Online Encyclopedia
Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.
WASHINGTON
Online EncyclopediaEncyclopedia Home :: VIR-WAT
del.icio.us it!
|
WASHINGTON , the most See also:north-See also:westerly See also:state of the See also:United States of See also:America. It lies between latitudes 45° 32' and 49° N. and between longitudes 116° 57' and 124° 48' W. On the N. it is bounded by See also:British See also:Columbia, along the 49th parallel as far W. as
the See also:middle of the Strait of See also:Georgia and then down the middle of this strait and See also:Haro Strait, and along the middle of the channel the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which See also:separate it from See also:Vancouver See also:Island; on the E. the See also:south portion of its boundary is the Snake See also:river, which separates it from See also:Idaho, but from the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater See also:rivers (a little W. of 117°) the E. boundary See also:line between Washington and Idaho runs directly N.; on the S. the Columbia river separates it from See also:Oregon from the mouth of that river to the point of the upper intersection with the 46th parallel of N. See also:latitude, but from thence eastward the S. boundary line between Washington and Oregon is the 46th parallel; on the W. the state is bounded by the Pacific Ocean. The state has a maximum length, from E. to W., of 36o m. and a maximum width of 240 m.; See also:area, 69,127 sq. m., of which 2291 sq. m. are See also:water See also:surface.
See also:Physical Features.—The western See also:half of Washington lies in the Pacific Mountains See also:province, consisting of the See also:Coast range and the Cascade range, separated by a broad See also:basin known as the See also:Sound Valley The eastern half of the state is occupied in the north by a westward See also:extension of the Rocky Mountains, and in the centre and south by the north-western portion of the Columbia See also:Plateau province. The most prominent physical feature of the state is the Cascade See also:mountain range, which with a N.N.E. and S.S.W. trend crosses the state 30 to 40 M. W. of the middle. On the S. border this mountain range occupies a See also:tract about 50 M. in width, and to the northward it widens to Too m. or more. The See also:general height of the ridges and peaks is about 8000 ft. above the See also:sea, but there are five See also:ancient See also:snow-capped volcanoes which equal or exceed 10,000 ft. These are See also:Mount Rainier or See also:Tacoma (14,363 ft.), Mount See also: Along the Pacific Coast the ridges of the Coast range are only about 1500 ft. in height in the S. See also:part of the state, but they rise northward in the Olympic Mountains and reach a maximum of See also:elevation on Mount See also:Olympus of 815o ft. The Olympics meet the ocean along a rather straight line, but farther S. the coast line is broken by See also: The S.W. corner of the state is occupied by the See also:Blue Mountains, which rise about 7000 ft. above the sea and are cut deep by canyons. About 1',ono sq. m. in Washington have a minimum elevation exceeding 3000 ft.; an approximately equal area has a maximum elevation less than 500 ft., and the mean elevation of the entire state is 1700 ft. The Okanogan Highlands, the Columbia plain, the E. slope of the Cascade Mountains and the S. portion of the Puget Sound Basin are drained by the Columbia and its tributaries. This large river enters the N.E. corner of the state from the N., traverses it in a winding course from N. to S., forms the greater portion of its S. boundary, and discharges into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake (in tt the S.E., a little W. of the 119th parallel), the Spokane (in the east central part) and the Pend Oreille (on the N. boundary) are its See also:principal tributaries from the E.; the Yakima (a little above the mouth of the Snake) from the W.; and the Okanogan (in the north central part of the state), from the N. A portion of the Puget Sound Basin and a pertion of the Coast range are drained by the See also:Chehalis river, which has cut a channel through the Coast range and discharges into Gray's Harbour. The W. slope of the Cascades, most of the E. slope of the Olympics and the N. portion of the Puget Sound Basin are drained by a See also:great number of small rivers into the Puget Sound; and the W. slope of the Olympics and Coast range is drained by several other small rivers into the Pacific. On the Cascade Mountains, at the heads of streams, are a number of lakes of glacial origin, the largest of which is See also:Lake Chelan on the E. slope in Chelan See also:county. This is nearly 6o m. in length, and from I to 4 M. wide. At the upper end it is about 1400 ft. deep, but it is shallow at the lower end where the water is held back by a morainal See also:dam, and where only 3z M. from the Columbia river it is about 400 ft. above the level of the river. There are also several See also:alkali lakes er chains of alkali lakes in the coulees on the Columbia plateau. See also:Fauna.