Page:Atlantis Arisen.djvu/274

 of their forest dress, my ideas of locality become much disturbed.

Kamilche is found to be a small new settlement in the edge of the woods, with a wharf and warehouse where passengers wait three-quarters of an hour while the train backs down a sharp grade to take us on. This railroad from Kamilche to Montesano, called the Satsop Railroad, is an accident, or a necessity, or both. It was commenced as a logging tramway to bring timber out of the Chehalis Valley to tide-water, for towing to the great mills down the Sound. The people of Chehalis Valley, having no facilities for travel, persisted in riding on the logging-trucks until the owners were forced to put on a box-car. This concession so increased travel that a better track was laid, and a comfortable passenger-car added to the equipment. At the time I took passage there were two cars quite well filled. The distance from Kamilche to Montesano is thirty-five miles, and the same company own eleven other miles of road, from Shelton to the timbered lands west of the Sound. The Kamilche and Montesano portion has recently been acquired by the Northern Pacific, as a part of the Tacoma, Olympia, and Gray's Harbor Railroad, now in progress.

The ride through the forest was very pleasant, the road winding in and out to accommodate itself to the variations of surface. The various tints of green with the light falling through made a lovely study in color, and the woodsy vistas looked invitingly cool, yet with dashes of sunlight across them which relieved them from gloom.

A feature of these forests, and particularly of the Chehalis Valley, is the occurrence here and thereof prairie spots with not a tree upon them. These prairies were early taken up, and are known by the names of their first settlers, like those at the head of the Sound. I counted eight of these openings in the forest provided by nature to encourage settlement. On one of these, twelve miles above Montesano, is the town of Elma, surrounded by hop-fields. It has also a flouring-mill,—the only one in this region, where the mills are all lumber establishments. Its position in the valley ought to insure its growth, which is already quite promising. On the last and largest prairie the town of Montesano is situated. It is well chosen for a town,