streams with cascading waterfalls, and clear alpine lakes, mirroring snowcapped peaks and tree-lined shores. He can scale rugged mountains or traverse blue-white glaciers, made dangerous by deep crevasses. He can find many a secluded lake or stream or saltwater channel, where he can test his skill with rod and reel; he can try his luck at bagging a deer, a bear, or a cougar in the pathless wilds. He can drive through deep canyons or along surf-pounded beaches; he can pilot his motorboat through the maze of channels of Puget Sound, or sail before a spanking breeze among hundreds of enchanting islands.
Interesting, too, are the historic relics of the conquest of this wilderness: early mission houses, forts, blockhouses, and other pioneer buildings; the crumbling tombstones in lonely prairie cemeteries; markers on old trails; war canoes, tomahawks, arrowheads, feathered headdresses, and other mementos of the culture of the Indians, whose descendants now live on reservations. All these are a part of the great epic of the march of the pioneer. To see them is to gain a clearer understanding of the history of the Nation.
In the course of the rapid development of the State, the country has been greatly altered. Forests have been cut, leaving vast scarred and denuded areas; grasslands have been broken and planted to wheat; and the arid range, now the feeding ground of cattle and sheep, has been enclosed with barbed-wire fences. Desert lands have been converted by means of irrigation into productive gardens, orchards, and alfalfa tracts. Trains and automobiles now speed where native trails once ran, steamships and ferries ply waters formerly crossed only by primitive dugouts, and airplanes hum overhead. Factories and mills stand where Indians set their weirs; and on the sites of communal Indian villages, large modern cities, with clean, well-lighted streets and tree-lined boulevards, have been built.
On every side lies tangible evidence of the toll that this general and haphazard development of the country has taken; but works designed for the conservation and reclamation of depleted resources are also to be met with everywhere. Selective logging methods have supplanted to a considerable extent the wasteful methods of former years, and a carefully planned system of reforestation of logged-off and burned-over lands, in conjunction with the establishing of extensive national forests, bears promise of the intelligent utilization of existing stands of timber and the partial replacement of those that have been removed. The mighty Grand Coulee Dam and other major power developments, such as the Bonneville, the Skagit, and the Cushman projects were completed and in service in the early forties. The Columbia River Irrigation Project assures the reclamation of more than a million acres of sagebrush country, and a greatly increased agricultural output. Meanwhile, the needs of fish propagation have been provided for in dam construction, with ingenious fish ladders to facilitate the migration upstream of the spawning horde; thus assuring a continued commercial fish pack for the lower Columbia and perpetual sport for the angler. Through the years many national and state parks have been spread over lands withdrawn from commercial use and dedicated to the enjoyment and inspirational needs of man. All of these measures are expressive of a people with broad vision and with the capacity for significant, long-range planning.
Two hundred years ago, this region was largely unexplored. The eastern section was a semiarid plateau of rolling hills covered with sagebrush and bunchgrass, the habitat of prairie dogs, coyotes, and rattlesnakes. Here Indians roamed, hunted, and fished. Through these sun-drenched barrens, the majestic Columbia River cut its way to the Pacific Ocean. Forests of lodgepole and ponderosa pine, fir, and tamarack ascended the northern highlands and the eastern slope of the Cascades. On the more humid western side of the range, another dense forest of spruce, Douglas fir, cedar, and hemlock swept down to the coast, unbroken except for Indian trails and occasional prairies and lowland valleys, and somber save when brightened by pink rhododendrons, the shimmering white of dogwood trees in flower, the golden catkins of maple and alder, or in some localities the flame of autumn leaves.
Within these forests, bear, deer, elk, and cougar were plentiful, and the many lakes and rivers, abounding in fish, were frequented by beaver, mink, and otter. Grouse and ptarmigan whirred across the uplands, ducks sought the sheltered waters of inland lakes, and geese honked along the rivers and lowland marshes. Coastal waters and the larger streams teemed with salmon; blackfish and porpoise sported in the Sound and Strait, and whale spouted offshore.
Something of this primitive condition remains today. The visitor to the Evergreen State can still find magnificent virgin forests, vocal with the songs of many birds. He can follow miles of woodland trails and enjoy the beauty of mountain summits, deep gorges, turbulent streams with cascading waterfalls, and clear alpine lakes, mirroring snowcapped peaks and tree-lined shores. He can scale rugged mountains or traverse blue-white glaciers, made dangerous by deep crevasses. He can find many a secluded lake or stream or saltwater channel, where he can test his skill with rod and reel; he can try his luck at bagging a deer, a bear, or a cougar in the pathless wilds. He can drive through deep canyons or along surf-pounded beaches; he can pilot his motorboat through the maze of channels of Puget Sound, or sail before a spanking breeze among hundreds of enchanting islands.