—Many See also:species of See also:wild animals still inhabit the state, but the number of each species has been much reduced. The caribou, See also:moose, See also:antelope, mountain See also:sheep, See also:beaver, See also:otter and See also:mink are scarce. Few See also:elk are found except in the inaccessible districts on the Olympic Mountains. See also: Other See also:freshwater fish are the See also:perch, black See also:bass, See also:pike, pickerel and white fish. There are large quantities of See also:salmon in the lower Columbia river, in Gray's and Willapa harbours, and in Puget Sound; See also:oyster See also:fisheries in Gray's and Willapa harbours and in Puget Sound; See also:cod, perch, flounders, See also:smelt, See also:herring and sardines in these and other See also:salt See also:waters. For all the more desirable game a See also:close See also:season has been established by the state. See also:Flora.—The Puget Sound Basin and the neighbouring slopes of the Cascade and Olympic Mountains are noted for their forests, consisting mainly of See also:giant Douglas See also:fir or Oregon See also:pine (Pseudotsuga Douglasit), but containing also some See also:cedar, spruce and See also:hemlock, a smaller See also:representation of a few other species and a dense under-growth. Near the Pacific Coast the forests consist principally of hemlock, cedar and See also:Sitka spruce. At an elevation of about 3000 ft. on the W. slope of the Cascades the red fir ceases to be the dominant See also:tree, and between this elevation and the region of perpetual snow, on a few of the highest peaks, rise a See also:succession of See also:forest zones containing principally: (1) yellow pine, red and yellow fir, white fir and cedar; (2) lodgepole pine, white pine, Engelmann spruce and See also:yew; (3) subalpine fir, lovely fir, See also:noble fir, Mertens hemlock, See also:Alaska cedar and tamarack; (4) white-bark pine, See also:Patton hemlock, alpine See also:larch and creeeping See also:juniper. See also:Deciduous trees and shrubs are represented in western Washington by comparatively small numbers of See also:maple, See also:alder, See also:oak, cottonwood, See also:willow, ash, See also:aspen, See also:birch, See also:dogwood, See also:sumach, thornapple, wild See also:cherry, chokecherry, See also:elder, See also:huckleberry, blueberry,) See also:blackberry, See also:raspberry, See also:gooseberry and See also:grape. The E. slope of the Cascades and most of the Okanogan Highlands are clothed with See also:light forests consisting chiefly of yellow pine, but containing also Douglas fir, cedar, larch, tamarack and a very small amount of oak. In the eastern part of the Okanogan High-lands there is some western white pine, and here, too. larch is most abundant. The Columbia plain is for the most part treeless and, except where irrigated, grows principally bunch-grass or, in its lower and more arid parts, sagebrush. In the forest regions of eastern Washington the underbrush is light, but See also:grasses and a great variety of flowering See also:plants abound. See also:Climate.—In western Washington, where the ocean greatly influences the temperature and the mountains condense the moisture of vapour-bearing winds, the climate is equable and moist. Eastern Washington, too, usually has a mild temperature, but occasionally some regions in this part of the state are visited by a See also:continental extreme, and as the winds from the ocean lose most of their moisture in passing over the Cascades, the climate is either dry or arid according to elevation. Along the coast the temperature is rarely above 92° F. or below 1o° F.; the mean temperature for See also:July is about 60°, for See also:January 40°, and for the entire See also:year 5o°. In the Puget Sound Basin an occasional See also:cold east See also:wind during a dry period in See also:winter causes the temperature to fall below zero. At See also:Centralia, in the Chehalis Valley, the temperature has risen as high as tot°. But the mean temperature for January is 34° in the N. portion of the basin and 4o° in the S. portion; for July it is 6o° in the north and 650 in the south; and for the entire year it is 46° in the north and 52° in the south. During See also:April and See also:October the temperatures in eastern Washington are nearly the same as those in western Washington, but during July the temperatures in eastern Washington are subject to a range from 44o` to 11o°, and during January from 65° to 30°. However, the climate is so dry in eastern Washington that the " sensible " See also:variations are much less than those recorded by the thermometer. In the south-eastern counties the winters are mild, with the exception of an occasional cold period, and the summers are hot. The rainfall on the W. slope of the Olympic, Coast range and Cascade Mountains is from 6o to 120 in. annually, and in the Puget