, 1884-05-17
Westward the Star of Empire
Takes It's Way"

The extreme Northwest Is brought
into especial prominence just at this
time by the rush of fortune seekers
to the gold fields of the Ceur d 'Alene
region. But it is not to the mines
Of Cpur dAlene, however rich they
prove to be, that the far Northwest
will owe her prosperity, and the
growth which Is inevitably coming.
TO the people of New England "the
West" is Michigan, Wisconsin or
Illinois; while the denizen of the
Green Mountains, who is adventur-
Gus enough to cross the Father Of
Waters, thinks himself in Iowa or
Minnesota, very near to the setting
sun. The inhabitant Of the central
states looks upon Minnesota, Ne
braskn, and Kansas as -"the West"
and the Missouri rivNl is to him as
the boundary line w5ieh separates
the land Of civilization from the
bowling wilderness. We, in the
upper Mississippi Valley, at the
threshold Of the great West, are ac-
Customed to limit our view to the
region lying on this side of the great
mountains. But recent develop
ments have opened up to the world
a vast empire lying for to the west
Of what had hitherto been the OBJ
jective point Of those who sought
their fortunes in the western cOun-
try. There are millions Of acres Of
as fertile land as the sun ever shone
upon awaiting the coming Of the set
tier in Montana, Idaho and Wash
ington territories. The completion
Of the Northern Pacific railroad has
brought this vast domain into direct
relations with the world at large,
and when We consider the advan-
tages which the region possesses it
is not strange that immigrants are
pouring into the favored territories
by thousands. Washington Terri
tory in 1880 had population Of 49,
900, which has more than doubled in
the intervening time. So rapid
has been the development OF this
portion Of the west, and so fair does
her future seem, that she has now
good prospect Of securing admission
rs a State before some Of her older
nelghbors farther to the East. The
bill to establish the new State Of Ia
coma has already been favOrably re-
ported to the Senate, and though it
will probably not pass at this session
Of Congress, considerable advan-
tage has been gained by securing
the favorable report, The new,Stlte
will include the present Territory of
Washington, and that portion of
Idaho lying north Of the 47th paral-
lei. The area to he taken from Idaho
is a long, narrow strip bounded by
the rugged Bitter Root mountains
on the east, and pierced by the head
NtAANAS VI AilN NOlullADld llNNls NAGO-
graphically it belongs to the Column
bia Valley, and the proposed change
may be called a natural one and will
make a State nearly as large as Ore
gon. The slice to be taken from
Idaho is sparsely populated. 1t has
some good grazing country and for
ests, and contains the new CPur
dAlene mining district. The COM
pletiOn of the Northern Pucifc Rail-
road, together with the possession
Of several good harbors with coal
mines close at hand, will, of course,
tend TO develop Washington Terri
tory rapidly in the near future, and
before another decade has passed we
may expect to see the fertile valley
Of the Columbia as thickly dotted
with thriving towns and villages as
is the most thickly settled portion of
Dakota to-day.-MRedpolis tribune