The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-01-21
there would not be business enough in YER
mont to pay for oiling the axletrees."
j., Waitsfeld, VT.
A Phenomenal City.

Mr.. Editor:-Feeling pride in the city OF
my adoption, want to speak of what she
has attained to since her first settlement,
fifty years ago, especially when so large q
number of Vermonters in this city and vi
cinity contribute so largely to her wealth,
enterprise and population. Why A few
years since we held a" Vermont picnic -
on the fair grounds here, and by actual
count there were fifteen hundred people,
from within radius of fifteen or twenty
miles, who had been born in Vermont or had
at some youthful period of their lives resided
there Nesting in the valley of Fox river,
about thirty-eight miles west of Chicago, is
located the city of Aurora, Illinois. Aurora
is one of the phenomenal cities in the West,
II not in the United States; it is out of debt,
and so Is the township of Aurora, and has
money in the treasury. Kane county, in
which both are located, has good public
buildings and is also out of debt. The town
some years since bonded itself to the amount
of 100000 in favor of the Chicago & Illinois
railroad; taking stock in said road, at 800
per share, par value, for the amount think
ing Aurora would be greatly benefited by a
competing line of road. We paid the bonds
and interest, dollar for dollar, but the stock
proved worthless for years, and would for
all time to come, probably, had the mana
gers of the Chicago & Illinois been allowed
to have their own way in the matter; but
another line of road being anxious to get
control of this stock, it was put up at auction
and sold to the highest bidder, netting the
town nearly or quite $4,000. Now want
to ask, If this town is not phenomenal in get
ting its money back again, with interest,
after once having passed into railroad
company's hands. Aurora has large and
elegant public school buildings, costing from
$50, 600 to $4,000 each, sufficient for twice
our present population, now about twenty
thousand; churches in great abundance,
ranking in size and appointments with
your eastern structures peopled on Sun
days, like most other churches all over the
land, with less than half they will hold.
We have free public library and reading
room containing about six thousand vol
umes; three-story, cut-stone city hall and
courthouse, with postoffce, while our
streets and many of our public buildings
and stores, are lighted by electricity. Among
the more important industries are the Chi
cago, Burlington & Quincy railroad shops,
which give employment to one thousand
seven hundred men; corset factory, with
three hundred eighty hands; cotton mills,
four hundred fifty hands; watch factory,
one hundred fifty hands; Hoyt Brothers
Manufacturing Company, one hundred thirty
hands; Silver Plate Company, two hundred
hands; Aurora Smelling and Refinery Com
pany, one hundred twenty-five hands, Road
Cart and Wagon Manufacturing Company,
two hundred hands; tobacco factory, fifty
hands; well works, seventy-fve hands;
wooden factory, one hundred hands, carpet
sweeper factory. fifty hands; besides flour
ing mills, sash and blind factories and other
smaller industries without number We
have two mammoth skating Kinks, of which
more anon. Fox river, which runs through
the place, is spanned by five new iron
bridges costing some 100000. We have
three national banks with something over
81, 100000 of deposits. And, by the way,
the Second National is considered one of
the most conservative, and still one of the
most prosperous and successful banks in
tbp Vast Ia IL tn IA yyopHprp1 al sid.
ering it is otficered largely by Vermonters,
five of its directors and the president being
from Orange county, that it should be sue
cess? Benjamin George, Peleg and Frank
Young were from STAFFORD; William f.
Dickinson from Chelsea; and Alonzo George
from Post Mlls) Thetford, the two latter
having represented their respective towns
in the Vermont legislature previous to or
during the war of the rebellion, and we'll
known by many of the older Montpelier
citizens. Alonzo George, the president of
the bank is the brains of the institution, at
tending strictly to his legitimate business,
never specializing or allowing any one con-
nected with the bank to do So Does farm
ing pay? If you have any doubt about it
ask either Ben George, Peleg or Frank
Young, and they will tell you it does. Ben
came West about twenty-five years ago, a
poor boy, and by hard work. economy and
good management has made his pile" and
year or two since moved into town, sat not
down on it, and is now enjoying his ease.
We call him worth, easily, $4,000 Frank
and Peleg Young came at little earlier
period, say thirty odd years ago, with
scarcely anything save the clothes on their
backs. Frank Young is now serving his
second term as treasurer of Kane county,
and is Justly considered as worth, at least,
$4,000, pretty much all of which was made
in farming; he resides in the adjoining town
of Kaneville. Peleg, when quite boy,
went from STAFFORD to Chelsea where he
tended stable for Lemuel Bacon a while,
and afterward drove stage from Chelsea to
Montpelier and Bradford, for $40 per month.
Like his brother Frank he made his money
farming, say $4,000, and is now enjoying
his ease and comfort in town, cutting off
his coupons. "Young man, go West, and
grow up with the country only little
farther stand you will find just as
good country and just as good an opportu-
nifty for making a fortune as these boys
ever had. Greeley's advice was good and
just as applicable nO,D as then. k. Ink.