The Helena independent., 1892-09-13
MONTANA IN THE LEAD.
Impressions of New Yorker Who
Is Travelling Over the
Northwest
He Is Going to Locate and Invest
Somewhere In This
Country.
h Far He 10 of the Opinion That Montana
Offers tho Best Inducements-boom
Towns Of Washington.

Offers tho Best Inducements-BO0m
Towns Of Washington.
Below arc given the observations OF
gentleman from New York city, possessed
OF considerable money, who il dssirous Of
investing some of it i'll the Rocky Mountain
or Pacific states of the great new west
About Aug. he loft Now York and hat
since travelled over the whole length OF
Colorado, Wyoming. Utah. Montana. across
Idaho and on to every principal point In
Washington and Oregon. He has visited
all the poincipal cities and all the great
quartz mills and smeltsrs. For over twenty
years he has been engaged in the superln-
tendencs of metallic manufactures, and
has made considerable money in real estate
Investments. He now desires to locate
where he can best iavess In mining. milling
ores, smelling or in some growing city.
The i'm pressions Of the several places he
has visited SO far. and his analysis of his
observations are interesting. He spent
several days in Butte City, week In Hell
ena, and also Great Falls. He was highly
pleased with Montana generally, and par
ticularly with its people. Here he found
the most active, intelligent, keen and
wide awake business men he had ever met
They would compare favorably with the
Ablsst in New York city. He thought Hell
ena vas the 10 ost solid and best built little
city he ever saw. and its public and busi-
ness houses would do great credit to New
York or Chicago. It's weekly bank state
ment astonished him. This gentleman is
now in Portland and will visit and study
every principal business city, mining camp.
agricultural and fruit raising district in
California. even down to San Diego. and
when he gets through will make up his
mind where to locate or make investments.
In letter from Spokane of Aug. 90 he
says: II am we'll impressed with Spokane
and like Great Falls. but will suspend judg-
Sound cities and those in California. The
general opinion of travellers and others
with whom have talked. not actually resi-
dents here. seems to be, that while this
section may be the most desirable as a
place of residence, ION account of milder
climate) Montana is the place for busi-
ness and money making generally.
''Since leaving Spokane l have success
siyely done up Tacoma, Seattle. Everett,
Fairhaven and New Whatcom. While this
sound country is destined for a great
future, there is no rubbing out tho fact
that the cities named are dead, dead, dead.
'Deader nor door nail Everett has
others. but size it up as an alleged city IN
spite of the fact that John D. Rockefeller,
the Northern Pacific millionaire. Colgate
Hoyt, also of the Northern Pacific, Mr..
Hewitt, of Tacoma, and other prominent
capitalists, are behind the scheme and
spending millions of money. I understand
that the city is but seven months old, and
there certainly has been a wonderful
amount of work done in developing the
property, but | can not but think that the
bottom will some day drop ont of the
scheme, although everything seems to be
presented in the most convincing way, and
the people there impress me as being thor
ouRhly in earnest, meaning all they tell
one. But by way of analysis it seems pa
tent to me- that while they display . cour-
age and confidence that il most praise
worthy, they will soon be ahead of their
resources.
''Thsre are not yet enough farmers in this
northwestern country to support great
cities, and until the states fill up more.
these new towns seem doomed to suffer. i
believe thoroughly that the resources are
away ahead of our eastern states, but it
will take time for people to find this out,
time to interest capital enough, and above
all great deal of time for people to learn
that eve ybodY cannot get rich out of town
lots. and that somebody has got to pioneer
1t by clearing land for farms, and follow it
mp by cultivating them. There can be no
doubt but that many men will get rich in
towns like Everett; many have done SO here
in Falrhaven, but the boom burst not LONG
ago and now everyday is Sunday, so far as
business and commercial activity are con-
cerned. There are good men here who will
CT lrk 70 fhnSr %hou
without going under. they will, after few
years be rewarded.
rockingham Bay imDresses me as the most
likely future loading and unloading point
for shipments to and from the Orient. in
that 1t is some 600 miles nearer than San
francisco, and one of the finest land locked
harbors l know of, with excellent ANCHORAGE
for hundreds of ships and it would seem
that Hill and his Great Northern must
want slice of the tea carrying trade which
now goes to the Canadian Pacific at Van
couver. Speculation is rife as to where
Hills terminus will be. They all seem to
think they possess superior advantages and
state their rsasons in most con-
vincinG terms but as have found money
scarce commodity in my life time in the
sense that 1t ls easily acquired, | have not
sufficient nerve to gamble on possibilities
rs PRESENTED on this coast. than which there
can Do 20 petter point, commercially con-
sidered, anywhere in this western country,
in my opinion, when the resources shall be-
come known and developed.'
his gentleman writes that be will visit
Montana again next spring. because its
business opportunities impress him more
favorably than ne has seen elsewhere; but
that he must thoroughly do California be-
fore deciding. The foregoing letter shows
that Montana mo fully inipressss people
seeking bnslness opportunities and places
for permanent Investment than any part of
the west
&. A. X. Excursion to Wash,nrton ID a.
On account Of the G. A. Il. enoamp mpmeut
at Washington. ID. c., the Northern Pacific
railroad will make a rate of S;G4.5O, Helena