The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1890-07-19
An over-Produotion of rownsites.

time is LARGELY speculative, yet so far as the
business centers are concerned, permanent.
Eastern capital has been pouring into this
region In greater volume even than immi-
grafton and the same energy is being put
forth in the upbuilding of the sound cities
as was instrumental in building up st.
Paul, Minneapolis, Kansas City and
omaha, and is now at work In Duluth, SUI
perior and Sioux City; While the real es-
tate men have doubtless played an i'm
pOrtant part in advertising the advantages
Of this region it is now becoming evident
that too many t0wnsites and TOWNSHIP ad-
ditiOns are the curse of Puget sound. Here
is q wonderful sheet of Water-One vast
harbor for the vessels OF the world. Here
are ~inexhaustible deposits Of coal and iron
and almost limitless forests of timber.
THE RESOURCES ARE HERE
for extensive manufacturing, but as yet
title attention is being paid to it and the
capital going into manufacturing as COM
pared with that going into buildings and
land investment is very small. If the one
half of the thousands, yes, millions, that
has gone into wildcat tOwnsites and dis
tant additions was now invested in manu-
featuring enterprises there would to-day
be a more solid foundation for such cities
as Tacoma and Seattle. A few years time
will demonstrate this fact as sure as the
tide Gibbs and flows.
I am satisfied, however, that no matter
how disastrous may be the lull, the final
advance Is certain, and the future " TINS
New England or any other portion of the
United States. 1t is however, and must
continue to be, an u%ninviting country to the
farmer. To clear up and possess even a
few acres of land in this section means q
life of toll, in comparison with which tile
Michigan pioneer had but a play spell; L
believe this will be the verdict Of all Da.
kota farmers who have, during the past
few years, deserted the land OF
No. i hard, and taken up their
abode here. OF course while
che present flood Of immigration continues
the price of farm produce will remain high,
but when the supply equals Tho demand,
as difficult to lay up 9 dollar for a rainy
day here as in any other country, while he
tolls and tolls to clear up his land-that
his children may receive an Inheritance.
But it was not the country of which l in
tended to speak in this letter. Some like
it and some do not. 1t appears to me to be
very inviting to every 9Es o class t;ms EXCEPT HsE6ta me
I meet here / find but few who are not at
tached to the country and doing well.
/ didn't stop at Spokane Falls, but at the
deDOtI met T, w. Russell, who will be re-
membered as formerly proprietor of the
Banner house. He Is NOW running the
NRussell house" at Sp0kane-EurOpean
style and says he is doing we'll.
is also at Spokane. He says he left Bis
marck, not because he didn't like the coun-
try, but because business was dull.
Ed Abrams, who came to Bismarck in
boom days, is running a mill at Spokane,
and Kirk, the expressman, was also there:
COtter says there's hundreds of en- here
meaning from Dakota.
M platform. He has sold out his Helena
saloon and Is looking over the West-Wlll
probably 60 to Centralia.
EditOr r. T. Scott of the Dickinson Press,
and his friend G. N. Wallace, also of Dick
insOn, got on the train at Spokane ana
with them I have spent some time here.
Scott likes 1t here but will stay In North
Dakota. while Wallace may invest o llttle
ON the sound.
MI. Cove, who used to be the TRIBUNE's
Mandan correspondent, Is In Tacoma,
working In an reinsurance Office.
On the train over l also met MI. Il. W.
Mitchell, whose humorous contributions to
the Portland OregOnian have made both
the paper and himself famous. He said
school mate, and If l didn't believe 1T to
ask Mech to bend his thumb back
onto his waist. used 10 a.
It in school," says Mitchell. l under
stand that Mitchell has made g
hundred thousand or SO in rea! estate and
will hereafter take NE EASY: I%ie sdmn ~
yestments they made together.
One cannot walk q block in Q city on
the coast without meeting an old time Da'
kOtan.
q. D. Hanscom. once connected with the
TRIBUNE Is business. manager and later
In the hardware business at Dickinson,
nou, hoo ono nf the most I'M whole