Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-10-24
A fLOrRIsAGNG CITY AND INH
COUNTRY.
CORRESPONDENCE q. p. CHRONICLE.
WALLA wAILA. W.T.. Oct I 1ss.

CORRESPONDENCE q. =. CHRoyIcr.F.T
"ALLA WALLA, W. T., Oct. /. 1882.
walla Walla is a city of between $500
and GOO inhabitants. and is thrifty.
enterprlsing place, with a large local
trade and rapidly widening out its area
OF commercial interests. Not only is
the city rich In many hundreds of beau
tifuI homes, but its society as a whole
Is 10 different from that in places of its
size and importance in the Eastern
States. Most of the early residents
came directly from the Last, bringing
with them correct moral ideas, an IN
herent love of law and order, and this
sentiment Is one OF the first things re-
marked by the stranger. Walia WalIa
never segregated that class generally
found IN isolated western settlements.
From the start 1t has been the dornin-
ant idea of its people to take every AZ
vantage of nature and art, and to erect
here a city that should prove an attrac-
tive place in which to live. After the
frontier effort leisure, means and dis
position were directed to the embeIlish-
ment of the city, and today the streets
are tree-lined, long colonnades of silver
leafed Lombardy poplar, locust and
cottonwood appearing everywhere. The
flora of this city is something wonder
full, both in its character and extent.
The exception is to find a spot in the
whole city that is not flower laden.
Embosomed In these almost tropical
growths are the homes of our people.
modern cottages or more pretentious
mansions. The people, or most of them,
who occupy these homes, came here
with little more capital than muscle
| and brave hearts. The tourist who
| walks about among these homes will be
told that these residents were at their
coming much poorer than the average
| Of those arriving now. To be sure, the
opportunities for accumulation were
greater then than now, just as this re-
giOn Is now a more favorable field for
operation than the overcrowded COM
munities in the East, where every ave
nue. almost is filled and inviting fields
for investment closed to all except the
capitalist.
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES.
Firmly engrafted upon the sentiment
of this new community was the desire
for culture, and from the earliest settle
ment to the present date the schOolhouse
and all educational methods have been
kept abreast of the tunes. Every move
ment for the advancement OF education
has met with a hearty response. The
result IS matter of pride. In the east
| ern end of the city are now rising the
| brick walls of one of the largest and
most complete schoOlhouses in this Ter
ritory. Across the way is Whitman
College, now having within its walls
about one hundred students. There
the regular college course is taught to
students from this and the Territories
of Idaho and Montana. Adjoining the
church of that name is located st. Paui's
School for young ladies and lesser girls,
under the principalship of Rev. DIR.
Lathrop. Two blocks away is st. Vim
cents Convent, in the care of Sister
Superior Oliver; then st. Patrick's
School for boys, and added to these is
| an excellent district school in each pre-
cinct.
There is large religious element in
this city, the churches representing the
Presbyterian, EpiscOpalian, Methodist,
Baptist, Catholic, Congregational, Meth
odist Church South and Adventists. As
rule the congregations are quite large
and the support liberal. The general
community give fair support to a
public library. The opera house is
always crowded when theatricals of
genuine merit are presented. There
| are three weeklieS and two dailies here,
with IN advertising sheet, and several
| new papers ready to start to supply
''lOng-felt wants" Aside from the
home papers, those published outside of
the city are generally circulated.
FUTURE RAILROAD CENTER.
1t il evident that in the near future
Walla Walla will be a railway center as
we'll as an educational and grain-ship-
ping city. The railway direct from
Portland, now distant about twenty
hours. will come here. We have rail
connection with the upper country
through Waitsburg and Dayton, both
thriving places, situated in great grain
producing sections, the former in this
county. The graders are now rushing
the work of line from this city into
Eastern Oregon via Milton, Weston and
Pendleton, which will give us as tribu-
tary a vast area of grain-prOducing and
stock raising country. We also have a
narrow gage road between this city and
Dixie, situated In the eastern section of
the valley. That the Oregon Short Line
will touch Walla Walla on its way to
the Sound there can be little doubt.
This will give Walla Walla railway
communication with Portland first, as
the nearest large city, then the Pacific
at Puget Sound, and directly with the
East. This railway competition, build
ing and in prospect, has touched and
tempered the material interests and
enterprises here within twelvemOnth.
| There has been no boom, in the COM
mon aCceptation of that term, but a
steady advancement of all values.
| Capital has been taken from its hiding
places in vaults and Is being put into
real estate, not only in tho central por-
tions of the city, but i'll the eastern
suburbs, in which direction the business
of the city is tending. Real estate worth
and sold at $65 to 500 per front foot
one year ago, now readily sells for $50
and $3.50 per foot. Large and hand
somely built brick blocks are taking
the places of cheap wooden structures,
merch ints are enlarging stocks and
storehOuses, and it is the exception to
find man identified with the interests
here not taking hopeful view'of the
| whole situation.
AHOPEFUL OUTLOOK.
A country is always prosperous where
the demand for labor at good prices
equals or exceeds the supply. That is
the case here TO-DAY. Just now there is
not, SO far as / know, an able bodied
man in this country wanting work and
not finding it. Unskilled and mechan-
ical labor is in demand everywhere, and
there is no reason for being troubled
about a continuance of this state of
things. With as fine valley for the
production of all the cereals, finely fla
vored fruit which attains rare degree
Of perfection, local railway construction.
the constant incoming Of capital to be
invested, there is really no room for
doubt. The most hopeful fact to go on
record today is that all our industrial
enterprises are paying well. 1t would
be difficult to find an exception. The
merchants here and at all adjacent
points in the valley say that business