Interesting, too, are the historic relics of the conquest of this wilderness: early mission houses, forts, blockhouses, and other pioneer buildings; the crumbling tombstones in lonely prairie cemeteries; markers on old trails; war canoes, tomahawks, arrowheads, feathered headdresses, and other mementos of the culture of the Indians, whose descendants now live on reservations. All these are a part of the great epic of the march of the pioneer. To see them is to gain a clearer understanding of the history of the Nation.
In the course of the rapid development of the State, the country has been greatly altered. Forests have been cut, leaving vast scarred and denuded areas; grasslands have been broken and planted to wheat; and the arid range, now the feeding ground of cattle and sheep, has been enclosed with barbed-wire fences. Desert lands have been converted by means of irrigation into productive gardens, orchards, and alfalfa tracts. Trains and automobiles now speed where native trails once ran, steamships and ferries ply waters formerly crossed only by primitive dugouts, and airplanes hum overhead. Factories and mills stand where Indians set their weirs; and on the sites of communal Indian villages, large modern cities, with clean, well-lighted streets and tree-lined boulevards, have been built.
On every side lies tangible evidence of the toll that this general and haphazard development of the country has taken; but works designed for the conservation and reclamation of depleted resources are also to be met with everywhere. Selective logging methods have supplanted to a considerable extent the wasteful methods of former years, and a carefully planned system of reforestation of logged-off and burned-over lands, in conjunction with the establishing of extensive national forests, bears promise of the intelligent utilization of existing stands of timber and the partial replacement of those that have been removed. The mighty Grand Coulee Dam and other major power developments, such as the Bonneville, the Skagit, and the Cushman projects were completed and in service in the early forties. The Columbia River Irrigation Project assures the reclamation of more than a million acres of sagebrush country, and a greatly increased agricultural output. Meanwhile, the needs of fish propagation have been provided for in dam construction, with ingenious fish ladders to facilitate the migration upstream of the spawning horde; thus assuring a continued commercial fish pack for the lower Columbia and perpetual sport for the angler. Through the years many national and state parks have been spread over lands withdrawn from commercial use and dedicated to the enjoyment and inspirational needs of man. All of these measures are expressive of a people with broad vision and with the capacity for significant, long-range planning.
The New Washington Recreational Areas
LEAVENWORTH, Wenatchee National Forest. Winter Sports area with numerous forest camps, lakes, and trails. Tumwater Canyon, Drury Falls; Wenatchee River; Icicle River. Abundant wild life; berrying.
SKYKOMISH, Snoqualmie National Forest. Hundreds of lakes, rivers, and creeks and numerous trails. Certain sections along North Bank of the Skykomish River, Foss River, Beckler River and Index Creek, closed during fire season except under special weather conditions. Popular fishing points at Lake Isabel, North Fork of the Skykomish River, Silver Creek, Silver Lake, Twin Lakes, Troublesome Creek, Trout Creek in North Fork of the Skykomish section; South Fork of the Skykomish and Money Creek in same section; both forks of Miller River and Lake Dorothy, Bear Lake, Deer Lake, Snoqualmie Lake, Beckler River, and Rapid River in Miller River section; Foss River, Trout Lake, Delta Lake, Copper Lake, and Angeline Lake in Foss River section; Tye River and Martin Creek, Deception Creek, Surprise Creek and Lake, Glacier Lake, and Lake Josephine in Tye River section. Winter sports in Stevens Pass; ski development under way.
LAKE WENATCHEE, Wenatchee National Forest. Lake Wenatchee and Fish Lake, on highway; swimming, camping, picnicking, fishing, boating. Winter sports in season at Stevens Pass, State 15. Forest roads 18 m. up little Wenatchee River from Lake Wenatchee; 14 m. up White River; about 35 m. up Chiwawa River.
CLE ELUM, Snoqualmie National Forest. Salmon LaSac Guard Station and Camp, 18 miles from Cle Elum; Salmon LaSac to Cooper Lake, 15 m. to Jolly Mountain Lookout, 6 m. by trail; to Lake Waptus, 11 m.; to Fish Lake, 16 m. Trails well developed. Trout fishing; deer and bear hunting. Heavy snows in winter. Tobogganing and skiing area, 21 m. W. of Cle Elum near US 10. Highway open all winter.
WHITE RIVER AND NACHES, Snoqualmie National Forest. Bumping Lake: fishing, outboard racing, skiing, American River; Rattlesnake Camp Preserve; Mather Memorial Parkway; Greenwater River; Naches River; lakes on Cascade Crest Trail. Summer forest homesites; numerous trails; berrying.
