North Cascades

SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN THE NORTH CASCADES

CHALLENGES TO SETTLEMENT IN THE MOUNTAINS: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS

The first pioneers were faced with similar challenges, whether on the east or west side of the mountains. Access and resources were difficult to obtain. Although steamboats plied the waters between Seattle and Whatcom (Bellingham) as early as the late 1860s and early 1870s, the upper Skagit region was reached by canoe only; a wagon trail would not extend east to Marblemount until 1892. [15] Dug-out cedar log shovel-nose canoes, patterned after those used by the Skagit Indians, were the usual means of transport. [16] On the east side, steamboats were traveling the waters of Lake Chelan soon after settlers arrived in Chelan, making runs as needed to the head of the lake. For pioneers on both sides of the divide, land needed to be cleared, a shelter constructed, and some form of subsistence crop planted. These initial tasks were necessary whether an individual was attempting to acquire land legally or merely to "squat." Homesteads grew in size over the years, according to needs or perceived needs; their appearance and permanence dictated by available materials, labor, and money. The power of the landscape revealed itself early on to these hardy settlers; those who stayed learned to overcome or live with the hardships imposed by the harsh environment in order to survive.