Wichita eagle., 1889-10-17
WELCOME WICHITA.
The Wonderful Growth of Western City Enti
ties 1t to a Place in the Front Rank Of Mod
ern NIetropolises.
From the Chicago Times.

From the Chicago Times
That territory in the state of Kansa:
tributary to the city of Wichita, in Sedg-
wick county, which is 22S miles southwest
of Kansas City, 457 miles from ST. Louis
ia miles from Chicago, 719 from Calves
ton, and within fifty miles Of the Indian
territory on the south. Sedgwick county
is one of the wealthiest in the state. 1t is
nearly as large as Rhode Island and half
as large as Delaware. There is an empire
surrounding this county worthy of the
most careful study. The seven counties
adjoining Sedgwick county. consisting OF
Harvey. Butler, Cowley, Summer, King
man, Harper and Reno, including Sedg-
wick have an area of over $500 square
miles, being nearly as large as Massachu-
setts, which is S,315 square miles, and six
times the size of Rhode Island. nearly
twice the size of Connecticut, and four
/ times the size of Delaware.
1t is not out of reason to state that the
total crop of corn. oats and wheat in these
counties will reach the enormous amount
of 80, $4,000 bushels and to value it at Sl2,
100000.
! This year finds the grain business an
ocean unprovided for and mine of wealth
| for those who take care of it. Corn.
| wheat, rye and oats are the principal prod
ucts of this great valley and section. and
no other city in Kansas being in posi-
tlon or having the necessary lines of trans
| portation to completely control their prod
| ucts as the city OF Wichita. the time IS
i ripe, the demand urgent, and the opening
| for eastern capital never was better than
right now for d ], ZOO, 600 bushel elevator at
| this point.
| The packing interests of Chicago, In
dianapolis and Cincinnati are fast slipping
| from the grasp of these cities, only to be
| taken up and enlarged by more western
centers in territories which produce the
greatest per cent of live stock. Wichita
| being centrally located in the great live
stock producing country, just so far will
she lead all packing points, and with the
possibilities of this business in the west
and the facilities which will be furnished
| at this point it is impossible to estimate a
limit. The packing trade of Kansas City
has practically demonstrated that there Is
no limit to it except the capital employed.
Wichita having seized the opportunity aud
already secured two OF the greatest pack
ing plants in the country, nothing can
deter her from becoming as great if not a
greater packing polnL Jnan any tnaU we
have mentioned.
Wichita's position today is far superior
to that held by Chicago in her day and
Kansas City later on when they were the
size of this city.
The railways radiating from this point
into the cattle, hog, and sheep raising
counties of Kansas, Nebraska, eastern Col
orado, Texas panhandle, and Indian terri
tory, all of which are tributary to Wichita
whose market can be reached by stock
shipped from these sections quicker, cheap
er, with less shrinkage, and IN better con-
dition than any other competing market.
Wichita, having commenced as pack
ing center, with finer and more complete
packing houses than any city in the world
ever started with, the results to follow,
with every advantage on one side, can not
be doubted. In no section OF this broad
and prolific country can stock be raised at
less expense and with less care and packed
more economically than right here.
Wichita has quietly but rapidly and
steadily grown as wholesale and Jobblng
center, limited only by the capital Invest
ed. The railroads have come TO recognize
the fact, and are giving better facilities
and better rates. The increase in the whole
sale trade from here is enormous. Still, 1t
is not what it would be with more capital,
more houses established, and greater
variety of merchandise represented. There
is great opportunity here IN this line.
Wichita is rapidly growing manufactur-
ing city, having Car works, machine shops,
of manufacturing not represented that
can find good opening at this point.
As distributing center for the south
west Wichita offers facilities which, when
fully appreciated, will center more houses
of this class at this point. The mighty
empire lying west of the Mississippi river,
of which the state Of Kansas is the center
and Wichita the central city, is now al
tracing more attention than any other
section of the continent as distributing
point and it is only A question of time
when the present market and distributing
centers from Chicago west Will be COM
PEELED to recognize another distributing
center, as the more eastern centers We're IN
their day compelled to recognize them.
While Wichita is reaping n large benefit
now from the opening of the territory
called Oklahoma, her supreme moment
will be when the Cherokee outlet or strip,
together with all that country lying be-
tween Oklahoma and the panhandle is
opened. Wichita is only fifty miles from
this territory and already has two rail-
roads directly through it, with four more
to the line. From any point in the Indian
territory a customer wholesale or retail,
can reach Wichita without losing any time
from his business and return without los
ing any time.
Wichita is in fact a city, the result of
natural laws OF growth. Metropolitan In
every sense of the term. it Is market CEN
ter, commercial center, Il stock center,
grain center, and railroad center.
VISITING KNIGHTS OF HONOR.
Ap,opv tho or