Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1895-03-05
How Willmar Gan pc Doubled
in Business.and Popula.
ton in afeW Years. -.

The editor of Willmar Tribune
has been asked how the business
and population Of Willmar could
be doubled IN 8 few years. A
simple statement, OF the principle
of city growth lin general and
the situation Of Willmar in
regard to natural advantages,
will give an outline of the process.
1st. Cities of from over three to
five thousand Inhabitants can
only deyelop atseertain distances
apart; the length Of the distances !
depends on the natural resources
for productive Industry and sup
port of population. In purely |
agricultural sections like Mime
sofa such cities cannot exist less
than about 1OO<miles 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 in
habitants. In the next decade
some few of these towns some
where about 100 miles apart,
favored by transportation fa-
cilities, will start,up 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 of 20 new country
everywhere. In this section we
are just now at the transition
stage Of development when some
city a 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 section if we utilize
the advantages nature has
thrown in our, way. Willmar
never had a boom, yet she has
grown steadily from year toyear
until she outrivals her competit-
ors. Our most formidable CON-
petitor lis Litchfeld. 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 a State institution to
buoy her up and keep her in the
race. She feels the need of arti-
t 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 a
D.. city of 5000 inhabitants. She
t has a country surrounding her
r of unrivalled fertility. Kandiyo-
> hi county has an Industrious and
;. energetic class of settlers second
4 to none. She has a direct road
t to the great metropolitan cities
u on the east far enough away not
d to be formidable competitors
o with her in 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.
>, - uantageous conditions lies the
= basis Of the future growth and
4 greatness of Willmar:' The Will
!; mar Tribune believes that Will
. mar has by this time outgrow1
her swaddling clothes and shoulG
> now step out and assume: metro
politan airs. She should not
allow any small neighboring riva
to appropriate institutions OF
enterprises that naturally be
a longs here. She should re-incor
7, porate if necessary, have a Boar(
u of trade and invite manufacture,
y and assert her superiority il
Il every way over her distancet
competitors. The Willmar Tri
bune will show hereafter: how e
:, good sized boom Of Wllmar* viii
). be q benefit not ordy.to prQpert,
s. Eowners and business men 81 Will
l. mar, but Of every farmer twent,
N miles around. ~ .~
HILBERT'S STOLEN SWEETS
,e Will please the most fastidioue
p A zstricfIVz HIGH grade handke1