Sound Basin it is from 25 to 6o in., it being least on the N.E. or leeward See also:side of the Olympics. About three-fourths of the See also:rain in western Washington falls during the wet season from See also:November to April inclusive. On the Okanogan High-lands, on the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains, on the Blue Mountains and on the elevated portion of the Columbia Plain which comprises the E. border counties, the See also:annual rainfall and melted snow amount to from 12 to 24 in., but in the See also:southern half of eastern Washington the Columbia river flows through a wide See also:district of See also:low elevation, where the rainfall and melted snow amount to only 6 to 12 in. a year, and where there is scarcely any precipitation during the summer months. There is a heavy snowfall in winter on the mountains, and in a large portion of eastern Washington the See also:average annual snowfall is 40 in. or more. Along the coast the prevailing winds See also:blow from the west or south; in the Puget Sound Basin from the south, and in eastern Washington from the south-west, except in the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys, where they are north-west. During summer the winds are very moderate in western Washington, but during winter they occasionally blow with great violence. In eastern Washington hot winds from the north or east are occasionally injurious to the growing See also:wheat in See also:June or July. Light hailstorms are not uncommon, but tornadoes are unknown in the state. Soils.—The soils of western Washington are chiefly glacial, those of eastern Washington chiefly volcanic. In the low tidewater district of the Puget Sound Basin an exceptionally productive See also:soil has been made by the mixture of river silt and sea See also:sand. In numerous depressions, some of which may have been the beds of lakes formed by beaver dams, the soil is deep and largely of See also:vegetable formation. In the valleys of rivers which have overflowed their See also:banks and on level See also:bench lands there is considerable silt and vegetable See also:loam mixed with glacial See also:clay; but on the hills and ridges of western Washington the soil is almost wholly a glacial See also:deposit consisting principally of clay but usually containing some sand and See also:gravel. On the Columbia plateau the soil is principally volcanic ash and decomposed lava; it is almost wholly volcanic ash in the more arid sections, but elsewhere more decomposed lava or other igneous rocks, and some vegetable loam is mixed with the ash. On the E. slope of the Cascades and on the Okanogan Highlands glacial deposits of clay, gravel or sand, as well as vegetable loam, are mixed with the volcanic substances. Fisheries.—Washington's many waterways, both fresh and salt, and especially those which indent or are near the coast, make the fisheries resources of great value. The catch and See also:canning of salmon are particulariy important. In 1905 the value of canned salmon was $2,431,605 (26,601,429 lb). Forests.--In 1907 the estimated area of See also:standing See also:timber in Washington was 11,720 sq. m. besides that included in See also:national forest reserves. The forest reserves are included in ten national parks, named the Chelan, Columbia, See also:Colville, Kaniksu, Olympic, Ranier, Snoqualmie, Washington, Wanaha and Wenatchee, the Chelan being the largest, with an area of 2,492,500 acres. The aggregate area of these parks (all of which were opened in 1907 and 1908) is 18,850.7 sq. m., or about three-elevenths of the total area of the state. See also:Irrigation.—The principal Federal irrigation undertakings in 191n were known as the " Okanogan project " and the " Yakima project." The former (authorized in 1905) provided for the irrigation of about io,000 acres in Okanogan county by means of two reservoirs of an aggregate area of 65o acres, See also:main canals and main laterals 20 M. long and small laterals 30 M. long, the water being taken from the Salmon river. In 1909 about 3000 acres in this project were watered and under cultivation. The Yakima project involved the irrigation of about 600,000 acres by means of five reservoirs of an aggregate area of 804,000 See also:acre-feet, and was undertaken by the United States See also:government in 1905. A riculture.—The development of the agricultural resources of Washington was exceedingly rapid after 1880. The wheat See also:crop in 1909 was 35,780,000 bushels, valued at $33,275,000; oats, 9,898,000 bushels, valued at $4,751,000; See also:barley, 7,189,000 bushels, valued at $4,601,000; See also:rye, 84,000 bushels, valued at $79,000; See also:Indian See also:corn, 417,000 bushels, valued at $359,000. The principal wheat-producing region is the south-eastern part of the state. Western Washington has large See also:hay crops; in the E. part of the state much See also:alfalfa is grown, especially in Yakima county. In W. Washington peas are raised for See also:forage.
