[Ill.u.s.tration: SCENES AT BREMERTON--ONE OF THE LARGEST U. S. NAVAL STATIONS.

The Oregon in Drydock

A Naval Fleet in Port

Battleship Nebraska

Drydock]

[Ill.u.s.tration: PUGET SOUND

"A land locked sea with harbors deep and wide Where all the navies of the world could hide"]

One glorious expanse of calm picturesque water is the great inland sea known as Puget Sound, extending from the Strait of Juan de Fuca far into the interior of the state of Washington. If the Strait mentioned, together with Hood Ca.n.a.l and a portion of the Strait of Georgia are included, and they will be in this article, nearly 2,000 square miles of mirror like surface are encompa.s.sed within the green wooded sh.o.r.e lines of as many lineal miles. With sinuous arms, these waters reach in every direction, reflecting in their depths sometimes the lofty mountains, at other times gardens and farms of unusual attractiveness, and again the modern cities located upon the sh.o.r.es.

Almost everywhere have been sprinkled pretty emerald isles beckoning with all the lure of nature, while tree bedecked peninsulas shelter hundreds of cuddling coves. Near the dividing sh.o.r.e line the "tide lands" reach out from the sunny beaches and supply a sort of neutral ground, enjoyed now by the clam diggers or oyster culturists and again claimed by the enveloping waters.

Rising gently from the water's edge broad areas of fertile lands, which have been released from their forest burdens, are now devoted to the pursuits of husbandry and yield liberally to feed the mult.i.tudes dwelling in the neighboring large cities. Here and there patches of virgin growth in primeval splendor may still be seen, but usually, excepting in the Hood Ca.n.a.l region, the forests have been forced back to the foot hills, leaving in their wake the so-called logged-off areas which are in turn rapidly giving away to meadows and orchards. Further back to the east and west the mountains stand guard, while innumerable streams with incalculable water power pierce their sides, transect the lower levels, and pour the sweets of the mountainous regions out into the salts of the deep.

Occasionally rocky bluffs or promontories stand boldly out of the water, and command the view for miles in every direction. Pictures are everywhere presented which reproduced on canva.s.s would insure the immortality of any artist. Altogether the region presents the likeness of one vast kingly garden where every plant that will grow is nurtured and all wonders combine to enchant the visitor.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SUMMER TIME PLEASURES.]

This beauteous sea is not locked away behind impenetrable bulwarks of mountain walls, like many of nature's wonders, but is at the very door of the people and enjoyed by them while going about their daily tasks.

Nearly a million human beings look out upon its placid waters and rejoice at their good fortune in being permitted to play, as it were, upon its banks, and to feel the tender caresses of the soft whispering breezes that make the region such a pleasure ground in summer, and a haven in winter--and there is room for ten times as many to make their homes where these same joys may be experienced.

Not in the lifetime of an individual, nor even in the period required for the most extravagant display of human skill, was this great pleasure resort created. Ages elapsed, say geologists, between the rising of the waters that "drowned" the rivers once flowing where now the Sound reposes and the advent of the glaciers which deposited the fertile sediment to nourish the luxuriant growth appearing on every hand.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TACOMA, THE CITY WITH A SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAIN IN ITS DOOR YARD.

Photo by Avery and Potter.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Bellingham From Sehome Hill

Skagit River Valley

Everett Cascade Mountains In Distance

Berry Patch In The Puyallup Valley

VIEWS NEAR THE EASTERN Sh.o.r.eS OF PUGET SOUND.]

IDEAL FOR YACHTING AND CRUISING.

One can pa.s.s the entire summer on Puget Sound without seeing a bit of rough weather. The largest ocean liners ride here safe from the storms that pound sometimes against the outer coast line; for its waters compose one great harbor, protected by the forests and mountains. One may see "Uncle Sam's" powerful fighting machines almost any day steaming toward Bremerton, one of the U. S. Naval Stations, where the largest dry dock owned by the U. S. Government is located.

But this peaceful body of water is not for the big vessels alone. It could not have been improved if created especially for the yacht, the motor launch, the row boat and even the venturesome canoe. Upon its surface is held many a local speed contest, and the annual power boat race is run from Ketchikan, Alaska, to Seattle. Conditions here are ideal for the college regatta and for the difficult feats of the hydroplane. During festive days many important events are pulled off, while the happy spectators, dressed in holiday attire, are crowded along the water's edge or perched on the ridges and house tops above.

For cruising, no waters in the world offer such advantages--never threatened by tempests and always within reach of some of nature's most glorious beauty spots. Landing places suitable for camps are easily found, from which short inland excursions may be made through alpine meadows by winding trails to the summit of some mountain or to the sh.o.r.es of some peaceful lake.

