Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-07-02

fox the Future-Ths Big Boem He "a Civ.
! ing So. Paul.
In the spring OF 1870 Commodore Vim. f.
Dav idson, who had for many wears prio,
thereto been identified with the CITY of s..
Paul, removed from here to st. Louis. His
large interests in steamboats, and river tcars
| portation seemed TO demand the change. 50
that ne might be at the initial point OF the
upper Mississippi river business. At that
| time it will be remembered there was W ar of
competition between the Keokuk Packet
| company, the Northern Lire Packet
company, aud the North Western
Union Packet company, CT which the commo.
dore was the president and largest stakeholder.
That war ragged until the close of The season Of
navigation for 1872, and resulted il the organ.
ization of the Keokuk Northern Lire 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 a new and magnificent line of pss.
senger packets under the control and man.
agement of Commodore Davidson came upon
the upper river. It was headed by the peer
less Gem City" as the flag ship OF the fleet.
and the entire season was one continuous ova-
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.
It has been known for long time by Com
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 hiss been so long de-
ferred, that but few even of his business as
sociates felt certain that ne would ultimately
return to this city. BE has, however, broken
up his home IN st. Louis and has brought his
family with him, and will from this
time on be 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 ne It
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 a great worker,
and with his indomitabe pluck aud perseyer-
ance he car DO and lrH do vast amount to.
wards building up st. Paul. In 1876 when
everything was dead and when the most
daring financiers 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
ing burned in March, 1880, he Immediately
rebuilt it and changed it from house for
Wholesale business to an Office block and it
has proved splendid success. he owns q
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 I'D
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 a block so
KS feet and five stores high squarely in
from, of the old court house on the south side
of Fourth, and in rear of the building now
occupied by the American Express comp any,
also a ve-stOry block on the corner OF Cedar
and Fourth streets, next east of the
court house. Col. James H.. 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 will incte
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
his working force organized, We shall expect
to see him push building and improvement of
his property with as much vim and vigor as
be has all through life shown in the various
enterprises with which he has been connected
He has taken ground floor Office in his
block, corner Fourth and Jackson, and
dates his resumption of business 10 st. Paul
from July lst.
He is non-committal as to how much he ex-
poets TO accomplish in the way of building
before winter, but as he has employed en- ex-
perienced builder by the year to take charge
of his building enterprises and oct a. foreman
aud oyerSeer 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
With such immense property interests at
stake it has always been a marvel how he
could manage it and live hundreds of miles
away.
he OWLS Lue WAISE power hL CauE Ek1piQS,
next in Importance and value to the water
pc ser at st. Anthony Falls. He owns over
l6, COO acres of the best farming lands in Min
nesota, located in Redwood county, aud with
q 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 railroad) he has
q very large and valuable list of inside prop
erty in this city and his taxes and assess ments
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 a 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 tnerculrsn efforts to MAINTAIN
St. am boat and barge lines 10 this city against
| the competition of railroad lines, disputing
| with them every foot of river territory al
| runously low rates. 1t Is undoubtedly true
| that he would have been far better off fnan
cially if he had given up his river interests
| and spent the money in improving
| his st. Paul real estate, which he has lavshed
| in steamboat wars and railroad com edition,
but our city and state would have LOST
| heavily thereby.
There is something, too, In the way oil
| vas bitter fight personal against him in
s.. Louis he remained there, and never left
the field till the last legal battle WAS fought
1 He lived to own and control withopt