, 1890-07-24
CAUGHT EN- PASSANT.
An Eastern Man Captivated
by Spokane Falls.
LETTER TO HIS HOME PAPER
Brief and Entort aiming Description
OF the City and Its Sur
roundings.

Mich, of June 10, contained tue io''
lowing interesting letter, written py
DIR. w. w. Elmer, dated at this city
June 8:
My objective point, as you know,
was Lewiston, Idaho, where hau
some interests; but this phenomenal
city caught me on passant. 10 give
you an idea of the wonderful chan.
ges of the last half decade would Ill
many pages. My first visit was
some five years ago. The city was
then a hamlet OF about 800 or ooo
souls. My letters of that period l
believe give the population as aoou.
that figure. The growth of the past
two years Is unprecedented and ais
counts any city in the Union. III Is
to-day hive of industry, making
haste to repair the damages OF the
great fire. The fire was perhaps u
blessing in disguise, as 1t resulted In
placing majestic brick and granite
where only wooden buildings for-
merly stood. may say, In paren-
thesis, this growth and pros
perity Is solely due to the un-
tiring energy aud courage OF
the business men and capitalists, by
their faith in her resources ana III
stalking money on their convictions
The amount of building now being
carried ON Is difficult for Eastern
men to appreciate in a city oi us
present size $4,000 inhabitants)'
On every street, in every direction,
buildings are being erected and hur-
ried through to completion. There
are about eighty or ninety business
blocks now under construction, as
well as some 900 buildings for va
rious purposes residences, etc.,
within the city limits, brick, gran
ite and red stone (from convenient
quarries), and lumber obstructing
the walks and streets, making the
city veritable workshops puzzle
to the pedestrian to choose between
the street cars and other vehicles on
the one side, and undesirable con-
tact with brick and mortar lining
the way. Many of the business
blocks are marvels of architectural
beauty, of five and six stories, fitted
with all the Improvements of the
day. | learn the SPOKANE REVIEW
building will be eleven stories and
the pride of the city. There must
be money in type.
a brief outline of the most appar-
ent inducements for this vast outlay
of capital may not be uninteresting.
On three sides the country tributary
to this city is bounded by high
ranges of mountains, isolating II, as
1t were-a kingdom within itself,
containing every element of great
ness and Independence. The Cmur
d Aleue mountain district about
forty miles, the Kootcnai and Col
vile mountains ninety miles north
and east, on the line of British Co
lumbia, are rich in gold and silver
The mountain sides and valley are
covered with as fine timber as The
noted Puget Sound region. West
and north are the mountains of the
fOkanogan country, IA part of the
Cascade range Late develop
ments have shown here as
rich prospects in gold and silver
as any in the West. The lumber IN
terest, IA yet undeveloped, will
within short time become factor
of the greatest proportions in bring
ing wealth to the citizens of this
city. Spokane will in few years
be the distributing point for vast
lumber trade; will in effect be to
this state as the Tonawanda and
Buffalo of Michigan, rs here will be
centeIed the large distributing yards
containing their millions of feet.
The Cpur d. lene and Kootenai
forest-covered hills could supply the
eighty mills of the Saginaw river
notwithstanding their immense
yearly cut for a century. This i'm
mense tributary country of $50 miles
diameter from east to- west aud
equally as tar north and south, will
become the great wheat growing re-
gion in the Union. TIE Palouse
alone at present sends to market al
most 1000 900 bushels. The rest of
this broad territory is being rapidly
developed and will in the near fut-
ure give an account of itself that will
be felt throughout the land.
Cattle raising Is the principal in
dustry of the northern part of the
state and will continue to be until
the land is reclaimed by the agricul-
turst. These plains and hills are at
present covered with the rich bunch
grass, a pasturage unexcelled. These
wide pasture fields and mountain
ranges are at present penetrated by
several railroads, the Northern Pa
ciiic from the east, tine Spokane &
Northern reaching up to Colville
county and soon to be united with
the Canadian Pacific. These three
roads are transcontinental. The
Great Northern or Manitoba road
has decided to make the city an OBJ
jective point In its track to the Pa
cific. When it Is finished the
whole northeastern part of the
state and Northern Idaho will be.
come tributary to this city. The
influence of the road will be very
great, as miners will then have the
great desderatum In a mining coun-
try. The tinubermen and agricul-
turalists will also seek this outlet.
The Union Pacific was last fall ex-
tended to this city, placing i'm our
market-through Its many tributary
lines-the vast products of wheat,
fruits and vegetables of the Palouse
country. Two years ago the road
had but two engines on these
branches; to-day twenty-three are in
use. Until last November the
Northern Pacific was the only trans.
continental line, with a monopoly of
all the trade through this city.