The mountains and their foothills have large and numerous veins of metals and are covered also with extensive forests.  The rolling hills of the south and center are rich in agricultural possibilities, suitable for stock, and great crops of cereals and fruits.  The Okanogan river and its branches drain the greater portion of the county, rising in British Columbia and flowing south through the center of the county and joining the Columbia river on the south boundary.  The Methow river drains a large portion of the western part and makes a paradise for the frontiersman along its sloping sides.

Transportation.

Until now the rivers and wagon roads are the only paths of commerce.  But into this blossoming empire the railroads are looking with longing eyes.  The Great Northern, however, has already tapped the [Page 72] northern boundary and projected a line down the Okanogan and Columbia rivers to Wenatchee.  Other railroads will follow, as the prize is too great not to be divided.

Principal towns.

Conconully, the county seat, is situated among the foothills and mines west of the Okanogan river.  In addition to the mining industry, the raising of sheep and cattle is followed by the citizens.  The town has a population of about 500 people.

Oroville is the chief town on the railroad, near the northern border, and is the terminus of the road.  It has about 500 people and is growing.  It is an important ore-shipping point, surrounded also by good fruit-raising and agricultural lands, yet unirrigated.

Brewster, at the junction of the Columbia and Okanogan rivers, has a population of about 200, and is an important grain and fruit-shipping point.

Okanogan is on the river of the same name, about midway between Brewster and Conconully, and to this point the steamers ply in the higher waters of the river.

Twisp is a growing village in the Methow valley, devoted chiefly to fruit-growing and mining.  It is an important distributing center.

Pateros has steamer connection with Wenatchee, and is an importing, growing center.

Beck, Bonaparte, Anglin and Bodie are other new and growing commercial centers.

Chesaw, in the northern part, and NESPELIM, in the southeastern part, are important locations.

PACIFIC COUNTY.

Pacific county is the extreme southern county, which borders on the ocean at the mouth of the Columbia river.  Although a small county with only 900 square miles, it has about 100 miles of salt-water frontage.  Willapa harbor, at the northwest, is capable of being made accessible to all ocean ships, while Shoalwater bay, a body of water 20 miles long and separated from the ocean by a long slim peninsula, furnishes probably the best breeding ground In the state for oyster culture.  The county at large is an immense forest, in the center of which is a range of hills dividing the watershed so that some of the streams flow into the Columbia river at the south, some west into Willapa harbor, and others, through the Chehalis river, reach Grays harbor.