Vegetable crops are successfully grown in low alluvial lands of the W. part of the state, and on the irrigated volcanic ash lands E. of the mountains. See also:Apple-growing and the raising of other fruits have increased rapidly. Small fruits are more successful in the W. part of the state. Grapes are grown on the mountain sides, cranberries on the See also:bog lands near the coast, and nuts in the S.E. parts.
Live-stock and See also:dairy products are important factors in the
agricultural See also:wealth of Washington, but the raising of live-stock on ranges is less common than when large herds grazed See also:free on government lands. Dairying, as distinct from grazing, has much increased in importance in See also:recent years.
Minerals.—The See also:mineral wealth of Washington is large, but its resources have been only slightly See also:developed, and had hardly begun before the first See also:decade of the loth See also:century: in 1902 the total value of all mineral products was $5,393,659; in 1907 it was $11,617,706 and in 1908 $11,610,224.
The See also:coal deposits of Washington are the only important ones in the Pacific states, and in Washington only, of the Pacific states, is there any coking coal. In the Cowlitz Valley an inferior coal was found in 1848. The first important coal-See also:mining was near See also:Bellingham Bay, in Whatcom county, where coal was discovered in 1852 and where 5374 tons were See also:mined in 186o. Between 1850 and 186o coal was found on the Stilaguamish river (Snohomish county) and on the Black river (near See also:Seattle) and in 1863 at See also:Gilman (See also: There are large deposits of glacial and residual See also:clays and clay shales throughout the state.
See also:Serpentine See also:marble with seamed markings has been found in Adams and See also:Stevens counties. See also:Granite is found about Puget Sound and in the extreme eastern part of the state; it is largely used in riprap or rough See also:foundations. See also:Sandstone is found especially in the N.W. in Whatcom and See also:San Juan counties; it is used for paving blocks. See also:Limestone also is found most plentifully in the north and north-western parts of the state.
See also:Gold, See also:silver, See also:copper, See also:lead and a little See also:iron (almost entirely See also: See also:Nickel has been found near See also:Keller in Ferry county, and See also:molybdenum near See also:Davenport, See also:Lincoln county. There is See also:chromite in the black sands of the sea-coast and the banks of the larger rivers. .See also:Antimony deposits were first worked in 1906. See also:Arsenic is found.
Manufactures.—There was remarkable growth in the manufacturing See also:industries of Washington between 188o and 1905, due primarily to the extraordinary development of its See also:lumber See also:industry. In 1870 the value of lumber products was $1,307,585, and the Territory ranked See also:thirty-first among the states and territories in this industry, and in 188o the value of the product was $1,734,742; by 1905 the value had increased to $49,572,512, and Washington now ranked first. The manufacture of planing See also: The Northern Pacific, the first of the transcontinental roads to See also:touch the Pacific north of San Francisco, reaches Seattle with a wide sweep to the south, See also:crossing the Columbia river about where it is entered by the Yakima and ascending the valley of the latter to the Cascade Mountains. The Great Northern, See also:running west from Spokane, crosses the state in nearly a straight line, and between this road and the Northern Pacific, and paralleling the Great Northern, runs the recently constructed Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound, the westward extension of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St See also:Paul. The Northern Pacific sends a See also:branch line south from Tacoma parallelwith the coast to See also:Portland on the Columbia river, where it meets the Southern Pacific and the Oregon Railroad & See also:Navigation See also:Company's line (a subsidiary of the Union Pacific), thus affording communication southwards, and up the valley of the Columbia to the east. Entering the south-east corner of the state, the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company extends a line northwards to Spokane, and a branch of the Great Northern, leaving the main line at this See also:city, runs north-westward into British Columbia. The Spokane, Portland & Seattle railway connects the three cities named by way of the Columbia Valley; and the Spokane & Inland See also:Empire sends a line eastward into Idaho to the Coeur d'Alene See also:country and another through the south-eastern part of the state into See also:Nevada. In 1880 the railway mileage was 289 m.; in 189o, 2012.05 m.; in 1900, 2888.44 m. ; and on the 1st of January 1909, 4180.32 M. Seattle and Tacoma are among the four leading ports of the United States on the Pacific. Other harbours on Puget Sound of commercial importance are See also:Olympia, See also:Everett and Bellingham. See also:Port Townsend is the port of entry for Puget Sound. Gray's Harbour, on the western coast, is of importance in lumber See also:traffic. See also:Population.