Omaha daily bee., 1895-12-14
THE DUKE OF CuINooI<.
How n Characteristic Western
Doomer Enrnch Ills NnvnI Title.

How n Characteristic Western
Boomer Earned His Naval Title.
people generally think the man who starts
a new town has a snap" remarked General
Passenger Agent Whitney Of the Great North
ern to the st. Paul Pioneer Press man. They
assume that somebody favored with a large
confidence bump Of good fortune decides to
make a town, sits back in his chair, smokes
good cigars and wears hot rocks and the
town is made. On the contrary, a man who
tries to build a town and a settlement sue
cseds only after a struggle more intense
than the average citizen is capable of en-
during, often surprising the limits of the
average citizens imagination. Without hav-
ing the immigration bump immensely dsvel-
oped you never nesd Gttempt to establish a
colony or start n town"
Mr.. Whitney illustrated all this with a
racy account Of the establishment of Chi
nook by d. Il. McGinnis, secretary of the
Commercial club, who gained for him self
by accomplishing his laudable purpose the
euphcnious sobriquet Of "Dook of Chinook. -"
As travelling passenger agent of the Great
Northern, in 1880, Mr.. McG!nnis spent much
time "hustling'' in the Milk river valley,
Mont. Shortly afterward he was made ad-
v%ertising agent. About this time the road
was extended from Devils lake into Mon
tana through the Milk river valley to Great
Falls and Helena. He conceived the idea of
building up a town in the valley, because he
thought 1t was a good country. Why he
thought sc he did not and does net yet ex-
actly know. A scrt of boomers instinct in
spired him to boom that desolate waste full
of coyotes howl and red mems shrieks and
convert it into a metropolis Of trade and
His scheme was his own. No
one else wanted 1t. He could not get rid Of
1t. Finally Macs Efforts were crowned with
success. After Advertising Chinook three
months all through the east the town was
divided off into lots, held by a townsitc
company, which gave quit claim deeds to the
settlers.
Some time during the latter part of Feb
ruary people began to flock there from the
east, first in parties of two and three, and
course, took possession and leeced the set
tiers to the second cuticle of their skin as
fast as they came. The country looked wild
and the Indians were wicked. The settlers
fed in droves. The special settlement agent
whom Mac placed in charge stood in" with
the gamblers and everything went wrong
side up, All this time the father of Chinook
sat sarenely in his Office in St. Paul congratu.
lating himself upon his success.
One day he received the following telegram
from the cempany's agent; For heavens
sake do something. Settlers going as fast
as come" He took the next train for Chi
nook. General Manager Allan Marvel met
him at the union depot and to encourage
him., said: "If you can keep the psople and
think business warrants it we will build a
magnificent depot there Immediately"
III III iOihIL vi u 4 II HUE
blew fieTcer than usual at Chinook and the
black clouds overhead scattered a dismal rain
on the murky scene Mac bsheld as he got off
the train. He walked up the hill to the point
he had selected for a $500, 600 city hall and
the first sound he heard was the yell of a
drunken man and the click Of poker chips.
His special agent was inside playing faro.
1t was a crisis in Macs life. Walking boldly
into the gamblir, ilint. he said:
Here, you'll stop this or walk over my
dead body, Quit night here or. I'll have
every one of you arrested and the depot will
be built somewhere else"
The gamblers packed up and most of them
left town.
Macs experience at the train was as try
ing as that in the gambling hell. When the
train came in half a dozen settlers and their
families tumbled off, dragging after them
their earthly possessions. They stood ir-
resolutely on the platform. while the sharp
drizzle cut their cheeks, gazing sullanly at
the apparently barren hills, covered with
dry grass. AS soon as their eyes lighted on
the Indian tepees across the river they
groanad with disappointment. One burly
fellow Topped into the station and said to the
agent:
"See here, mister, what's the price of a
ticket back TO Sugar Crlck, Injianny?'
soon?"
TOO durn dry. Ell I could git hold NV
that Teller McGinnis, who called this dashed
desert a paradise, I'd skin him alive, be.
gosh
Mac heard this remark and stepped for
ward. After much solicitation he induced
the party to wait long enough TO see the
country. The next day he drove them
around and did the jolly" Finally, after
much grief and deliberation, houses began
to arise, and at the end of two months the
depot which Mr.. Marvel built was earning
900 a month.
This last SEASON 1000 cars of cattle were
shipped out of Chinook, the population of
which is nearly 1000. The town has a
good newspaper and all modern conveniences,
and gives the railroad company at least
$500 900 d year. The early settlers are
wealthy.