Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1894-1895, 1895-11-29
TWO WONDERFUL CITIES.
The eginning and Growth of MiIwau-
kee and Chicago.

The beginning and Growth of MiIwau-
kee and Chicago.
The celebratiO at Milwaukee of hey
fiftieth anniversary as a city brings 10
mind the great question which agitated
Eastern people going West fifty years
ago. Between 1910 and 1870 there WAS
great division of opinion among the
OhioanS, Pennsylvanians. New Yorkers
and -EnClandcrS who were con
templating following Horace Greeleys
advice Of going West and growing up
with the country is 10 which of the two
places, Milwaukee, or Chicago. would
be the leading city ON the west shore of
Lake Michigan and keep the lead The
majority OF them were OF opinion that
Milwaukee was the coming city of the
great West-eXcept St Louis which
would stand first
The most of the immigrants of that
day looking for homes came West 10y
water taking steamer at Cleveland or
Buffalo The first place at which they
stopped was Milwaukee, They found
1t located on high ground, well drained
and a very handsome site for n great
city. From there they usually went out
to Rock River. thence 10 the Mississippi
near Galcna. thence down to Rock ISL
and. thence across the prairieS eastward
to Chicago. and from here back home
again to Cleveland or Buffalo by steam
er. for there We're no railroads then to
return by on the west side of the lake.
These travellers in the majority of cases
related that they had found Chicago n
low, damp. fiat. SWampy. undrained
place. and with a bad climate on ac-
count of the dampneSS. but all the same
a busting. breezy place, and its PEG
pie having an anticipation of good times
coming when the Michigan canal
should be finished. They didn't like its
wooden buildings. erected on posts, or
its board pavements, its wooden side
walks on stills of varying height its
swampS and its sand dunes about Caiu-
met. as compared with the dry soil.
rolling prairieS. beautiful little lakes.
and fine country west of Milwaukee,:
but they were forced to confess that
Chicago was full of Wide-awake, bust
ling real estate agents. lawyers, mer-
chants. builders. bankers. etc.
Ii also made n great impression upon
tourists that Milwaukee was 100 miles
nearer TO Cleveland and Buffalo by Wa
ter than Chicago. and that it had
better harbOr and entrance and deeper
water for vessels. while the Chicago
- cha
stagnant bayou.
The Sc were in substance the opinions
Of 1he ma jOrity of the tourists who fifty
years ago were contemplating moving
westward of Lake Michigan from the
older states. and who came here to spy
out the land. Later the news came that
the Illinois and Michigan Canal was
completed and was bringing grain from
the interior of the State and tobacco
from st. Louis To Chicago, that there
was much business being transacted
here, and that the city was forging
ahead Of Milwaukee.
In 1916 the latter had about 10000
population and was rapidly growing,
while among the swamps, sand dunes.
and bog holes of Chicago at that time
there were about the same number. or
somewhat less
Before the end of the fOrties travellers
reported thar Chicago was in the lead:
that trade was pouring in by the canal
and that the people We're talking of
railroads. BY 1870 Chicago had % 900
people and Milwaukee about $4,000
and the latter reluctantly acknowledge
ed that it looked as though Chicago was
i'll the lead. In 1870 Chicago had close
TO $4,000. while Milwaukee had but %
600. Then the feeling of rivalry in
Milwaukee ceased There was no longer
Il question which city would be the
metropolis of the lake region. But |
Milwaukee has kept along at good |
fair jog pace. and is now Il beautiful |
city of over 100000 people. while Chi
cago in the same period has made her |
prosperous and successful |
march. and now has over LOCO. 900 in |
habitants, and proposes to round the |
century by passing the two million |
mark. The one and half story wood |
Ell houses of 1915 are giving place to |
the sixteen and twenty story steel |
structures of 1895.