, 1888-01-20
the FUTURE OF WYOMING.

In his last report the governor of Wy
ominG presents many facts showing the
material progress of that territory during
the past year and the conditions that give
promise of a future of rapid growth and
almost boundless prosperity; says the
Omaha Bee. Embracing an area as large
as the New England States and Indiana
combined, this territory has a wealth of
undeveIoped believed to be I'M
surpassed in equal area en- the globe.
The opening up of these natural riches
has been steadily advancing during the
last few years, every step demonstrating
the vastness of the resources that await
the application of capital and labor and
the facilities to make them readily avail
able in the worlds markets. The want of
the latter has been the obstacle to n more
liberal employment OF the former, but
this difficulty has been largely removed
and will at an early day disappear alto
gether. F-om now on Wyoming, offer
ing the strongest inducements to enter
prise, is as well assured as any portion Of
the west of a rapid growth in population,
industrial development and material pros
perity.
The advance of the railroads into
Wyoming has already been a great stimu-
lus to the progress of the territory, and
this effect will unluestionably be still
more apparent during the present and
succeeding years. The extension of
the Burlington & Northwestern systems
through the Black Hills and into the
Laramie plains penetrated a region among
richest portions OF the territory. The
Burlington reaches Cheyenne, and the
Northwestern has been extended through
the heart of Wyoming to Fort Fetter-
man. This year the latter system will be
further extended, by connection with the
Central Pacific. into Utah, which has also
become the objective line of the Burling
tom. Thus there will be three competing
trunk lines opening up a vast region here
totore inaccessible to civilization and in
dustrial development. The Union Pacific,
in order to hold its own against its pow
erful rivals, is building branch lines
and feeders into the region already pene-
trated by the Northwestern. With such
enlarged railway facilities Wyoming will
witness a new era. Coal mining will no
longer be the only business inviting enter
prise and the chief source of her indus
trial prosperity. Capital will develop her
great q%uarries of marble and granite, her
vast deposits 'of soda, and last, though
not least, her great basins of petroleum,
which promise to excel the oil fields of
Ohio and Pennsylvania in the quantity
and qualify Of their product, both for
Illuminating and lubricating purposes.
For more than twenty five years it has
been well known that an enormous de
post of petroleum existed in the region
west of Fort Fctterman and in the neigh
borhooi of the South Pass, The first
practical effort to develop the oil basins OF
Wyoming has been made within the past
two years 10y three or four OMAHA capt
~talists, who have acquired large tracts of
oil producing lands and have sunk ~.eycral
wells successfully. Since the Northwestern
rold has entered Laramie plains q mum
Der of separate companies have been or
ganizcd at Chicago, Omaha and elsewhere.
and preparations are in progress for explor-
alton and extensive development during
the present yea. Those who are engaged
in This cntrrDris1 fool rDuGlr,,t of tho