TIETON, Snoqualmie National Forest. Tieton River; Rimrock Lake. Deer, elk, bear, blue grouse hunting; fishing and boating.
WIND RIVER, Columbia National Forest. Governmental Mineral Springs Camp, one-day hiking trips; Little Soda Springs camp; Trout Creek Camp; Wind River; Wind River Nursery. Huckleberrying, Indian horse racing, deer hunting, steelhead fishing.
TWIN BUTTES, Columbia National Forest. Race Track Guard Station, 22. m. NE. of Carson. Goose Lake, 5 m.; fishing, forest camp, lava beds. Peterson Registration Station, 36 m. NE. of Carson, forest road fair; starting point to Mount Adams huckleberry fields (reserved for Indians) and numerous Indian camp grounds. Guler and Ranger Station, 25 m. NW. of White Salmon; starting point for ice cave explorations, 5 m. W.; headquarters for fishing at Trout Lake; hotel accommodations.
KETTLE FALLS, Colville National Forest. Game preserve W. of highway between South Fork of Deadman Creek and Boulder Creek. Area sparsely settled, bordered by Kettle River.
CARIBOU TRAIL, Colville National Forest. Bonaparte Lake, 21 m. E. of Tonasket; good fishing, camping; no hunting.
REPUBLIC, Colville National Forest. Trout fishing at Swan, Fish, and Long lakes, reached by new branch road, 10 m. S. of Republic; camp-grounds.
LAKE CHELAN, Chelan and Wenatchee national forests. Domke Lake and return, 5 m., fine fishing; Rainbow Falls, 3 m. up Stehekin River; Lyman Lake Trail via Glacier Trail, 11 m. up Stehekin River, L. 19 m. along Agnes Creek, to Lyman Lake. Lower Horseshoe and Upper Horseshoe basins near Cascade Pass. Horses, guides, equipment available at Lucerne and Stehekin.
MOUNT ADAMS, Columbia National Forest. Alpining and mountaineering.
NOOKSACK, Mount Baker National Forest. Lakes frozen in winter; summer fishing; alpining; skiing; trail trips; public camp accommodations.
HEATHER MEADOWS, Mount Baker National Forest (area usually called Mount Baker). Road open to Mount Baker Lodge; downhill, slalom, cross-country skiing, escalator, hotel, cabin accommodations; first-aid stations. Winter sports from November to June; meadow flowers, alpining, and hiking in summer.
BAKER RIVER, Mount Baker National Forest. Forest road through area from Concrete to Baker Lodge, 22 m. Eleven trail trips; to Dock Butte, 6.5 m.; Mazama Park, 9 m.; Wanlick Creek to Elbow Lake, 14 m.; Upper Creek Park to Martin Lake, 5 m.; Baker Hot Springs, 2.5 m., swimming; Swift Creek Trail, through Austin Pass, about 11 m.; Upper Baker Trail to Eagle Creek, 13 m., trout fishing; Baker Lake Lookout, 2.5 m.; Shuksan Lake, 11 m. (3 miles rough walking), good fishing in late summer; Anderson Butte, 6.5 m., forest lookout station.
RANDLE, Columbia National Forest. North Fork Forest Camp, 10 m. S. of Randle; Chain of Lakes District 30 m. Excellent camping, fishing, huckleberrying, hiking. Area between North Fork and Registration Station, 16 m. Varied views of Mount Adams.
PACKWOOD, Columbia National Forest. Packwood Lake; Soda Springs; Cowlitz River. Fishing, forest camps and trails; hiking and alpining.
GOAT ROCKS RECREATION AREA, Columbia National Forest. Accessible only by trail; no developed campgrounds; fishing limited; goat hunting not allowed. Lost Lake Trail; Purcell Creek Trail, Clear Fork Trail. Guides and horses available at Packwood.
SPIRIT LAKE, Columbia National Forest. Mount St. Helens (9,671 alt.), active volcano as late as November 23, 1842; alpining. Spirit Lake: boating, fishing, swimming, camping, hiking. Smith Creek Butte Lookout, 8 m. SE. of Spirit Lake; St. Helens Lake 3 m., fishing; good road.
HOOD CANAL, Olympic National Forest. Lake Cushman: Skokomish Primitive Area; Olympic National Park; Mount Ellinor; Duckabush River; Mount Olympus; Mount Constance. Elk and deer hunting; salt-water fishing; trout fishing.
