Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-07-18
Some Observations Made by the Edi-
tor of the Tribune While on
the Pacific Coast.
"A Land Wonderful in Some Respects
But Not Altogether "Milk
and Honey"
Personal Chats With Scores of Old
Time Dakotans Now Seeking
Fortunes Farther West.
An Over-Production of Townsites.

All OV"er-tfO0uCClOn OF IOWnS1teS,
TACOMA, Wash, July 8.-ISpecial. IA
second visit to the Pacific coast-the Puget
sound country-convinces me that first i'm
pressions are not always lasting. When
one sees the wonderful development of the
past 1--WE years he can but be convinced
that there is some foundation for it, al
though must confess that l cannot agree
with the average citizen Of this country in
his belief that the cities are not building in
advance Of the development of the coun-
try. OF n thing I am thoroughly con-
WINGED and that is realty values in the
coast cities are beyond all reason and must
result sooner or later in disaster. The rap
id growth of these cities at the present
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 II Sioux City. While the real es-
tate men have doubtless played an inn
portant part in advertising the advantages
of this region it is O becoming evident
that too many townsites and townsite adj
ditions are the curse of Puget sound. Here
is a wonderful sheet of water-one vast
harbor for the vessels of the world. Here
are i~neXhaustible deposits OF coal and iron
and almost limitless forests of timber.
THE RESOURCES ARE HERE
for extensive manufacturing, but as yet
little 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 Jownsites and dis.
tant additions was now invested in manu-
featuring enterprises there would to-day
be q 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.
[ am satisfied, however, that no matter
how disastrous may be the lull, the final
advance is certain, and the future of this
country is as bright and as solid as thai of
New England or any other portion OF the
United States. 1t is however, and must
continue to be, an uninvitiDg country to the
farmer. To clear up and possess even a
few acres OF land in his section means a
life of toll, in comparison with which the
Michigan pioneer had but a play spell. 1
believe this will be the verdict OF all Da-
kota farmers who have, during the past
No. 1 hard, and taken up their
abode here. or course while
the present flood of immigration continues
the price of farm produce will remain high,
but when the supply equals the demand,
as it soon will, the farmer will find it
as difficult to lay up a dollar for a rainy
HaV here as in aOV other onDptry ,vbi1n No
tolls and tolls to clear up his land-that
his children may receive an Inheritance.
But it was not the country of which | in
tended to speak in this letter. Some like
it and some do not. 1t appears to me to be
very inviting to every class except The
l meet here l find but few who are not at
tached to the country and doing we'll.
l didn't stop at Spokane Falls, but at the
depot l met T. w. Russell, who will be re.
membered as formerly proprietor of the
Banner house. He is now running the
style and says he is doing well.
Cotter: the old Bismarck expressman,
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,
XIX, the eXpressman. was also there.
COtter says there's hundreds Of 'em lere''
meaning from Dakota.
BY the way l met Pat Leo on the Spo-
kane platform. He has sold out his Helena
saloon and is looking over the west-wiIl
probably go to Centralia.
Editor J. T. Scott of the Dickinson Press.
and his friend G. n. Wallace, also of Dick
inson, got on the train at Spokane and
with them ! have spent some time here.
Scott likes it here but will stay in North
Dakota, while Wallace may invest a little
on the sound.
" Mr.. Cove, who used to be the TR1BUNE's
Mandan correspondent, is in Tacoma,
working III an insurance Office.
On the train over 1 also met Mr.. r. W.
Mitchell, whose humorous contributions to
the Portland Oregonian have made both
Mayor Mech, Of Mandan was an old
school mate, and it l didn't believe it 10
ask Mech to bend his thumb back
onto his waist. "He used to do
it in school," says Mitchell. I under
stand that Mitchell has made a
d thousand or so in real estate and
will hereafter take life easy. Lieutenant
Governor Dickey can tell you of some in
veStments they made together.
One cannot walk a block in a CITY on
the coast without meeting an old time Da.
kotan.
CD Hanscom, once connected with the
TRIBUNE as business manager and later
in the hardware business at Dickinson,
now has one Of the most extensive whole
sale and retail hardware establishments
on the coast and is dong we'll. He has a
good location near the depot on Pacific
avenue and is always Elad to see the Da-
kotans. | may add in this connection that
Frank Calf, who will be remembered by
nearly all Bismarckers, is expected in a
day or two and will go on the road for the
Puget Sound Hardware Co., of which Mr..
Hanscom is president.
met +. ]. Call yesterday. He was in
good spirits, having just settled a little
brick trouble, by arbitration, satisfactory
to his side Of the dispute. and, as he says,
to the other side also. 1t seems a couple
of scoWs Of brick sunk and the question OF
loss was in dispute. The Call-Little inter-
est got out with a S125 loss only. 1t might
have been ten times that. Call seems pop.
ular here and he believes the future is
brighter than the present. .It
Coming down Pacific avenue yesterday I
met w. G. Thompson, who once was pro.
pr1etor of the Bismarck sash, door and
blind factory on Broadway. He is now at
Hot springs, a sort of pleasure and sum
mer resort so miles east on the main line
Of the Northern Pacific. ssl'm doing we'll"
said Thompson. Am running a mill and
q hotel and also doing some Contracting.
We built several good buildings here ii
SNH0nnma $40 Coma ant won NnyfhNn Iyoto~ ~ q