St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-02
WEST SUPERIOR.
4 Thriving Young City at the Head Of
Lake Superior.
NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY
TERMINUS.
Nature, Aided by Capital and Local En-
terprise, viii Make 1t a Future
City of the Lakes.

At the head of Lake Superior. on the
south side of st. Louis bay. is situated
the young and growing city of West
Superior. Wis, which is recognized by
the commercial world as the terminal
point of the great railway systems of the
entire Northwest. The future OF West
Superior is settled fact. 1t is destined
to become city of vast Importance to
the enthe world. Three years ago the
site of this rising town was almost UNI
known to the commercial world. but the
eNlSencieS of a progressive age have led
TO its selection as a business center, and
under the impetus of enterprise and
capital il has grown SO rapidly that
1t will be but short time until
II Is one of the most important cities in
the Northwest. Nature has done much
for West Superior, and capital has been
equally generous. The site of three
years ago has been laid out into beauti-
tul streets and avenues, which have
been built upon and filled up with mag
niticent buildings for so young place,
and the citizens are 4 wide awake and
prosperous people. The site was we'll
chosen; in fact, it is to its typographical
advantages that West Superb OF owes its
existence. The land has 4 gentle slope
eff about thirty feet to the mile down TO
the water front, thus insuring thorough
drainage at a comparatively small ont
lay, while the grade is so slight that
there is little necessity of grading the
streets. There are no PERCEPTIONS bluffs
along the water front, which is very
important consideration in the con-
structiOn of docks, etc. These topO-
graphical advantages do not exist on the
north side of the bay, and, therefore,
the railroads were compelled to choose
the Wisconsin side for their extensive
terminals, and it is these unequaled
terminal advantages that are destined
TO make West Superior what nature in
tended it to be-a great manufacturing
and shipping city. All the forces
which contribute TO this end are
present. Capital has not been
slow to grasp the opportunity, and en-
terprise is making itself felt every
day in a manner that would do credit to
many of the older Eastern cities. 1t is
about three years since the first lot was
sold on the town site. and to-day West
Superior has a population of nearly
1900 people, with every prospect of a
still more rapid increase i'll the future.
Though situated three and a half miles
from Superior City, West Superior is a
component part of that place. and is
under the control of the same munich
pal organization. In other words. it is
but a suburb of Superior. but its natural
advantages are SO great that already the
child has outgrown its parent. West
Superior has thlrty-five miles of dock
line. The shore line of the St. Louis
river and tie extensive and narrow pen
lnSula known as ConnOr'S Point seem
20 have been provided by nature for the
docks and warehouses OF an immense
commerce, and the rapidity with which
This valuable property has been pur-
chased and improved by the great trans
pOrt2tiOn companies, as well as by mer-
chants and manufacturers, is alone a
guaranty of the future growth of this
young city. The demand for trans
DOrtatiOn brings into existence the
essential factor in commerce, and in
recognition of this gigantic railway cor
pOrations. who supply the arteries"
are turning their attention to securing
connection at West Superior with Nat
nre'S highway of eXchange-the water
system OF transportation between the
East and the Northwest. Among the
great railway lines having terminals
here are the Northern Pacific, bringing
the produce of the mines and stock
ranges of Washington and Montana ter
ritorieS, the immense grain fields of
Northern Dakota and the fine farms and
forests of Minnesota; the Chicago. st.
Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha, reaching
through Northern Wisconsin, Southern
Minnesota and Iowa to Nebraska and
Kansas; the st. Paul. Minneapolis d
Manitoba and the Duluth South Shore &
Atlantic, the latter giving direct water
route to Montreal, New York. Boston
and Portland, independent Of Chicago
connections. 1t is also expected that
the Chicago, Burlington d Quincy Sys-
jem will connect with other roads here
shortly by an extension of the Chicago,
Burlington & Northern
The advantages of water transporta-
lion are evident in the fact that by it
West Superior is as near Buffalo, \. Y.
is is Chicago, while it is 400 miles nearer
ierritory in the Northwest that has here
OiOre been tributary to Chicago. At
;he same time the season of navigation
Is exactly the same, being governed at
both places by the straits of Mackinac.
West Superior is situated midway be-
tween the Gogebic and Vermilion iron
ranges, which have attained the reputa-
Jon of being among the richest and
most extensive iron mines in the world.
With abundance of cheap coal, brought
10 the head OF Lake Superior as ballast
in grain vessels; with plenty of build
ing material at hand; with cheap food
and the magnificent waterway there
seems to be nothing TO prevent the iron
industry being one Of the chief
sources OF strength of West Superior.
The deposits that have been developed
by the Minnesota Mining company
alone have yielded over one-tenth of
the entire iron product of the Lake SUI
perior region. And there is apparently
no limit 10 its capacity.
4 few figures will not be out of place
i'll this article TO give the readers OF the
GLOBE an idea Of what has already been
done and contemplated for the immedi-
ate future.
During the year 1887 TO less than
S2,500.00o was expended in improve
ments in and around West Superior. a
goodly percentage of this amount being
used in the completion Of public improve
ments. Among the more important
private enterprises may be mentioned:
The Lehigh Coal company's docks, cost
ing 1923, zoe: the Sawyer system of eIe-