Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-04-07
OUR EARLY HISTORY,
AMERICAS SLOW oaowrH FOR the
FIRST THREE CENTURIES.

Reads Were tntrnunSt"->"@"
~rn cities IN the Eariy Part Of the
Present csntary--Rsiiroaa rnnaesec.
just before sunrise ON Friday. the ~ OF |
August, 100. Columbus set sail from Pnlos
with three diminutivc vessels. manned by
10 sailors and officers. ON the voyage OF
exploration which resulted in the discov' |
cry Of America ON Friday. Oct. u. Of the
same year. The chart OF i4na exhibits the
coasts Of Europe and Africa from the south
Of Ireland 10 the end OF Guinea, and oppo-
site to them, on the other side OF the At
lanfic. the extremes OF Asia, or, ~ u was
then termed, India, but Is now known a.
the western hemisphere.
After three centuries Of colonization this
larger half Of the globe counted only from
II, 00o, 900 10 100000 OF population, IN
cluding the native races, Africans import
ed BY slave traders, Europeans and the de-
scendauts OF Europeans who had settled
on American soil since it's discovery.
In the year 1900 the United States Of
America contained 5,s0s, 4s3 inhabitants,
nearly one-fifth Of whom were negro slaves.
Even after two centuries Of struggle the
land was still untamed forests. except here
aud there strip Of cultivated soil. The
minerals lay undisturbed In their rocky
beds, and more than twothirhs OF the PEG
pie chung to the seahoarls within hfty
miles Of the tide water. where alone the
wants OF civilized life could be supplied.
The center OF population rested within
eighteen miles of Baltimore. north and east
Of Washington. The entire continent was
not much easier TO penetrate than when
La Sale and Hennepin found their way 70
the Mississippi more than century be
fore.
Two wagon roads crossed the Allegheny
mountains in Pennsylvania, one leading
from Philadelphia to Pittsbnrg, one from
the Potomac 10 the Monongahela, while a
third passed through Virginia southeast
ward TO Knoxville, Tenn. with branch
| through the Cumberland gap into Ken
lucky. BY these roads and by trails less
passable from North and South Carolina,
| or by waterways from the lakes, between
| 400, 900 and 500 600 persons had invaded the
country beyond the Alleghanies.
Nowhere did eastern settlement touch
| the western. At least 100 miles OF noun
famous country held the two regions
apart The shore OF Lake Erie, where
alone contact seemed easy, WAS still unset
| tied. The Indians had been pushed back
TO the CuyahoRa river. and n few cabins
| were built on the site Of Cleveland. Even
western New York was still wilderness.
Buffalo was not laid out Rochester did
not exist Utica contained ffty houses.
Albany was a Dutch city, with some 5.oot
Inhabitants.
The people OF the old thirteen states
along the Atlantic seaboard thus sent
| westward wedge shaped mass Of nearly
half million persons from the region
penetrated by che Tennessee, Cumberland
and Ohio rivers to the western limit Of the
union. With the exception that half q
million Of people had crossed the ALE
ehanics and were struggling with din
culties that appeared almost insurmount
able. America, 70 far as concerned physical
problems, had changed little la fifty
years. The same bad roads and difficult
rivers connecting the same small towns
stretched into the same forests In 1900 a.
when the armies Of Braddock pierced the
western and northern Alleghanies, except
that these roads extended few miles
farther from the seacoast.
Even by water along the seab8ard com
munication was rs slow and almost M ir
regular ~ In colonial times. At the open
ing OF the Nineteenth century no regulal
packet piled between New York and Al
bany. Passengers waited till sluop wal
advertised TO sail; they provided their owl
bedding and supplies, and a week on tn,
North river or on the sound was an expert
ence not mt all unknown TO travellers. TIL,
settler who, after buying wagons ans
horses, hauled his family across the noun
tains might buy or build fiat lsottomes
ark to float with him his belongings dowi
the Ohio river In constant danger Of bein,
attacked OF being sunk. IL he carried hi
tobacco and wheat down the Mississippi /,
the Spanish port Of New Orleans and solt
! 1t he might return on horseback through
the Indian country FROM Natchez to Nash
vile. or he might take ship to philadel
phia, II a ship were about to sail, and agail
cross the Alleghanies. Nearly all th
rivers which penetrated the interior wer
, liable to be made dangerous by freshet
and both dangerous and impass.ble b
drought, Jet such rs they were thes
streams made the main paths OF traffic
In the year 1900 one general mail ront
! extended from Portland. Me-. 20 I.oui.
, vile, the time required for the trip beinl
twenty days. From Philadelphia branc
line went to Lexington In sixteen days an
into Nashville In twenty-five days.
. The gross receipts for postage In she yea
ending Oct. |. 1901, were only $a20,0 10
tut Hnptt 0HltcQ STATES. fOf the YEA
1891 the postofiice receipts OF Omaha alon
were s264 $3.50. exclusive OF money esds
transfers. which aggregated 81 $50. 545.pi.
, In 1900 the census OF the city of Bosto
! allowed y, 900 inhabitants. In appearance
Boston resembled an English market towr
The sidewalks ~ well ~ the crooked am
, narrow streets were paved with round col
bls stones and were divided from the cal
: rage way only by posts and a gutter. TIL
. streets were almost unlighted at night, III
few oil lamps rendering the darkness NOR
visible and the rough pavements roughei
, Such thing a. police hardly existed.
. The state OF New York had populatlo
) Of bss.000 and the valuation OF all the pro,
erty Of the Empire State was fraetio
! over 800. 600 600. while that OF Massachr
1 setts was ~. Coz. 600. or less than one hal
/ Of the assessed valuation OF Nebraska 4
fhis time.
j. New York city had fraction over 90 ,0(
4 population. The city resembied soreig
: seaport. badly paved, undrained, and 4
4 foul ~ q town surrounded by the tide
: could be. No day police existed. Th
|. night police consisted of two captaius tw
i deputies and seyenty-two men. Two hank
|. besides the branch hank Of the Unite
: States supplied the financial wants Of n
American metropolis.
The advent Of the railway revolntlouize
the entire system OF travel, traffic and 60
onixation.--Ed Ro~ewater'a Oman