The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-04-28
CHlCAGO'S GREATNESS.
why ChicaGoan Beast So ExtravaGantly
and necessarily.

Especial CorrespondencP
CHICAGO, April 90. 1t is common saying
among Travelled men that there are only two
really great cities in this Chicago
ard New York. True, Chicago is a great
city, but in one respect she breathes the air
and wears the color of youthful and bound
ing village scarce out of her town-lot swad-
ding clothes in the eager west. This is III
the habit, indulged frequently and enthus'-
astically by all true Chicagnans, of boasting
of themselves, their city. their future and
their past In his home r1'aise-singing the
Chicago man is not selfish; he boasts not
only of his own greatness, lut of his neigh
boris and his rival SO everything in or
about Chicago is food for his swelling. Chi
cagos bigness and the big things which may
be found within OF just without her wide
borders, are the especial and favore7 subjects
of his vaunting discourse.
"Why, just think of it," excla:ril' the
Chicago man; "over on the north side lives
Emdon Hubbard who came TO Chicago trad
ing with the Indians when there weren't a
half-dozen white men here. There are p'eaty
of men still living in town who voted at the
first city election, fifty years ago next spring
Then Chicago had population of 1000; nov
look at her"
And then the Chicago man waves his right
hand. looks proud ard inyincible, and Incl
dentally mentions that "we are crowding ?
million pretty close.
Here the visitor smiles incredulously, an
points to the census report Of 1880, which
gives Americas interior metropolis 5030fE
souls.
Incredulity i; not uncommon concernn;
population Claims of western cities. The re-
markable growth of western cities is some
thing which dwellers in the effete east cannoi
understand Thirty-five years ago New
Yorks population was greater thar
Chicago's, according to the last fedora
census, and yet here comes Chicago,
talking about 1GOO.600. while New York ha'
but 200. 900 in 1880 When New York wa,
one of the worlds great cities with mor;
than 100000 inhabitants, Chicago was
country town only as big as Burlington, la.
-Four thousand in 1895, 100000 in 1885,
what audaeityI
But truth bofore all things Chicago hes
not ,000. 600 population, nor anything like it
In NAV, 1884, she had $4,000 Next Ma
another school census win be taken, and vii.
show about 100000 The federal census
enumerators of 1890 win find not more thar
$4,000. and not until the next decade has
rolled two or three OF its fertile summers
over us win Chicago rise to the dignity of
millionaire among the worlds bare dozen cf
millionaire cities.
Nevertheless, Chicago is big. Moreover.
she is full Of big things. Vastness seems
digenous to the soil which reared this you.:.
giant of the west Great establishments grov
here like weeds in springs sunshine Sea
tered about ON this muddy prairie, skirtin
the sandy shores OF the lake depressing close a.
the oozy back, of an unsavory bayou, are
many things noteworthy and immense thu.
one hesiiates for a suitable beginning of theis-
enumeration.
If Chicago is distinguished for anything, i
is for her grain market There are in iii
city twenty-eight grain elevators -huges stru
lures $50 feet high, towering above surroun :
ing objects like feudal castles above the novels
of yeoInen- Railroad trains run in and on;
of these Goiiaths, and big steamers sheite,
their black hulks within the shadows wbie
their holds are being filed with the golsesi
grain No other city in the world has Il.
many elevators, no other such storage "a
racity. no other handies such vast quantisi
OF cereals In these structures may be hoIs
more than q, ,OO0, 900 bushels of grain, eq.l4
TO a solid column 100 feet square and 5.
feet high, or - the average wheat cros 81
amy one oE the great wheat-gIowing sta e
California alone excepted From ea
Of the fertile west might come &.
irunnssihle nei0ht troin eou'nozed - ~ ~.