Omaha daily bee., 1888-04-29
OMAHA KNOWN TO FAME.
A Townsman Tells the Bean-Eaters of
Our wondrous Growth.

aoou1 bllS Guy ne lives III anu 0hO BioN-
ing country around it, than Mr.. Nat M.
Brigham, of Omaha, who has been here
on a visit for few weeks. Mr.. Brig
ham is we'll known in Boston, where he
was for some years prominent in athletic
and musical circles. He will be remem-
bered as a member OF the famous '7Sand
10 Harvard 'Versity crew. Since 1885
he has made his home in Omaha, TO
which great and growing town the mod
ern Athens has contributed so many de-
sirable citizens and so many millions OF
money, and his enthusiasm in behalf of
the place of his adoption, its growth and
its progress, is great. In the course OF
conversation, the writer asked why
Omaha din not seem to enjoy an equal
share of public attention with Minne-
apolis, st. Paul and Kansas City.
''It is true that Omaha has not been
we'll advertised" replied Mr.. Brigham,
''and this has been very thoroughly inn
pressed upon me during my trip east.
The fact is due almost entirely to lax
ity on the part of her business men.
They have been content to see the city
grow to its present proportions without
inviting the aid of eastern capital"
''At what figures do you put the popu-
lation of Omaha?"
"An even 100000. Many give figures
above this limit, but prefer to be con-
servative in my statement, for the cold
blooded census man will be around soon.
However, even
A ROUND HUNDRED THOUSAND
is remarkable showing. If you had
looked from the Iowa bank of the Mis-
souri, in the lmmer Of 1854, you would
have seen but single cabin where a
thriving metropolis now stands. The
Mormous at this time made Council
Bluffs their headquarters, and little
later established winter quarters at the
village of Florence, which is about six
miles north of our city. The Mormons
established friendly relations with the
Omaha Indians, and the village of
Florence became quite a prosperous
town. From this point, on April 4,
1S47, Brigham Young started with his
band of pioneers to discover perma-
nent location"
sWhat were the causes which led to
the sudden growth of Omaha?"
"In order to answer that question l
must go back to the founding of the
city. 1t was not until 1854 that Ne
braska had even q territorial govern
ment, and within two or three years the
city had a population of 200 or 800 pio-
neers. There was no further activity
until 1859, when the project of building
the Union Pacific was first agitated,
and Omaha profited by the vast immi-
grafton to the gold fields of California.
AT the completion of the road Omaha
possessed a population of 10000. From
1870 to 1880 the growth was only moder-
ate, and the population had increased
10 Tn hn ma Mt MI a
full country around Omaha was rapidly
filling up. The immense corn belt in
which Omaha lies had been undergoing
a change. The big ranches had
beec giving way to small farms
and prosperous towns and cities
were springing up all over the state.
Omaha was the natural distributing
center, and in 1880 she felt for the first
time the impetus of a great boom. In
1888 the population of the city was 4S,-
600; in 1885 it was $4,000; in 1886 it was
$1,000; in 1887 it was $4,000, and this
year it very likely reaches 10000, and
is still growing"
SIS Omaha much of q manufacturing
place?"
1--WE are doing pretty we'll in that re-
gard. Still, there is the best possible
opening for live men in the manufactur-
ing line, whom we will gladly welcome
and encourage. We have the largest
smelling and refining works in the
world, the biggest linseed oil works in
America, distilleries, breweries, boiler
works, barbed wire factories, white lead
works, flour mills, ETC., employing alto
gether
Omaha is, first of all, great CONNER
cial center. Commerce has been the
greatest factor in its growth thus far.
Jobblng and pork packing are our
trump card. We have 300 jobbing
houses with $12,O00, 900 capital invested,
and the sales in 1887 reached $45 ,000, 900.
The future of Omaha's trade is very
bright. She has a splendid tributary
country, none better in the world-Ne-
braska itself, with 10000 square miles
and million of inhabitants. Then too,
her jobbers penetrate, and cover in
their respective lines, Idaho, Wyoming,
Utah, Colorado, Nevada and even Ore
gon. Thirteen great railroads center
ing in Omaha pour a ceaseless tide of
migrating humanity through the
town."
"What does the pork packing indus
try amount to in Omah?" Mr.. Bingham
was asked.
'sOmaha is the largest pork-packing
center in the world, and it has jumped
to this position In the last three years.
In 1885 South Omaha packing houses
used but $4,000 hogs. In 1886 237, 900
were killed, and in 1887 over ,OO0,O 900.
Omaha lies in the very heart of the
corn belt, and must be the headquarters
of this industry in its section of the
country; for beyond the Rocky noun
tains there is practically no corn land.
| Five of the heaviest concerns in the
United States are already here, and the
business of their packing and slaugh-
| tering houses has reached such proper
tions that the receipts from hogs, sheep
and cattle will average 100000 per
day."
| '1How about your city fnances?"
| "They are in excellent condition.
| Whoever owns an Omaha bond to-day
has tangible security of 800 for every
dollar the obligation calls for. should
add that public Improvements of the
most valuable description are rapidly
going forward, and at least 81, ,OO0, 600 is
to be spent in this way during the cur
| rent year"
"What about your public schoois?"
| "First rate
EDUCATIONAL MATTERS
do not lack 0attention in Omaha. Two
| ham rod and fftu Thousand dollars are