The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-15
WICHITA IN A NEW WORKERS EYES
New YORK, June 10, 1890.


Dear Sir: promised you that on nv
return home would give you an idea as
to what my impressions were during my
visit of two weeks at Wichita. | will
say that during the past ten years have
been frequent visitor to all the princi-
pal cities between the Atlantic and Pa
cific oceans and observed closely the de-
velOpment and growth of many to per-
manency beyond my calculations. 1t Is
by comparison that am able to draw
conclusions relative to the future growth
and development of your city.
Ny first visit to Wichita and the west
was in May, 1878, at which time the city
had about 4, 900 inhabitants. 1t was then
| the terminus of the Santa Fe railway and
large grain shipping point. The push
and enterprise of your people even then
was electrical. and | made the remark TO
| a friend of mine that if | wanted to live
west and grow up with the country that
| Wichita would be my choice, as l be
lieved the spirit of the people was an III
| dicatiOn that great results would follow
their efforts and some day Wichita would
have population of 10000 people.
| In 1888, found the city had doubled
its population and more rapid strides had
been made in permanent Improvements
than any place in Southern Kansas. Dur
ing the year 1885, had occasion to make
a trip to California and stopped off at
| Wichita over night to see friend whom
| had advised to locate there. Learning
from him what had been accomplished
and of his success, it renewed my faith
| in the future of your city.
On returning to New York [ sent him
draft for $4,000 to invest in real estate.
That investment has doubled itself sew
eral times over and while / do not own
the same property I first bought, that
which | do own is worth at the lowest
valuation S12, 500, and all from $4,000
investment. | consider that the increase
in the value of that property will be
greater in the next five years than in
the last. and my reasons are that today
the number of jobbing houses, manu-
featuring establishments and packing
houses, and the increase in the
banking capital makes 1t more
certain, as the increase IL these lines of
business establishes permanency which
cannot be shaken.
| have reviewed my previous visits to
Wichita and now give you my impress
sions of the last While have been tax
ing the EAGLE | have not been at home
much during the last year to keep track
of what was being done there. In trav-
cling through the east / have Occa-
sionally found newspapers with articles
referring to Wichita as being very quiet
and no business. The impression made
ON me by these reports | am free to say
was discOuraging to certain extent, but
before giving credence to them Thought
that when | went to Kansas City l would
run down to Wichita and remain two or
three days and see if there had been any
improvement since my last visit and
whether there was any foundation for
the reports. Instead of remaining two
or three DAYS it took me nearly two
weeks to 90 over the city and give that
close attention to every business which
would enable me to intelligently give an
honest and truthful statement as to the
exact situation.
Since my visit in 1885 find that Wich-
tia has not only increased in population
but increased in all lines of business; that
Market and Main streets are paved
with asphalt pavement and Douglas
avenue is being laid with the jasperite
L
is being superseded by the electric. That
Douglas avenue, Main and Market street
have over fifty new store buildings, and
erected. That the Metropole hotel, court
house and a number of ward schools,
two of as fine packing houses as l ever
saw, all erected since my last visit. |
i,
wire cloth works, foundries, planning
mills, Burton Car works, Royal Spice
mills, Yeast works, vinegar works,
cracker factory. two candy factories,
paper box works, shoe mandatory,
pump works, three soap factories, bar
rel factory and a number of others
which | can not recall now.
| was kindly shown through the
wholesale establishments, all of which
surprised me. In fact the growth was
beyond my expectations. 1t IS fact
which cannot be denied that Wichita is
a pushing, growing city; the buildings
are there, the people are there and the
business is there and If any one
SAYS that it is not so it is because they do
not want it to be so.
| would advise any one who never has
been to your city to go there and see for
themselves all that you have and see the
enterprise of your people, the class of
buildings being erected and the improve
ments being put in. | am safe in SAYING
that any person who puts his money into
Wichita today in iobbing business can
not fail to meet with success, and those
who will invest in realty at present prices
will in five years reap large returns. My
fathers advise as to investments in the
west was to put my money in growing
city, hold it and in twenty years | would
become a rich man IN spite of wind and
high water. Your city has proven the
truth of it.
Wichita today is classed the same as
Chicago. Minneapolis, Omaha, st. Louis
and Kansas City was in the earlier his
tory of those cities, as one of the COM
ing commercial manufacturing and
jobbing points in the West,
and a person can not make any greater
mistake in investing in Wichita than
they did in the cities named.
The great agricultural valley of the
Arkansas tributary is capable of produc-
ing enough farm products to make a
market five times the capacity of the
present. The country tributary to Wich-
tia is capable of supporting five times
the population now residing there. The
wealth of the towns surrounding Wichita
will pay a greater tribute to the whole
sale, manufacturing and packing inter
ests Of your city than was given to the
above cities in their early history, be
cause business economy coupled with
such a wealth producing agricultural
section. situated so distant from other
market centers. compels this to be so.
The efforts of your people TO make
city that the state can Tniut 70 with nrida