SNOW PEAKS, Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park. Quilcene River, Elwah River, Dungeness River, Dosewallips River; lake and river fishing. Mount Angels; Deer Park skiing area; forest camps; horse and foot trail trips. Olympic Hot Springs.
LAKE CRESCENT, Olympic National Forest: Lake Crescent, Lake Sutherland; Beardslee trout at Crescent. Sol Duc Hot Springs, Bogachiel, Calawah, Soleduck, and Hoh Rivers. Olympic National Park; few trails in western section, several in eastern; logging operations.
QUINAULT LAKE, Olympic National Forest. Trail riders' trip, 13 days by horseback; start and finish at Graves Creek Inn, near Lake Quinault; guides necessary; fishing, alpining, photographing; hike over Anderson Glacier, climb to summit of Mount Christie, Olympic National Park. Season: mid-June to mid-September.
LAKE ROOSEVELT upstream from Grand Coulee Dam and extending 151 miles to the Canadian Border. Federal development of the area for recreational use is under way. Waterside camps, some overnight camping privileges; cruising; fishing; photographing. To be enjoyed only in favorable weather, from June to mid-September. This longest man-made lake averages 4,000 feet in width, with a maximum depth Of 405 feet.
LAKE McNARY, above McNary Dam, on the Columbia River. This lake will extend 60 miles upstream, to the vicinity of Pasco, and will provide 67 miles of slackwater for recreational use.
SKYKOMISH, Snoqualmie National Forest. Hundreds of lakes, rivers, and creeks and numerous trails. Certain sections along North Bank of the Skykomish River, Foss River, Beckler River and Index Creek, closed during fire season except under special weather conditions. Popular fishing points at Lake Isabel, North Fork of the Skykomish River, Silver Creek, Silver Lake, Twin Lakes, Troublesome Creek, Trout Creek in North Fork of the Skykomish section; South Fork of the Skykomish and Money Creek in same section; both forks of Miller River and Lake Dorothy, Bear Lake, Deer Lake, Snoqualmie Lake, Beckler River, and Rapid River in Miller River section; Foss River, Trout Lake, Delta Lake, Copper Lake, and Angeline Lake in Foss River section; Tye River and Martin Creek, Deception Creek, Surprise Creek and Lake, Glacier Lake, and Lake Josephine in Tye River section. Winter sports in Stevens Pass; ski development under way.
LAKE WENATCHEE, Wenatchee National Forest. Lake Wenatchee and Fish Lake, on highway; swimming, camping, picnicking, fishing, boating. Winter sports in season at Stevens Pass, State 15. Forest roads 18 m. up little Wenatchee River from Lake Wenatchee; 14 m. up White River; about 35 m. up Chiwawa River.
CLE ELUM, Snoqualmie National Forest. Salmon LaSac Guard Station and Camp, 18 miles from Cle Elum; Salmon LaSac to Cooper Lake, 15 m. to Jolly Mountain Lookout, 6 m. by trail; to Lake Waptus, 11 m.; to Fish Lake, 16 m. Trails well developed. Trout fishing; deer and bear hunting. Heavy snows in winter. Tobogganing and skiing area, 21 m. W. of Cle Elum near US 10. Highway open all winter.
WHITE RIVER AND NACHES, Snoqualmie National Forest. Bumping Lake: fishing, outboard racing, skiing, American River; Rattlesnake Camp Preserve; Mather Memorial Parkway; Greenwater River; Naches River; lakes on Cascade Crest Trail. Summer forest homesites; numerous trails; berrying.
TIETON, Snoqualmie National Forest. Tieton River; Rimrock Lake. Deer, elk, bear, blue grouse hunting; fishing and boating.
WIND RIVER, Columbia National Forest. Governmental Mineral Springs Camp, one-day hiking trips; Little Soda Springs camp; Trout Creek Camp; Wind River; Wind River Nursery. Huckleberrying, Indian horse racing, deer hunting, steelhead fishing.
TWIN BUTTES, Columbia National Forest. Race Track Guard Station, 22. m. NE. of Carson. Goose Lake, 5 m.; fishing, forest camp, lava beds. Peterson Registration Station, 36 m. NE. of Carson, forest road fair; starting point to Mount Adams huckleberry fields (reserved for Indians) and numerous Indian camp grounds. Guler and Ranger Station, 25 m. NW. of White Salmon; starting point for ice cave explorations, 5 m. W.; headquarters for fishing at Trout Lake; hotel accommodations.
KETTLE FALLS, Colville National Forest. Game preserve W. of highway between South Fork of Deadman Creek and Boulder Creek. Area sparsely settled, bordered by Kettle River.
