The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-01-21
THE Situation

The Situation.
The distorted and untruthful representations which
SPECTATORS and their INSCRIPTIONS agents. have sent
forth to the world in regard to the location of Duluth
makes proper for at the present time to say few
words to those of readers who have no personal
knowledge of the actual location of Duluth and Supe
ror regarding the natural advantages of the places
and the facilities which each of them offers to the
mercia world a of trade.
Duluth is the present writing the terminus of the
Lake Superior Mississippi Railroad. 1t is situated
along the foot of bluff, rising the height of from
four six hundred feet above the level of the lake
and close does the bluff approach the lake. that
there is in fact but practicable for business
purposes in that village 1t lies alonghe north end
Superior Bay and therefore shares with Superior the
advantage of that Bay but that portion of the Bay
next to Duluth is shoal varying in depth from four
eight feet, and will have to be dredged
expense before it be made fit for commercial
purposes. Beyond Minnesota Point is the open lake
the 'outcr harbor" as the Duluth papers fsceously
term it, The railroad in approaching Duluth, has to
steep grades and short curves and no other
practicable route for railroad Duluth be found
except the occupied by the L. S. & NJ. r. r.
To Offset these very great disadvantages Duluth is
fortunate in having for Its resident and nonresident
owners, practical energetic and capable business men,
Iaborng for the welfare of Duluth by all means fair or
foul united in their plans, and carrying then with
out regard to expense whenever they promise tn, ad
vancement of the interest of Duluth.
In the case of Superior the advantages and disad
vantages directly reversed. With natural, deep
and perfectly safe harbor probably the very best nat
- -
plateau about forty feet above the lake, with
level country extending back to the Mississippi river
the be approached on all sides by railroads
with easy grades, and running air lines. 1t is
rounded three sides by navigable waters and thus
affords commercial facilities unknown any other 10
cality on the great lakes
But to Offset this the nonresident proprietors of
Superior are jealous of each other overrate the nat
ural advantages of the location, and unwilling to
spend dollar for fear somebody else would derive
benefit therefrom. Some of them make annual visits
to this place in summer, and regularly make large
promises and do great deal of spouting, but before
fall, they always manage to evade their promises on
frivolous pretext and during the winter are en-
gagged in the laudabe employment of blaming each
other for the failure of their projects We say they
overrae the natural advantages of this location by
supposing that these advantages, great they are,
cannot be overborne by energy and enterprise, and
that with the stirring laboling and rushing life and
capital of Duluth they afford to sit down with their
hands in their pockets and look on and then expect to
make Superior the city of the Northwest.
The time has come when these truths should be fully
understood by all those who interested in Superior
In ourdays the race is not always to the swift,
the battle to the strong Natural advantages alone,
are match for energy and enterprise; they require
labor and capital to develop them and it is only the
combination of the two which builds up large and inn
porant cities Unless the policy of the resident
land owners is changed for the better within the pres
ent year. unless they supplan supineness by energy
and petty quarrels and divisions by united and well
considered action, the prospects of Superior will be
seriously impaired
That our representations of the relative natural ad
vantages of Duluth and Superior just and correct,
will appear from the fact that during the whole of last
summer with the advantage of railroad just compile
ted and when speculation mil ght be reasonably expect
cd to he rampant, property in Duluth was unsaleabe
Business men who came with the bona tide intention to
invest in that place. perceiving upon examination the
greater advantages of Superior concluded to wait and
see if steps would be taken develop the latter place
before having down their money, and with the e1cep
tion of some yenal members of congress- to whom so
called sales Of reaesate we're made, by the ring OF
that town. lots in Duluth found very few purchasers
However as we said before few years more OF mac
ton and folly the part of Superior and the aspects
of things may change, and the prize yet within our
reach will be snatehed away by our widea~ake rival