The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1852-08-13
Eyansville.-its Progress.

Our city is going ahead with the same rap
id strides which have marked its progress for
the last three or four years. Wonderful have
been the changes wrought in the appearance
of Evansville, and in her business and social
position, during this brief time. 1t has been
just about three years since the editor of this
paper first visited Evansville, few weeks
previous to the time of his removal here
We have distinct recollection of its. ap-
pearance at that time, and with the remem-
brance wildly before us, it seems utterly i'm
possible in so brief time SO great change
could have been affected. Then eur wharf
presented miserably ragged appearance
although the hand of improvement was be-
ing laid heavily upon it. From Laughlin's
store to Mr.. Shanklin's house at the foot of
Locust street, two squares; the wharf was in
a great measure graded. All the houses
lining the wharf stood on the steep bank
made by the grading. The earth was being
taken from them, while they were propped
up, and store rooms made to take the place
of the bank. This required almost a COM
plete dissection of the Intervals of every
house, and as laborers were still at work at
Laughlin's and beyond, digging the wharf, it
may be imagined that the appearance presen-
ted by Evansville from the river, was Uttered
up and ragged in the extreme. Streets run
ming to the wharf, were being cut down to
meet the wharf grade. The streets above
nd baf ctr :,,o
miserable condition, but the work of grading
and curbing was already commenced.
The finest business houses now in the city
were then not built. Hundreds of houses
now occupy what were at that time vacant
lots. The wharf is now probably second to
no other in the West in beauty, and perhaps
in length. 1t is lined by business houses,
many Of which would be creditable to any
city. So marked indeed is the change effect
ed in few years, that we much doubt wheth-
er a citizen who had not seen the place with
in that period, would now very readily recog-
nize it from the river. We challenge any
other city in he West to show such rapid
growth within the last three years as Evans
willie has done. Certainly no other city has
so changed in this brief period The in
fiux of strangers has kept up with, or pushed
ON this growth. The complexion of the
population has indeed changed just as much
as that of the city itself.
That all this has been affected without the
aid ofpublic improvements, is truly remarka-
bic, for we have now hut twenty-six miles
of railroad leading from this city, and which
have only come into use the last year, anC
no other public improvement to conntct u:
with the interior. Yet this growth has beer
healthy. The demand for houses has Away:
been greater than the supply. But in brie
time our railroad will be established to the
Wabash, and the Wabash and Erie cana
completed'to this point, so that great as ha:
been improvements marking the growth o
this city, still more wonderous may they be il
the future.
A great many new houses are springing W
all over the city, and in the adjoining corpo
ration of .Lamasco. But we shall particular
ize the these improvements in a short time
and give some appropriate statistics,