—The population in 186o was 11,594; in 187o, 23,955; in 188o, 75,116; in 189o, 349,390, an increase within the decade of 365.1%; in 1900, 518,103, an increase of about 45%. In 1910, according to the U.S. See also:census returns, the total population of the state reached 1,141,990. Of the total population in 1900, 394,179 were native whites, 111,364 or 21.5% were See also:foreign-See also:born, 10,139 (of whom 2531 were not taxed) were See also:Indians, 5617 were Japanese, 3629 were See also:Chinese, and 2514 were negroes. The Indians on reservations in 1909 were chiefly those on Colville See also:Reservation (1,297,000 acres unallotted), in the N.E. part of the state, and the Yakima Reservation (837,753 acres unallotted), in the S. part; they belonged to many small tribes chiefly of the See also:Salishan, See also:Athapascan, See also:Chinookan and Shahaptian See also:stocks. Of the foreign-born, 18,385 were See also:English-Canadians, 16,686 Germans, 12,737 Swedes, 10,481 natives of See also:England, 9891 Norwegians and 7262 Irish. Of the total population 241,388 were of foreign parentage (i.e. either one or both parents were foreign-born), and of those having both parents of a given See also:nationality 34,490 were of See also:German, 19,359 of See also:Swedish, 17,456 of Irish, 16,959 of See also:Norwegian and 16,835 of English parentage. The See also:Roman See also:Catholic See also: The See also:governor, See also:lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, See also:attorney-general, See also:superintendent of public instruction and See also:commissioner of public lands are elected for a See also:term of four years; and each new See also:administration begins on the second Monday in January. The governor's See also:salary is $6000 a year, which is the maximum allowed by the constitution. The legislature consists of a See also:Senate and a See also:House of Representatives, and the constitution provides that the number of representatives shall not be less than sixty-three nor more than ninety-nine, and the number of senators not more than one-half nor less than one-third the number of representatives. Senators are elected by single districts for a term of four years, a portion retiring every two years; representatives are elected, one, two or three from a district, for a term of two years. Regular sessions of the legislature are held biennially, in See also:odd-numbered years, and begin on the second Monday in January. Any See also:bill or any See also:item or items of any bill which has passed both houses may be vetoed by the governor, and to override a See also:veto a two-thirds vote of the members present in each house is required. No See also:law other than See also:appropriation bills can go into effect until ninety days after the See also:adjournment of the legislature, except in See also:case of an emergency, by a vote in each house of two-thirds of all its members. The members of the legislature are paid $5 for each clay's attendance during the session, besides an See also:allowance for travelling expenses. See also:Justice is administered principally by a supreme court, See also:superior courts and justices of the See also:peace. The supreme court consists of nine See also:judges elected for a term of six years, one of those whose term next expires being chosen See also:chief justice, and is divided into two departments. The presence of at least three judges in each See also:department is required, and the concurrence of at least three judges is necessary to a decision. In case of a disagreement the case may be heard again in the same department, transferred to the other department, or to the court en banc. The chief justice or any four of his associates may at any See also:time convene the court en banc, and if so convened at least five of the judges must be present, and the concurrence of at least five is necessary to a decision. The supreme court hes original See also:jurisdiction in habeas corpus, quo warranto and See also:mandamus proceedings against all state See also:officers; and it has appellate jurisdiction except in See also:civil actions for the recovery of See also:money or See also:personal See also:property, in which the original amount in controversy does not exceed $200, and which at the same time do not involve the legality of a tax, See also:impost, See also:assessment, See also:toll or municipal See also:fine, or the validity of a See also:statute. Judges of the superior courts (one or more for each county, or one for two or more counties jointly) are elected for a term of four years. They have original jurisdiction in all cases in See also:equity, in all cases at law which involve the See also:title or See also:possession of real property, or the legality of a tax, impost, assessment, toll or municipal fine, and in all other cases at law in which the amount in controversy is $loo or more, in nearly all criminal cases, in matters of See also:probate, in proceedings for See also:divorce, and in various other cases; and they have appellate jurisdiction of cases originally tried before a justice of the peace or other inferior courts where the amount in controversy is more than $20. Justices of the peace, one or more in each election precinct, are elected for a term of two years. They have jurisdiction of various civil actions in which the amount in controversy is less than $100, and concurrent jurisdiction with the superior courts in all cases of misdemeanours, but See also:punishment by a justice of the peace is limited in cities of the first class to a fine of $5oo, or imprisonment for six months, and elsewhere to a fine of Poo or imprisonment for thirty days.
