Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1895-03-05
How Willmar IAN ne Doubled
II: Business |: Plopula,
ton ii afew Tears. &.

-. -. 49, f'.1 49, s:s
ton ii alew Fears.
I The editor Of Willmar Tribune
has been asked how the business |
and population pf Willmar could |
be doubled IN few years. A
simple statement, Of the principle
of city growtll$ Sn general and |
the situation Willmar :. in
regard to natural advantages,
will give an outline Of the process. |
i. 1st: Cities Of ffom over threeto
Ave thousand Inhabitants can
only deyelop atsfertain distances
apart; the length Of the distances
depends on the natural resources |
for prod uctive Industry and sup
port Of population. In purely
agricultural sections like Mime
sofa such cities cannot exist less
than about lOOlniles: apart. In
course of time such leading cities
will develope here, as they havein
the older States. Now we see
Western Minnesota settled over|
with hundreds Of small towns Of
from 500 up to $500 or 5000 i'll
habitants. In the next decade
some few of these towns some
where about 100 miles apart, |
favored by transportation fa-
cilities, will startsup manufacture
ing enterprises, special schools
and colleges, small wholesale
houses, invite capital from the
outside, and thus outstrip their
neighboring towns and assume
the role as leading cities of their
respective sections. This as we
have said is according to the
natural and inevitable law of the
development ON new country
everywhere. ln|gthis. section we
are just now at the transition
stage Of development when some
city q certain distance west of
Minneapolis and southwest of
St. Cloud will step forward and
be forever the leading mart on
the northern slope Of the Mime
sofa Valley.
A. careful. study: of the geo..
graphical map as we'll as our
railroad system, convinces us
that Willmar is TO be the leading
city Of this sectipn if we utilize
the advantages nature has
thrown in our, way. Willmar
never had q boom, yet she has
tgroWn s,teadi & ON year tdlyear
until she outrivals her. eompetit-
ors. Our most formidable com.
fpetitor. lis I4itchfeld. She has
doomed and pushed and doomed
and pushed, but she is too near
Minneapolis and lacks the neces-
sary railroad connections. Yet
she does not subside, but now
asks for q State institution to
buoy her up and keep her. in the
race. She feels the need of arti-
fetal props. Her enterprising
citizens understand this
: thoroughly. All praise to her
wideaWake: citizens.
But here is Willmar, what is
she doing? Or rather what
) might she not do. in shape OF
progress and development if she
only: tried? Willmar is now q
: city Of 5000 inhabitants. She
has a country surrounding her
Of unriyalled fertility. Kandiyo-
hi county has an Industrious and
:. energetic class of settlers second
to none. She has a direct road
to the great metropolitan cities
| on the east far enough away: not
to be formidable competitors
with her III many branches OF
!. trade and manufacturing. She
r has another road direct to the
:. great lake ports. She has two
other iron arms: of commerce
stretching out and ramifying
south, west and north. And il
another railroad is built through
this section it. will inevitably
strike Wi1lmar. In these ad.
!, vantage GUS conditions lies the
basis of the future growth and
! greatness Of Willmar. The Will,
mar Tribune believes that Will
!, mar hassby this time outgrow1
. her swadd ding clothes and should
Z now step out and assume metro
politan airs. She should moi
allow any small neig oring riva
. to appropriate institutions o.
enterprises that naturally be
3 longs here. She should re-incor
!, porate if necessar have q Boart
81 Of trade and Invite manufacture
: and assert her superiority il
2 every way over. her distance(
q conlpetito ry. The Willmar Tri
bune will show heteafterss how're
b good sized boom az ~ iillniars vii
!: he q beneh Sc at oI,l It's pIQ u
/. owners and busin slssmsen 81 Will
81 mar, but 81 every farmer twent,
nImiles around
H1LBERT,'sz s. o j SWEETS
81 Will please the most fastidioua
81 sfri.fl Oh .pra IA n ni1f1k er