Daily globe., 1882-07-02

for the Futurs-Ths Big Boem He IA Civ.
Ing St. Paul.
In the spring OF 1870 Commodore Vim. F
Davidson, who had for many wears prio,
thereto been identified with the city of ST.
Paul. removed from here to st. Louis. Hi:
large interests in steamboats, and river tcaps
portation seemed to demand the change. Sc
that he might be at the initial point OF the
upper Mississippi river business. At tha,
time it will be remembered there was W ar of
competition between the Keokuk Packe,
company, the Northern Line Packet
company, aud the North Western
Union Packet company, CT which the commo
dore was the president and largest stockholder
That war ragged until the close of The season Of
navigation for 1872, and resulted in the organ.
ization of the Keokuk Northern Line Packet
company, OF which he became president. We
| do not propose now TO review the litigation
which thereafter grew out of the Jealousy of
some minority stock holders and which finally
| destroyed the credit and business of the old
company. 1t is sufficient to state that with
| the opening of the season or navigation
| for 1881 new and magnificent line OF pas.
senger packets under the control and man.
agement OF Commodore Davidson came upon
the upper river. 1t was headed by the peer
| less "Gem City," as the flag ship of the fleet,
and the entire season was one continuous ovs-
| ton. Toward the close of the season the
"War Eagle" came into the trade and this sea-
son the Centennial has been added with a
large number OF side wheel packets remodeled
| and refurnished, making the most complete
line ever used on the upper Mississippi.
n hos haan krnWp fo- lap l. n
| modOre Davidson's intimate friends that he
purposed returning to ST. Paul to make this
his home and business headquarters as soon
as he could do so consistent with his river
interests. He has so often expressed this
determination and it has been so long de.
ferred, that but few even of his business as
sociates felt certain that he would ultimately
return to this city. He has, however, broken
up his home In st. Louis and has brought his
family with him, and will from this
time on be a citizen OF this grow
ing metropolis. He and his family
are temporarily quartered at the Metropolitan
hotel and will spend the summer about the
lakes and not resume housekeeping until next
fall or winter.
This removal to st. Paul means great deal
for the interests OF this city. As all who
know him are aware he is great worker
and with his indomitable pluck and perseyer-
ance he car do and iriH do vast amount to-
wards building up st. Paul. In 1876 when
everything was dead and when the most
daring fnanciers among our own residents
would not spend dollar in improvements he
erected the Davidson block, corner of Fourth
and Jackson streets. In 1879 be built his
pressed brick front block on Jackson street,
between Sixth and Seventh streets, using the
first st. Louis pressed brick ever brought to
st: Paul for building purposes.
The block corner Fourth and Jackson hay-
inn bnruad in Maroh 1880 ha atolr
rebuilt it and changed it from house for
wholesale business to An Office block and it
has proved splendid success. He owns a
very large amount OF the best business prop
erty in the city and will, as rapidly as possible,
improve that which will pay the best in rentals
Within five years next ensuing we venture the
prediction that he will do more to build up
and improve st. Paul than any other one
citizen. He is having elaborate plans drawn
for the new Opera house, and is also
planning other buildings, notably block so
| x65 feet and five stores high squarely in
front of the old court house on the south side
of Fourth, and in rear of the building now
occupied by the American Express company,
also five-stOry block on the corner of Cedar
and Fourth streets, next east of the
court house. Col. James He Davidson,
who owns 50x150 next east OF the corner, has
agreed to join him in building, and the two
buildings together will make a very hand
| some block 100 feet front on Fourth, and five
stories high. These are probably all that will
| be commenced by him the present year, and
| these buildings well under way viii incite
others to build on Fourth street.
Preparatory to all this his ground on Jack
son street, just beyond Cooks new barn, will
be enclosed to use for storing lumber and
| building materials and large shop for the
| use of his mechanics and for winter work will
| be erected. When this is once in order and
hic fovo hail
to see him push building and improvement of
his property with as much vim and yigor as
he has all through life shown in the various
enterprises with which he has been connected
He has taken a ground floor Office in his
block, corner Fourth and Jackson, and
dates his resumption of business in st. Paul
from July Ist.
poets to accomplish in the way of building
before winter, but as he has employed an ex-
perenced builder by the year to take charge
of his building enterprises and oct as foreman
and overseer of the work it is entirely clear
that he ''meahs business and from the way
| they are sketching and figuring, the
"dirt will fly" soon and the chips will follow
stake it has always been Il marvel how he
could manage it and live hundreds of miles
away.
He owns the water power at Sauk Rapids,
next in importance and value to the water
DO yer at st. Anthony Falls. He owns over
| l6, COO acres of the best farming lands in Min
| nesota, located in Redwood county, and with
| a considerable acreage of it under cultivation,
| is rapidly converting it into productive prop.
erty. Laying aside his steamboat interests,
and his other investments, such as stocks of
various kinds Insurance, steam
| boat and railroadl he has
la very large and valuable list of inside prop
erty in this city and his taxes and assessments
are always paid promptly. HIS faith has
never wavered in st. Paul, and he believes now
that it is destined to become one of the great
cities of the continent II other large proper
| ty holders would do as much toward building
and improving as Commodore Davidson has
heretofore done, and as he is planning to do In
future, this city would take stride forward
that would simply amaze the outside world.
But few of our cit zens appreciate the bene
| fits that have been conferred on st. Paul and
Minnesota by hi knerculesn efforts to MAINTAIN
st. amb0at and barge lines TO this city against
the competition of railroad lines, disputing
with them every foot of river territory al
| ruinously low rates. It IS undoubtedly true
| that he would have been far better off finan.
cialy if he had given up his river interests
and spent the money in improving
his st. Paul real estate, which he has Iavished
| in steamboat wars and railroad com ,,etirion,
but our city and state would have lost
heavily thereby.
There is something, too, In the way OF
carrying ones pOlnt," aud as long as there
vas q bitter fight personal against him in
| Sr. Louis he remained there, and never left
the field till the last legal battle WAS fought.