The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-13
LAKE THE HUB.
The Last of the Cities of Rapid
Growth.
ONE OF THE CENTURY'S WONDERS
An Eastern Editor Who Sees the Situation
With Impartial and Unprejudieed
Eyes-0ur Destiny.

| Under the heading, ''The Last of the
Cities of Rapid Growth" C. D. Ham
editor of the Dubuque Herald, who was
lately in this city, writes as follows of Salt
Lake: salt Lake city, out in Utah, is one
of the most peculiarly distinctive cities in
the country. 1t has history behind il
and future before it. Historically, as
the capital seat of the Mormon empire, il
is full of "reminiscences and of interest
with the events of its forty-two wears, a
| long period for the great western country.
! But this era is now closing, and there are
promises Of future before it as bright as
possessed by any inland city between the
two oceans. Its people claim that it is
about to become another Denver, and the
evidences tend that way. 1t is about to
join the brotherhood of rapidly growing
cities like Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane and
Helena. In Salt Lake is repeated the his
tory Of st. Paul, Kansas City, Omaha and
Denver.
ut seems to be generally admitted that
another large city will grow up in the
west between Denver and San Francisco.
Between these two there is a stretch of
l,3OO miles, further than that from Du-
buque to New York. Salt Lake is about
five hundred miles from Denver and has
the geographical location in it's favor to be-
come the great mart for a vast stretch of
territory. 1t is in the middle of n chain
of valleys running between the noun
tains to the north and south and opening
the way for commerce. Ogden, forty miles
to the north of Salt Lake, is also claiming
that it will be the great city of the region
1t has the advantage of being the terminus
of several railroads, but in other re-
spects is excelled by Salt Lake.
THE LATTER mas THE START,
has the wealth, is the capital of the terri
tory and the political centre, has manu-
featuring and mining and other advantages.
Ogden will be good place, but the general
opinion is in favor of Salt Lake becoming
the chief city.
''The rapid growth of the great cities of
the west mas been one of the wonders of
the century. Within twelve years, as the
vast country west of the Missouri river has
been filed up and its rich resources devel-
Oped, we have seen one city aft 81 another
grow from swaddling clothes to commercial
or manufacturing places of METROPOLITAN
size. St, Paul and Minneapolis, Duluth,
Kansas City, Omaha, Denver, Helena and
Los Angeles bloomed forth in the first two
thirds of this period, and in the last couple
of years, Spokane, Tacoma and Seattle in
the northwestern section also came to the
front The indications all point to Salt
Lake being added to the list, and it will
probably be the last place to make such
wonderful growth. The era of boom cities
IS about over.
Like most of the other places, it is the
opening up to the world by the railroads
of the resources of the region around about
Salt Lake that is causing it to grow The
region of which Salt Lake is
TIE ENrEEPoT AND COMMERCIAL CENTRE
is composed of Utah, Eastern Nevada
Southwestern Wyoming and Southern
Idaho, region as vast as that supplied by
Kansas City or by st. Paul, only as vet un-
developed and but thinly populated The
| resources tf the region are agriculture.
cattle and sheep raising, mining and in
Salt Lake city, manufacturing. The val
leys are wonderfully fertile and very pro-
ductiye. Grains, fruits and vegetables and
ALFALFA species of clover-are the chief
productions. 1t is a great fruit country,
all kinds being raised and of luscious
quality. The nearness of the mountain
ranges secures a permanent supply of
water for irrigation, by whose aid the soil
produces wonderful crops. Sheep are
raised extensively on the mountain sides
and a few cattle. Wool is one of the chief
resources of the Utah farmers, some
9.UUO,OOOOOO POUNDS belng produced last
year. In the mountains are many deposits
of gold, silver, lead, copper and asphalt, all
of which are mined. While not equaiing
the rich deposits of Montana, vet those of
Utah are Of considerable importance Iron
is also found and is being worked. There
ARE MANY DEPOSITS OF COAL
in both Utah and Southwestern Wyoming
that are useful both for the development
of the mineral resources and for fuel Coal
can be had In Salt Lake for S44.25 to So 25 a
ton.
''To the Mormons Salt Lake owes its
manufacturing. Whatever faults these
people may have they are thrifty and ener-
getic. For years they were out of the
world and dependent upon themselves.
Desiring to become self sustaining, they
established and encouraged manufacturers
of various kinds that are now good thing
for the city.
1.-THE visitors from the east who travels
over this region in the great western en-
pire cannot but become impressed with the
great resources of the country, for large
part as yet but little developed, and with
the opportunities presented for enterpris-
ing and Industrious men. 1t is a great
country. The ambitious and the energetic
will find more chances there than in this
older eastern region
WuOTESATr NJ nTuTNn pIrvuDS