Those who are not fortunate enough to have their own craft are not necessarily deprived of enjoying these waters; for regular pa.s.senger steamers, of ample capacity and stately appearance make regular trips throughout the year from every city on its sh.o.r.es to nearly every other part of the Sound; while special summer time excursions are made from the metropolitan centers to all the princ.i.p.al points of interest on Puget Sound and to the cities of British Columbia and Alaska.

HOOD Ca.n.a.l.

The waters that put one in closest touch with the mountains are in the narrow channel, or fiord, known as Hood Ca.n.a.l, extending southwesterly and bending back into the heart of the Kitsap Peninsula. Tourists riding over these waters for the first time are elated with the splendors, and the frequent visitor never tires of the inspiring scenes that everywhere greet the eye. The eastern sh.o.r.es reveal the neat farms and settlements in Kitsap and Mason counties, while the western edge is at the very foot of the Olympic range, whose white serrated ridges are continually visible from the deck of a pa.s.sing steamer. Easily distinguishable also are the deep canyons cut by the several main streams working their way towards the ca.n.a.l, plunging over rocky cliffs and creating falls of exquisite beauty. The Little and Big Quilcene, the Dusewallips, the Duckabush, the Hamma Hamma, and the Lilliwago, are some of the mountain streams whose canyons with rugged trails are familiar to those making frequent pilgrimages thither.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A BUSINESS SECTION IN SEATTLE--ELLIOTT BAY AND THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS BEYOND.

Photo by Curtis & Miller.]

Other attractive places are Lake Cushman, a mountain summer resort reached from Hoodsport, and the rich Skokomish valley containing the Indian reservation of the same name. At Union City one may take the stage over a well traveled road through groves and vales to Shelton, county seat of Mason county, where regular steamers connect with all Puget Sound points--thus encircling the Kitsap Peninsula.

OTHER TRIPS.

Equally delightful are the little voyages over the main traveled waters of the Sound from Seattle or Tacoma to Olympia and Shelton, to Bremerton, Everett, Bellingham, Anacortes, Port Townsend, and Port Angeles; also out to the ocean or through the San Juan Islands to Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia. The mountains are always in sight although not so close as on the Ca.n.a.l trip, and there pa.s.ses a continual procession of groves, hills, pebbly beaches, rocky palisades, gardens, orchards, green meadows, and summer homes.

Entrancing is the view at the sun's rising or setting when a myriad shades of reddish and bluish tints are painted on the hovering clouds, which a.s.sume various grotesque shapes above the shimmering waters; and even at night time when threading the channel marked by the twinkling beacon lights, or entering the harbor of a city resplendent with thousands of glittering incandescents.

COMMERCE.

Besides scenes that appeal chiefly to the esthetic are many that suggest the state's commercial importance, for these waters produce many million dollars worth of fish each year, and the neighboring sh.o.r.es have the largest saw mills in the world, supplying a big share of the 4,000,000,000 feet of lumber which is Washington's annual contribution and insures her first place in the Union. Out from Bellingham and Anacortes may be observed the rare spectacle of huge fish traps being raised, with sometimes 50,000 Puget Sound salmon wiggling within their meshes, soon to be preserved in the largest canneries of the world and shipped to all corners of the globe. Big ocean liners heavily laden are seen in the harbors or met upon the waters, carrying away cargoes of manufactured products which for the entire state approaches the stupendous sum of $300,000,000 yearly.

THE EAST Sh.o.r.eS.

The loudest buzz of commercialism is to be heard on the east sh.o.r.es, where fertile valleys and sightly plateaus checkered with farms and gardens stretch away to the foot hills of the Cascade Mountains, comprising five of the most densely populated counties in the state.

Here, too, are four of Washington's five largest cities, Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Bellingham, each the center of a rich territory supporting numerous smaller cities. At the southern limit is Olympia, the state capital.

Without irrigation the region yields liberally of fruits, berries, vegetables, hay, oats, dairy and poultry products, which go to support those engaged in the lumbering, fishing, ship building, mining, and other manufacturing industries, and the diversified business pursuits.

Eight transcontinental railroads operate trains, an almost unbroken string of electric railways render good local service, while excellent roads, including the Pacific Highway, crisscross the section and unite the people with indestructible bonds of friendship and mutual interests.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo by Webster & Stevens_

A PUGET SOUND SUNSET

"_When Sol in joy is seen to leave The earth with crimson beam._"]

A number of lakes beautify this region, as well as the other parts of the Puget Sound country. The largest is Lake Washington, one of the grandest in the west, twenty miles in length, forming the eastern boundary to Seattle, providing sites for country homes and parks, and embellishing its boulevard system. Near Bellingham is Lake Whatcom, of similar importance to that city. Lake Stevens is handy to Everett, and a number of smaller ones are tributary to Tacoma.