Local Government.—The government of each county is vested principally in a See also:board of three commissioners elected by a county at large, some for two and some for four years. The other county officers are a clerk, a treasurer, an auditor, an See also:assessor, an attorney, an engineer, a See also:sheriff, a See also:coroner and a superintendent of public See also:schools, each elected for a term of two years. Township organization is in force only when adopted by a particular county at a county election; in 1910 only one county (Spokane) had the town-See also:ship organization. Each township is governed by the See also:electors assembled annually (the first Tuesday in See also: A city of the first class is permitted to See also:frame its own See also:charter, but its general See also:powers are prescribed by statute. A city of the second class must elect a See also:mayor and twelve councilmen, and its mayor must appoint a See also:police See also:judge, an attorney, a See also:street commissioner and a chief of police. A city of the third class rr ust elect a mayor, seven councilmen, a treasurer, a See also:health officer, a clerk and an attorney, and its mayor must apoint a See also:marshal, a police justice and as many policemen as the See also:council provides for. An incorporated town must elect a mayor, five councilmen and a treasurer, and its mayor must appoint a marshal and a clerk. See also:Miscellaneous Laws.—Either See also:husband or wife may hold, See also:manage and dispose of his or her separate property See also:independent of the other, but property which they hold in common is under the management and See also:control of the husband except that he cannot devise by will more than one-half of the community real or personal property, or convey, See also:mortgage or encumber any of the community real See also:estate unless his wife joins him. When either husband or wife See also:dies intestate one-third of the separate real estate of the deceased goes to the survivor if there are two or more See also:children, one-half of it if there is only one See also:child, the whole of it if there are no children, no issue of children, and no See also:father, See also:mother, See also:brother or See also:sister. One-half of the community property goes to the survivor in any case, and the whole of it if there is no will and neither children nor the issue of children. Where thereis no will one-half of the See also:residue of the separate personal estate goes to the survivor if there are issue, and the whole of it if there are no issue. A law enacted in 1909 forbids a See also:marriage in which either of the parties is a common drunkard, habitual criminal, epileptic, See also:imbecile, feeble-minded See also:person, idiot or insane person, a person who has been afflicted with hereditary See also:insanity, a person who is afflicted with pulmonary See also:tuberculosis in its advanced stages, or a person who is afflicted with any contagious venereal disease, unless the woman is at least See also:forty-five years of See also:age. A See also:plaintiff must reside in the state one year before filing an application for a divorce. .Neither party is permitted to marry a third party until six months after the divorce has been obtained. Washington has a state board consisting of three members appointed by the governor to confer with commissioners from other states upon such matters as marriage and divorce, insolvency, descent and See also:distribution of property, the See also:execution and probate of See also:wills, for the purpose of promoting uniformity of legislation respecting them. A See also:homestead to the value of $1000 which is owned and occupied by the See also:head of a See also:family is exempt from See also:attachment or forced See also:sale except for debts secured by See also:mechanics', labourers', materialmen's or vendors' liens upon the premises. If the owner is a married See also:man the homestead may be selected from the community property but not the wife's separate property without her consent, and when it has been selected, even if from the husband's separate property, it cannot be encumbered or conveyed without the wife's consent. Personal property is exempt from execution or attachment as follows: all wearing See also:apparel of every person and family; private See also:libraries to the value of $500; all family pictures; See also:household goods to the value of $500; certain domestic animals or $25o See also:worth of other property chosen instead; firearms kept for the use of a person or family; certain articles (within specified values) necessary to the occupations of farmers, physicians, and other professional men, teamsters, lightermen, &c., and the proceeds of all See also:life and See also:accident See also:insurance. By a law enacted in 1909 the licensing of the sale of intoxicating liquors, other than for medical purposes by druggists and pharmacists, is left to the See also:option of counties and cities. Charities, &c.