New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-02
WESTERN CITY BUILDING.
. VIEW OF THE PROCESS AT FARGO.


TRRpRIsE-FEATUREs or PRIVATE AND PUBLIC
LIFE IN THE GROWING WEST
.fvsou A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSRl
LIVINGSTON, Mont, Aug 22.--The excursion
marty. which under the guidance of Rufus Hatch Is
70 ace tho wonders of the Yellowstone National
Park. il now complete and fairly under way.
few stragglers delayed by sickness other causes
in New-York, overlook 1t in Chicago; small party
came MP from st. Louis later on, and Others joined
it in ST. Paul, Bismarck and other points on the
Northern Pacific Railroad. Altogether the party
numbers seventy-two, Of whom twenty are ladies.
The principal points of interest ON the road from
Now Yvrk-Niagara Falls, Chicago and Its marvel
lous little suburb practically 1t is nothing else) OF
Pullman, the largo flour mills of Minneapolis, Lake
Minnetonka and its beautiful surroundings. that
little upstart of town Fargo so characteristic OF
Western Spush and energy, and the famous y bo-
nanza" farm of the Dairymples-have oil been vis-
tied, examined and commented upon by the foreign
guests in the party.
Il may be interesting, perhaps. to your readers 70
know who some of the people composing the party
are and where they como from. They arc pro-
fessors, doctors, lawyers capitalists, merchants,
bankers mcn Of leisure. artists journalists, John
MES and Chappies 1.-THE genuine London article
and finally "dudes.n l had almost forgotten to
mention that there are noblemen in the party,
whose names proudly lead the column OF every
hotel register In which we record our names. and
whose signatures are exhibited 10 the admlrng
gaze of the casual loungers in the Hobbies OF the
country INNS There an English, or more cor
rectly speaking an Irish, lord. French barop two
merchants from Holland. two German journalists
French professor-in word, the party IS almost
cosmopolitan in character. The tastes, views and
inclin atoms of the members differ just widely
enough to insure an animated conversation or In
structive exchange OF views during tresome jour-
neys through the dreary plains and waste stretches
of land so often encountered in the West
IMPRESSIONS OF WESTERN PUSH"
Nothing, ! venture to say, the grandeur OF the
Falls at Niagara not excepted, made deeper I'M
preston upon the foreign guests than the rapid
growth of the towns of the Far West. To find,
hundreds of miles away from what they had been
made to believe were the outskirts OF civilization.
town, for instance, like Fargo OAK. which can
boast after less than five years of existence of an
electric-light tower a schoo-house not inferior to
any to be found in the city OF NewYork. water
works, q street railway four or five churches of
different denominations public library, in short,
most of the ccnvenences of town life generally
only found prosperous towns of the Eastern States
and scarcely ever in European towns often ten
times large, was, say, revelation, not only TO
party who had never been in the Northwest before.
If take Fargo an example of the rapid prog
ress of civilization, wealth and culture IN the
Northwest within the list decade, it Is not be-
cause it is the only town which boast of so re-
markabe growth within that short period. Bis
marck, jamestown, Billings and other towns,
though of much more recent date. show all signs
of remarkable progress and activity which is full of
promise for the future.
RISE OF WESTERN TOWN.
In 1872 Fargo was the haoitation of the Indian.
and where to-day the hustle of trade and the
whistle OF the locomotive are heard, ten years ago
the tepea of the savage was the only indication of
the presence of humanity. In 1873 Fargo had less
than 800 people; in tho autumn OF the following
year the census showed 1.40O; the United States
census taken in June, $780, showed that Fargo had
2, 700 inhabitants; today il has 10000 residents
land directory. should not forget to mention
its police force, only ten men strong, 1t is true
but scarcely distinguishable in bnld and splendor
of equipment from your own Broadway Squad.
The town owes lis rapid growth and present
prosperity 10 several causes Situated in the midst
of one of the most fertile valleys IN tho world, 1t
has by sheer necessity been. or will be made,
centre for number of railway which wish to
compete for the transportation OF those enormous
wheat crops which are annually raised there, and
are continually increasing in bulk and value. Al
rsady tho Northern Pacific Railroad Las a Compel
iior IN the st. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba
Railroad which has finished Its track and erected
freigh houses and depot 10 the vicinity OF the
station of the former road, while two Others are
now being projected to tap the fertile valleys lying
in the south of Dakota. Additional transportation
facilities are fopnd for the commerce of the district
in q nayigsble stream, the Red River which pro-
.,;las 80. m oufIst toward the north Though this
stream ~ navigable during a short period of the
year only, four boats have been built which to-
eether ransported last season over 5O.00O.OOO Of
pounds of merchandise.
The first thing that strikes the travellers eye as
he allghts at the railway station at Fargo is
remarkably graceful and wcll-constructed electric
light tower, not unlike the observatory at Conev
Island 175 feet in height, which serves to illum-
mate the entire town and the prairie for miles
around. ITO my mind" SAID one of the foreign
members of the party to ire. nothing is more
characteristic OF your American spirit Of enterprise
and quick appreciation of everything that tends to
create comforts than this light. Here this town
has mud streets yet the majority of IFS houses are
bic shapties few brick houses only are seen
here aud there and yet sou have here one OF the
most modern inventions applied in the most prac-
teal manner possible. In towns OF this SIZE In our
country light like this wonld bot be thought OF
He might have said the sau'e thing of telephone
accommodations which IN Fargo srem 10 DE excep-
tionally complete; of the water works. and OF
number of enterprises of the same character fouEd
In nnmberless towns Of comparatively small size in
she Far West.
TIE RAID on FARGO.
In the fall of 1870 1t was generally supposed
that the crossing of the Northern Pacific over the
Red River would be at the mouth of the Elm. The
best lands there were held by party OF men who
built Lighthouses there and passed the long winter
evenings of 1870 and 1871 estimating the value OF
their claims when Land out in twenty ve-foot lots,
and sold at figures as variable AS the prairie winds
In the spring of 1871 it was rumored that the
crossing would DO further sonth. At once the
struggle began for prospective town site Of the
vet unnamsd and imaginary city. The Puget