Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-09-17
THE GOLDEN SPIKE.

In the presence of large concourse
Of the distinguished personages of /
Europe and America, with a silver
hammer President Willard drove the
golden spike which signalized the
completion of the Northern Pacific
railway. A brief history of this I'M
dertaking opens with a statement
which will be new as we'll as interest
ing to the generation which has grown
up since the conception of this great |
enterprise. Although the first pro-
jected railroad line across the CONT
nent to the Pacific coast, the North
ern Pacific is the last to be completed.
As long ago as 1885 the project of
building railroad from New York
city to the mouth of the Columbia
river was discussed Id the newspa-
pers. In 1915, Asa Whitney, a
New York merchant, proposed to
congress to build a railroad from the
head of Lake Michigan to the mouth
of the Columbia, in case it would
give him land grant, sixty miles in
width, for the whole length of the
line. This plan was embodied in a
bill which was before congress for a
number of years, and in 1917 came
near passing. Whitney may fairly
be regarded as the father of the
Northern Pacific enterprise. He
traversed the country from Maine to
Louisiana, addressing public meet
ings and legislative bodies, and spent
his entire fortune in the work"
Whitney's early paternity of this
great scheme was the subject of an
apt Renaissance by Hon. Frederick
Billings in characteristic speech at
Helena. sit is more than forty
years-a longer period than the chill
dren of Israel were wandering in the
Wilderness before reaching their
Promised Land-since / heard Asa
Whitney discourse on Pacific Rail-
road, before the Legislature of Yer
mont. 1t is thirty years since congress
authorized surveys for practicable
| ,,I ooo,o,o;oo1 ro;IrooI rou4o fro,,,
the Mississippi to the Pacific ocean.
It is more than a quarter of centu
~ since I heard Governor Stevens
discuss this idiotical Northern Pacific
route before an audience in San
Francisco. 1t is nearly a score of
years since this road was chartered.
It is thirteen years since its first
spike was driven" In 1853 the gov
eminent made surveys of five routes
to the Pacific. The northern route
was regarded with favor, and the
winter and climate of the country re-
ported to be much milder than had
generally been supposed, but the I'm
ion and Central Pacific in 1882 re-
ceived the first charter, backed by
the treasury of the United States. In
1864 Josiah Perham succeeded in
getting a charter for the Northern
Pacific. He died in 1868, before the
first spadeful of earth had been lifted.
In 1870, under the presidency of
Hon. j. Gregory Smith of Vermont
and the financial management of Jay
Cooke, money was realized and work
,, begun. The panic of 1873 destroyed
the fortunes of Jay Cooke and for q
time paralyzed the Northern Pacific
enterprise. The time until 1879 was
consumed in efforts to maintain life
in the undertaking and nurse it back
to vigorous existence. Its finances
were finally recognized, railway
wreckers foiled, and in 1879, under
the presidency of another Vermonter
Hon. Frederick Billings, vigorous
work was resumed and the construc
ton operations went rapidly on til
: the rails met and the last spike wa
P driven in the Montana settlement OF
S the 9Th inst. Duluth is the caster
e terminus of the road and Portland
: Oregon, the western, with a branc
/ running northward to Tacoma on Pu
u get sound. The grand total mileag
$ of the main line and branches is 2 IS
o miles. Of the sienifcation of tn
u completion of this great iron wa
: across the northern region of the i'm
IL mense domain of this country Nh
III Billings eloquently said: 'No'
. everybody can come and see this
II the best line across this continent
. unequaled in its variety of resources
III With magnificent wheat fields, wit
= cattle on thousand hills, with mine
i in it's mountains and ravines, with a
T. astounding wealth of timber, o
~ which in time this whole country wi
II have to depend, who can doubt til
, future? Everything in these respect
; is yet in the very infancy of develop
u ment. AS for climate, bear in min
III it is in the regions where you hay
le ice and snug winters you will find tt
'" toughest muscles, the most vigoror
'0 brains, and the most earnest home
% So, putting all things together, wi
IL can fail to see that this great ne
= highway is to be marked all alor
% with prosperous communities, Wi
- schools and churches and high eli
nc ilization? Who can fail to see that
brings permanent peace with the L
g dians that no more Clusters are to
''' killed, no more regiments to
eh wiped out; that new states are
!" come here, new power and new wealt
III opI now bond of nuitu TO no add