—The state charitable and penal institutions consist of the Western Washington See also:Hospital for the Insane at Fort Steilacoom, the Eastern Washington Hospital for the Insane at Medical Lake, the State School for the See also:Deaf and the State School for the See also:Blind at Vancouver, the State Institution for Feeble-minded near Medical Lake. the Washington Soldiers' See also:Home and Soldiers' See also:Colony at Orting, the Veterans' Home at Port See also:Orchard, the State See also:Penitentiary at Walla Walla, the State Reformatory at See also:Monroe and the State Training School at Chehalis. All of these institutions are under the management of a bi-See also:partisan State Board of Control which consists of three members appointed by the governor for a term of six years, one every two years, and also removable by the governor in his discretion. Each member receives a salary of$3000 a year. The same board together with the superintendent of the penitentiary constitute a See also:prison board. The State Training School is for the reformatory training of children between eight and eighteen years of age who have been found guilty of any See also:crime other than See also:murder, See also:manslaughter or See also:highway See also:robbery, or who for some other cause have been committed to it by a court of competent jurisdiction. See also:Education.—The public school See also:system is administered by a state superintendent of public instruction, a state board of education, regents or trustees of higher institutions of learning, a superintendent of the common schools and a board of education in each county, and a board of See also:directors in each school district. The state superintendent is elected for a term of four years. The state board of education consists of the state superintendent, the See also:president of the University of Washington, the president of the State See also:College of Washington, the principal of one of the state normal schools chosen biennially by the principals of the state normal schools, and three other members' embers appointed biennially by the governor, one of whom must be a superintendent of a district of the first class, one a county superintendent and one a principal of a high school. This See also:body very largely determines the course of study in the elementary schools, high schools, normal school and the normal departments of the University and the State College, approves there quirements for entrance to the University and the State College, and prepares the questions for the examination of teachers. Each county superintendent is elected for a term of- two years. The county board of education consists of the county superintendent and four other members appointed by him for a term of two years; one of its principal duties is to adopt the See also:text-books for schools in districts in which there is no four-year accredited high school. In a school district which maintains a four-year accredited high school there is a text-See also:book See also:commission consisting of the city superintendent or the principal of the high school, two members of the board of directors designated by the board, and two teachers appointed by the board. All children between eight and fifteen years of age, and all between fifteen and sixteen years of age who are not regularly employed in some useful or remunerative occupation, must attend the public school all the time it is in session or a private school for the same time unless excused by the city or the county superintendent because of See also:mental or physical See also:disability or because of proficiency in the branches taught in the first eight grades. Washington has three state normal schools: one at Cheney, one at Beilingham, and one at Ellensburg, and each of them is under the management of a board of three trustees appointed by the governor with the concurrence of the Senate for a term of six years, one every two years. The State College of Washington (1890) at See also:Pullman, for instruction in See also:agriculture, See also:mechanical arts and natural sciences, includes an agricultural college, an experiment station and a school of See also:science. The University of Washington (1862) at Seattle embraces a college of liberal arts, a college of See also:engineering and schools of law, See also:pharmacy, mines and forestry. See also:Whitman College (Congregational, 1866) at Walla Walla, See also:Gonzaga College (Roman Catholic, 1887) at Spokane, See also:Whitworth College (Presbyterian, 1890) at Tacoma and the University of Puget Sound (Methodist Episcopal, 1903) at Tacoma are institutions of higher learning maintained and controlled by their respective denominations. See also:Finance.—The See also:revenue for state, county and municipal purposes is derived principally from a general property tax, a See also:privilege tax levied on the See also:gross receipts of See also:express companies and private See also:car companies, an See also:inheritance tax and See also:licence fees for the sale of intoxicating liquors. Real property is assessed biennially; personal property, annually. For the two years ending the 1st of October 1908 the total receipts into the state See also:treasury amounted to $10,854,281.42 and the total disbursements amounted to $11,053,375.13. The See also:net state See also:debt on the 1st of October 1908 amounted to $967,576.38.
See also:History.—The See also:early exploration of the western coast of North America See also:grew out of the See also:search for a supposed passage, some-times called the " Strait of Anian " between the Pacific and the See also:Atlantic. In See also:Purchas his Pilgrimmes (1625) was published the See also:story of Juan de Fuca, a See also:Greek mariner whose real name was Apostolos Valerianos, who claimed to have discovered the passage and to have sailed in it more than twenty days. Though the story was a fabrication, the strait south of Vancouver Island was given his name. An See also:account of the various See also:Spanish and English explorers has already been given under OREGON and need not be repeated at length here.