CARIBOU TRAIL, Colville National Forest. Bonaparte Lake, 21 m. E. of Tonasket; good fishing, camping; no hunting.
REPUBLIC, Colville National Forest. Trout fishing at Swan, Fish, and Long lakes, reached by new branch road, 10 m. S. of Republic; camp-grounds.
LAKE CHELAN, Chelan and Wenatchee national forests. Domke Lake and return, 5 m., fine fishing; Rainbow Falls, 3 m. up Stehekin River; Lyman Lake Trail via Glacier Trail, 11 m. up Stehekin River, L. 19 m. along Agnes Creek, to Lyman Lake. Lower Horseshoe and Upper Horseshoe basins near Cascade Pass. Horses, guides, equipment available at Lucerne and Stehekin.
MOUNT ADAMS, Columbia National Forest. Alpining and mountaineering.
NOOKSACK, Mount Baker National Forest. Lakes frozen in winter; summer fishing; alpining; skiing; trail trips; public camp accommodations.
HEATHER MEADOWS, Mount Baker National Forest (area usually called Mount Baker). Road open to Mount Baker Lodge; downhill, slalom, cross-country skiing, escalator, hotel, cabin accommodations; first-aid stations. Winter sports from November to June; meadow flowers, alpining, and hiking in summer.
BAKER RIVER, Mount Baker National Forest. Forest road through area from Concrete to Baker Lodge, 22 m. Eleven trail trips; to Dock Butte, 6.5 m.; Mazama Park, 9 m.; Wanlick Creek to Elbow Lake, 14 m.; Upper Creek Park to Martin Lake, 5 m.; Baker Hot Springs, 2.5 m., swimming; Swift Creek Trail, through Austin Pass, about 11 m.; Upper Baker Trail to Eagle Creek, 13 m., trout fishing; Baker Lake Lookout, 2.5 m.; Shuksan Lake, 11 m. (3 miles rough walking), good fishing in late summer; Anderson Butte, 6.5 m., forest lookout station.
RANDLE, Columbia National Forest. North Fork Forest Camp, 10 m. S. of Randle; Chain of Lakes District 30 m. Excellent camping, fishing, huckleberrying, hiking. Area between North Fork and Registration Station, 16 m. Varied views of Mount Adams.
PACKWOOD, Columbia National Forest. Packwood Lake; Soda Springs; Cowlitz River. Fishing, forest camps and trails; hiking and alpining.
GOAT ROCKS RECREATION AREA, Columbia National Forest. Accessible only by trail; no developed campgrounds; fishing limited; goat hunting not allowed. Lost Lake Trail; Purcell Creek Trail, Clear Fork Trail. Guides and horses available at Packwood.
SPIRIT LAKE, Columbia National Forest. Mount St. Helens (9,671 alt.), active volcano as late as November 23, 1842; alpining. Spirit Lake: boating, fishing, swimming, camping, hiking. Smith Creek Butte Lookout, 8 m. SE. of Spirit Lake; St. Helens Lake 3 m., fishing; good road.
HOOD CANAL, Olympic National Forest. Lake Cushman: Skokomish Primitive Area; Olympic National Park; Mount Ellinor; Duckabush River; Mount Olympus; Mount Constance. Elk and deer hunting; salt-water fishing; trout fishing.
SNOW PEAKS, Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park. Quilcene River, Elwah River, Dungeness River, Dosewallips River; lake and river fishing. Mount Angels; Deer Park skiing area; forest camps; horse and foot trail trips. Olympic Hot Springs.
LAKE CRESCENT, Olympic National Forest: Lake Crescent, Lake Sutherland; Beardslee trout at Crescent. Sol Duc Hot Springs, Bogachiel, Calawah, Soleduck, and Hoh Rivers. Olympic National Park; few trails in western section, several in eastern; logging operations.
QUINAULT LAKE, Olympic National Forest. Trail riders' trip, 13 days by horseback; start and finish at Graves Creek Inn, near Lake Quinault; guides necessary; fishing, alpining, photographing; hike over Anderson Glacier, climb to summit of Mount Christie, Olympic National Park. Season: mid-June to mid-September.
LAKE ROOSEVELT upstream from Grand Coulee Dam and extending 151 miles to the Canadian Border. Federal development of the area for recreational use is under way. Waterside camps, some overnight camping privileges; cruising; fishing; photographing. To be enjoyed only in favorable weather, from June to mid-September. This longest man-made lake averages 4,000 feet in width, with a maximum depth Of 405 feet.
LAKE McNARY, above McNary Dam, on the Columbia River. This lake will extend 60 miles upstream, to the vicinity of Pasco, and will provide 67 miles of slackwater for recreational use.
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