backed by a rich fanning country forty miles long by three miles in breadth, and a great body of fine timber. A large sawmill, in addition to the one already there, will be put in operation soon, together with other mills and business enterprises.
South Bend is but forty miles west of the main line of the Northern Pacific (Portland Branch), at Chehalis City, and the difference in the elevation of the two places is one hundred and fifty feet. This makes railroad construction easy, and in fact a branch to South Bend is already being built by the N. P. company which will be completed early in 1891, or about as soon as their line to Oc-osta is opened, under the name of Yakima and Pacific Coast Railroad. This will be a boon to the inhabitants of the Willapa Valley, who have hitherto been compelled to depend upon a chance vessel, or a small propeller from Hoquiam to a landing on the south spit, whence a beach-wagon conveyed passengers to North Cove—a very boisterous route in rou^h weather. Or if communication with the Columbia River was sought, again a chance vessel or tug carried travellers out to sea and across the bar of the Columbia; or more recently to Sealand on the beach near Baker's Bay, whence a local railroad completes the journey to the Columbia via the sea-side resorts described in a former chapter. When the Chehalis road is finished one can come from Portland or Tacoma in four or five hours by rail. Whereas South Bend was a hamlet of perhaps twenty houses until this prospect opened up a future, it is now an incorporated city which is spending large sums in street improvements, hotels, and business houses. A newspaper, the South Bend Enterprise, represents the interests of the town and Willapa Valley. Like Aberdeen, the principal streets of South Bend are built upon piling to raise them out of the reach of the tides.
On the north bank of the Willapa River, at its confluence with the harbor, on a level and open tract of land containing about three square miles, another town has been laid out, with broad avenues fronting on deep water, called North Pacific City. It has not yet received much attention or been advertised after the manner of new cities, from which I draw the inference that the railroad powers are holding it until they are prepared to give ft a good send-off. If I were the son of a prophet I should