In 1787 a company of See also:Boston merchants sent two vessels, the " Columbia " and the " Washington " under See also: Captain See also:George Vancouver (1758-1798), in See also:charge of a British exploring expedition then engaged in mapping the coast (1792-1794), was sceptical of the existence of the river, but Captain Gray, undiscouraged, persisted in the search and on the 11th of May 1792 anchored in the river which he named Columbia in See also:honour of his ship. The later claim of the United States to all the territory drained by the river was based chiefly upon this See also:discovery by Captain Gray, who had succeeded where Spanish and British had failed. The territory became known as Oregon (q.v.).
The first white man certainly known to have approached the region from the east was See also: Meanwhile See also:Russia (17th April 1824) agreed to make no See also:settlement south of 540 40' and the United States agreed to male none north of that line. In See also:February 1825 Great Britain and Russia made a similar agreement. This left only Great Britain and the United States as the contestants for that territory west of the Rocky Mountains between 42° and 54° 40', which by this time was commonly known as the Oregon country. American settlers in considerable numbers soon began to enter the region south of the Columbia river, and in 1841, and again in 1843, these settlers attempted to See also:form a provisional government. A fundamental See also:code wag adopted in 1845 and a provisional government was established, to endure until " the United States of America extend their jurisdiction over us." North of the river, the Hudson's Bay, Company discouraged settlement, believing that the final determination of the boundary controversy would make that stream the dividing line. Though there were a few See also:mission stations in the eastern part of the present state of Washington (see WHITMAN, See also:MARCUS), the first permanent American settlement north of the Columbia was made in 1845 on the See also:Des Chutes river, at the head of Puget Sound at the present Tumwater. Others soon followed in spite of the efforts of the chief See also:factor of the Hudson's Bay Company , Dr John M'Loughlin, and these permanent settlers finally carried the See also:day.
See also:Interest in the Oregon country developed with the increase of settlers and of knowledge and a demand for the settlement of the boundary dispute arose. The See also:report of Captain See also: The first governor, See also:Major See also:Isaac I. Stevens, of the United States Army, took charge on the 29th of September 1853, and a census indicated a population of 3965, of whom 1682 were voters. Olympia was chosen as the temporary seat of government, and Governor Stevens at once set to See also:work to extinguish the Indian titles to land and to survey a route for a railway, which was later to become the Northern Pacific. The Indians, alarmed by the rapid growth of the white population, attempted to destroy the scattered settlements and the wandering prospectors for gold, which had been discovered in eastern Washington in 18J5. Between 1855 and 18J9, after many See also:sharp contests, the Indians were partially subdued. Shortly after 1846, the British began to assert that the See also:Rosario Strait and not Haro Strait (as the Americans held) was the channel separating the mainland and Vancouver Island, thus claiming the Haro See also:Archipelago of which San Juan was the principal island. Conflict of authority arose, and in 1859 San Juan was occupied by U.S. troops commanded by Captain George E. Pickett (1825-1875), and for a time hostilities seemed imminent. By agreement See also:joint occupation followed until, by the Treaty of Washington (May 8, 1871), the question was left to the German See also:emperor, who decided (October 21, 1872) in favour of the United States. Meanwhile Oregon was admitted as a state (February 14, 1859) with the present boundaries, and the remnant of the territory, including portions of what are now Idaho and See also:Wyoming, was added to Washington. The discovery of gold in this region, however, brought such a See also:rush of population that the Territory of Idaho was set off (March 3, 1863) and Washington was reduced to its present limits. Rapid growth in population and wealth led to agitation for statehood, and a constitution was adopted in 1878, but Congress declined to pass an enabling act. The development of Alaska and the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad to the coast (1883) brought a great increase in population. A large number of Chinese coolies who had been introduced to construct the railway congregated in the towns on the completion of the work, and in 1885 serious See also:anti-Chinese riots led to the See also:declaration of See also:martial law by the governor and to the use of United States troops. Finally the long-desired See also:admission to statehood was granted by Congress (February 22, 1889) and President See also:Benjamin See also:Harrison (November 1 r, 1889) formally announced the admission See also:complete. Since admission the progress of the state has continued with increasing rapidity. The Alaska-See also:Yukon Exposition, designed to exhibit the resources of western America, held at Seattle June-October 19o9, was a complete success. In politics the state has been Republican in national elections, except in 1896, when it was carried by a See also:fusion of Democrats and Populists. A Populist was elected governor and was re-elected in 1900. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML. Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide. |
|
|
[back] WASHBURNE, ELIHU BENJAMIN (1816–1887) |
[next] WASHINGTON (or WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE) |