St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-20
THE CITY OF DULUTH.
How the Great Lake Town
Impressed a New Jersey
Lawyer.
What Has Been Done to I'M
prove Natural Opportu-
mites.
Great Accomplishments and
Still Greater Projects in
View.
Many Reasons for the Great
Prosperity Of the Zenith
City.


fishes the following article from the pen
of j. A. Beecher, a lawyer of that city:
The first thing man gets upon reach
ing Duluth is copy of Proctor KnOtt's
speech on that then nonresident but
now famous city. / had copy in my
hands before I had been there thirty
minutes. 1t was delivered in congress,
perhaps twenty years ago, and the citi-
zens of the Zenith City say it is the
product of a judicious combination of
Knott's incompatible wit, genius and
Blue Grass whisky. At all events, it is
a piece of oratory that will long occupy
distinguished place in American
humor. The house of representatives
was kept in roars of laughter for half
an hour, and it is reported to
have been entirely an off-hand
effort. 1t was called forth in Op-
position to a bill to give what is
now the st. Paul & Duluth Rail-
road company grant of million and
a half acres of the public lands on con-
dition that they should construct road
from St. Paul to Duluth, distance of
100 miles. They obtained the grant,
built the road and in 1870. think it was.
connected st. Paul with the head of
Lake Superior as the pioneer railroad
between tho points. [ have lost the
speech and can not quote from it, as
had intended to do, but it is worth while
for any one to read it who has not done
so. Strange as it may seem, the bur-
lesque, and appare ntly absurd eXagger-
atoms of the eloquent Kentucky orator,
which were intended to kill the bill,
seem to-day like prophetic announce
ments of the great inland metropolis
that twenty years ago was born and is
now moving rapidly forward to grand
future.
THE VAST COUNTRY TRIBUTARY TO
DULUTH.
The city of Duluth takes it's name
from Capt. Duluth, who led party to
understand that his was the second
company of civilized men to visit that
region of which there is any record. 1t
was great fur country not many years
ago. and part of John Jacob Astor's
millions came from the profitable
traffic in pelts carried on by his COM
pany in that part of the then unbroken
wilderness. The location of Duluth is
the great factor of her present and
future. 1t is situated on the
line of the Northern Pacific
railroad. at the extreme western
end of the chain of great lakes,
500 miles nearer the Pacific and 800
miles further inland than any other lake
port, and is on the great pathway of
commerce between the two oceans. Her
shipping reaches Buffalo in as short a
time as it takes from Chicago to that
int ic NV
glance at the map. A most important
fact known to but few Eastern people
is this: An imaginary straight line,
known as "Banning's Line" drawn
from Duluth to Lower California on the
Pacific coast, leaves all points west and
north Of that line nearer to Duluth
than to Chicago. Thus, Denver is
1875 miles further from Chicago
than from Duluth. Any town in
the vast territory embracing Min
nesota, Dakota, Nebraska, Western
Kansas. Colorado, New Mexico, except
the southeastern part, Arizona, Cali
fornia, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Ore
gon, Idaho, Washington, Montana, con-
siderable portions Of Wisconsin and
Michigan, and all of Manitoba and the
great British possessions of the North
west, is nearer to Duluth than to Chi
country naturally tributary to Duluth
will contain at least 100000 of people
by the close of the year 1890. No man
can look over the facts and doubt that
Duluth has great future.
THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE CITY.
No longer ago than 1880 Duluth had a
population of only $500; in 1885 the state
census showed $4,000; in 1887 careful
estimates placed it at $4,000, and it now
! numbers at least 10000 people. pre-
| dict that more than 100000 persons will
dwell there within ten years from to-
day, and this Judgment is based upon
careful observation, inquiry and in
vestigation of her natural situation, re-
sources and facilities. The city govern
ment is under the control of intelligent
men, who are conducting it upon the
| basis of a grand future. She spent over
million dollars in public Improvements
| last year, and this year will increase the
sum half million, am told. Her
| board Of trade comprises nearly $50
of energy and enterprise, who believe
| that the Zenith City is to become to the
| West and Northwest territory what
| New York is to the Atlantic SeabOard
and adjacent states. About 1000 dwell :
| ingS were erected last year, and she can
boast of electric lights, gas lamps, horse
| cars, sewers, water supply, and, in
| short, all the modern appliances of civ
ilization. The new Spalding house is a
splendid 400-room hotel of seven stories,
built by the business men of the city. at
| cost of S350.000. The st. Louis hotel
is second now only because of the ele-
| gance of its new rival. The st. Louis
cost $4,000: can accommodate 500
| guests. and is convenient and well
conducted. The chamber of com
merce: is a large and expensive
building, like many others, on Superior
| street, where the actual selling price of
| property is $1,000 per front foot, in the
| best portions of it. Duluth has nearly
| S2,000,000 bank capital, receives more
wheat than any city in the country, and
has many large Touring and lumber
mills. She takes million tons of coal
year, ships almost 100000 barrels of
flour, 20,000,000 bushels of wheat, and
her elevator capacity is 100000 BUSH
els. Her taxable valuations are about
$15,000,000 and the tax rate 21s per
| cent.
A WONDERFUL HARBoR AND 200 MILES
| OF DOCK LINE,
+ The city IS built on bluff with a
somewhat rolling country on all sides
of 1t except the lake In front. There is
room enough to build a city of mag
nifcent proportions and population.
But the beautiful view looking out on
Lake Superior, the harbor of Duluth
and those in Superior and West Su-
peri or, directly opposite in Wisconsin,
the long ranges of forest that fringe the
lake northerly and on the south, and
the busy life of lake port city, with
the varied industries of land and water,
form landscape that will long make
the slopes fronting Lake Superior as
lovely and picturesque sites for
dwellings and hotels as could
cold be desired. A city of 2OO,-
600 can be built here, and any house
will command this view and
still be within radius or three or four
miles. The most important element in
the development of the city is its won
derful harbor. Careful estimates show
that she has water front that forms
an absolutely safe harbor. of ample
depth for the heaviest vessels, capable
of dockage to the extent of little less
than 200 miles. The water line in
cluQeS, of course. not only Duluth