moving onward
and upward toward a position among the very elect of our great
sisterhood of states.

As briefly as the story may be told, the fundamental facts which
underlie the marvelous advancement made by the state during recent
years will be set forth in the pages of this pamphlet.

NATURAL DIVISIONS OF THE STATE.

By virtue of its varied topography, Washington is naturally divided
into a number of districts or sections, each possessing its own
particular characteristics.

Olympic Peninsula.

The first of these districts may be described as consisting of that
section of the state including the Olympic mountains and extending
westward from them to the Pacific ocean. Within the limits of this
Olympic peninsula, as it is ordinarily termed, there is standing
one of the largest and most valuable tracts of virgin timber yet
remaining in the United States.

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Puget Sound Basin.

The second district includes the territory lying between the Olympic
and Cascade mountains, the chief physical feature of which is the
great inland sea known as Puget Sound. The shore front of this
important waterway exceeds 2,000 miles, and its length is broken
by numerous bays and harbors, upon which are located Seattle, the
state's metropolis, and the growing cities of Tacoma, Everett,
Bellingham and Olympia. The climate of this section is mild in winter
and cool in summer, extremes in either season being practically
unknown. Deep sea shipping enters the port of Puget Sound from every
maritime country on the globe, and the industrial and commercial
interests of this section are expanding with extraordinary rapidity.

The Cascade Mountains.

The Cascade mountains constitute the third of these natural divisions.
This range extends in a broken line across the width of the state, at
a distance of about 120 miles from the Pacific ocean. These mountains,
their rugged peaks capped with a mantle of eternal snow, their sides
covered with a heavy timber growth, and their valleys carrying
numerous sparkling mountain streams, with illimitable possibilities
for the development of power, are one of the important assets of
the state, the value of which has not as yet even been estimated.
The mineral wealth of the Cascades, only a slight knowledge of
which has as yet been secured, will ere long contribute largely
to the prosperity of the state, while the more moderate slopes of
the mountains serve a valuable purpose for the pasturage of