, 1890-10-02
IN DOUGLAS COUNTY
Spokane Should Secure the
Trade of That Section.
VAST AREAS OF FARM LANDS
A Visitor to the Exposition Gives
Some Interesting Facts About
That Great Country.
SPOKANE FALLS, Sept. 20.

To THE EDITOR OF THE REVIEW:
l came from Waterville in charge
of the Douglas county exhibit, and
arrived In Spokane last Saturday
afternoon. The last time was here
was one year ago last March, of
course prior to the fire. I had ex-
pected n great change for the better
since the rebuilding of the town,
but was not prepared to see such a
wonderful sight. Your city has out
done the most improbable tale of the
Arabian Nights. / know of no
such area as is occupied by your
business portion, to be covered by
such palatial buildings, in any city
In the United States.
think your business men the
shrewdest I ever met. The result of
their push has been railroads,
shelters, etc, which justify the
erection of these monumental build
ings.
1t makes me smile to hear out
siders say you have reached the end
of your rope. 1t will not be while
your business men give every en-
couragement to locating factories
here, and develop and settle your
surrounding country, thereby Great
ing n market.
The great country, however, be-
tween tho Grand coulee and the
Columbia Is one your citizens seem
to have overlooked. That great sec
ton embraced in Douglas county,
of which Waterville Is the county
seat, Is capable of raising more grain
than one railroad can carry out, and
will support an immense population
with their attending wants. In
this county 276, ,720 acres of land
have been taken up, mostly In the
vicinity of Waterville. A very low
estimate of the strictly grain land
between Grand coulee and the
Columbia north of the mouth of
Moses oculee Is 675. 900 acres. Ire
member this is strictly grain land,
the grazing land not being in
cluded.) If one.third of this land
In the future were left idle we would
have 45l, 900 acre to crop. At an aver.
age of only thirty bushels of wheat
this immense body of land would
produce 13,53O,00 bushels. Allow
ing 450 bushels to a car, 1t would
tahc 30,066 cars to remove the crop.
If thirty bushels to the acre Is con-
sidered too high an estimate, put 1t
down 80 twenty bushels to the acre,
and it would take 10000 cars.
Is it not time that the eyes of
Spokane were turned toward this
magnificent section? We want to
have our lands taken up. Send us
immigration. Send us storekeep-
ers. Then keep your drummers
looking after these storekeepers, and
Spokane will receive the trade of
principallty.
The Washington Central railroad
is to start out Monday and finish
it's survey into Waterville, going
through the heart of this section.
The right of way will be immedi-
ately filed on completion, ten days
hence.
The Great Northern surveyors
are also surveying rapidly toward
Waterville, from the west.
Douglas county, 1t can be seen, is
coming rapidly to the front, and 1t
will be well for Spokane to make
friends with our people If she does
not want to deliver up the future
great trade of this county to Seattle.
Our population is mostly Ameri-
can, quick to appreciate favors.
We have $4,000 acres in crops this
year, q flour mill of 100-barrcl
capacity in course of erection, and
one steam and two horse power
threshers, which can not thresh out
the grain before next December.
Two years ago we had better crops
even than we have this season.
1t is safe to say that there would
not be $4,000 acres in crops and
$1,000 acres plowed, and this with
out a railroad in our county limits,
II our people had not every conf
dence in our magnificent section.
CHARLES LIFTCHILD.