Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-05-08

ton company might be to the Northern
Pacific railroad company, which was Il
company owning twenty steamers, navi-
eating from the ocean at Astoria the
waters of the Columbia, Willamette and
Snake rivers and Pend d'Oreille Lake for
thousands of miles into Oregon, Washing
ton, Idaho and Montana territories. 1t
was principally owned by Messrs Aims
worth, Thompson and Reed of Portland
and Alvinza Hayward of San Francisco.
| Mr.. Garfield commenced negotiating
with them for the whole property, in con-
nection with Judge Rice, vice-president
of the Northern Pacific railroad company,
who was then on the coast, which finally
resulted in Messrs. Alnsworth and Thomp-
son meeting Mr.. Garfield and Mr. Jay
Cooke at the latter's residence, Ogontz,
neat Philadelphia, in the following win
ter, and the sale was consummated the
the Northern Pacific railroad company
buying three-quarters of the stock of the
Oregon Navigation company, and the orig
inal parties retaining one-quarter. Dur
ing the panic of 1873 the stock held by the
Northern Pacific railroad company be-
came scattered and was bought up by
Messrs Ainsworth, Thompson and Beed,
and subsequently sold to Mr. Willard, who
connected with the enterprise building of
railroads in Oregon ond Washington Ter
ritory.
In 1872 Mr.. Garfield escorted the board
of directors of the Northern Pacific rail
road to Oregon and Washington Territory,
taking them from Sacramento to Portland
overland, and thence to the Puget Sound.
They visited all the principal places on
the Sound in steamer examining them
with reference to fixing up terminus for
the main line of the road on the Sound,
which was subsequently settled upon at
Tacoma.
Mr.. Cantield's Foresight.
The result of Mr. Canfield's experience
is, that he has travelled over nearly all
the country between Lake Superior and the
Pacific Ocean Uid the Northern route, on
foot, or horseback or muleback, in carts or
wagons, long before the iron horse was
heard in the land, and consequently has
become familiar with the topography and
character of the country.
Few men comprehended so fully at an
early day, even when st. Paul and Mime
apolis were in their infancy, the great cap
ability of this immense country, the fer
tility and extent of the Red River Valley,
equal to that of the Nile,-the abundant
resources of various kinds awaiting flu
ture development between Lake Superior
and Puget Sonnd,-their capacity for easy
and rapid development, such rs no other
country has ever before shown which,
combined with the facilities offered by the
Northern Pacific and Manitoba and other
railroads yet to be built, to hasten settle
mepts and accommodate the people, will
create a Northwestern empire which will
not only add incalculable wealth to the
nation, but will form an important factor
in its future government
Mr.. Garfield continued as president of
the Lake Superior and Puget Sound com
pany and a director of the Northern Paci-
tic railroad until the bankruptcy of the
company in 1873, when, upon its reorga-
nzttiou, it became the principal owner of
the Lake Superior and Puget Sound com
pany and no necessity existed longer for
an active manager and Mr.. Garfield re-
signed.
His health was so much impaired that
he was compelled to give up all active
business and now lives at Burlington, Yer
mont, spending Il portion of his time at
Lake Park, Minnesota, where he has a
farm and is demonstrating the Importance
of more diversified system of farming,
by raising, in addition to the various kinds
of grain, horses, cattle and sheep, instead
of combining his work to producing wheat
alone, which sooner or later will exhaust
the elements in the soil necessary for its
production, unless restored by rotation
and rest.
Amid all the ups and downs of the times,
amid all pancs and financial stOrms,-
Notwithstanding the discouragements of
the early days of the Northern Pacific and
tions,-Mr. Garfield has always main
tanned the same abiding faith in this mag
nificent undertaking and the same conf
dence in its ultimate success, and he still
believes it will become the great transcon-
tinental highway across the continent to
Europe, not only for the products of the
soil and mines along its border, but for
the products of Japan, China and the In
dies.