The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-21

Point to This Thriving Commercial
Center as One OF the Coming Muni-
cipai Giants OF the American
Continent.
Special Core spondencc of The Tribune.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sept. 2o-Nin-
nipeg is Il unique city, unique IN name,
i'm progress. also unique in IT'S StpSiaph-
ical situation for great city. a glance
at the map of the vast area III inc
center of the continent north OF the
United States and south OF hudson ;
Eay shows there Is a space allotted for
agreat northern capital city. That space
is fifty filled by Winnipeg. 1t IS SIT
uated at the confluence of two noble
rivprs-the Assiniboine and Red river
nl the north 7c0 feet above sea level.
sixty-two miles north of the interna- =
tional boundary and forty miles south
of the great Lake winnipeg. into which
the combined waters OF Winnipeg :
rivers flow, and thenceforth into llud-
sons Bay ana the Arctic Ocean. win
these two rivers naVigable iur steam
boats. after Il course Of several hunure'i
miles through the fertile plains of the
west and with an incredibly rich c"un-
try around, we can well imagine how the
early site of the present city was Sc
lccted as trading post anu tur mart
hy the trau,crS uf the old FUR GEM
panies two centuries ago, and how II
came to be chosen by the ill-fatod i'm
migrants of Lord Selkirk's colony at
the beginning Of the century as Il drsir-
able region for settlement and coloni-
cation And more important than oil.
it is the halfway house. and stop
ping place on this great interna tional
highway, the Canadian Pacific rail-
road. for through Winnipeg must SO
all the freight and passengers for the
immense fertile regions westward and
across the continent to the Pacific. In
short. its unparalleled position makes
it for all time the Chicago of the Can
adam northwest. 1t is the key to this
vast. empire, capable of sustaining IN
aliluence and comfort hundred mil
lions of people. Think of Il tract Of
fertile land comprising the largest
wheat field in the world at least nine
hundred miles long and three hundred
miles wide covering an area of over
two hundred millions acres to which
Winnipeg is the gateway.
A NORTHERN CHICAGO.
Winnipeg is Chicago so far as 3S,-
600 ambitious people are able to make
it. Twenty years ago 1t was small.
isolated settlement, isolated for nun
dred wears in the heart of the contn-
cnt, then struggling village round
the Hudson's Bay company post of
Fort Garry, hundreds of miles from
anywhere. After the advent of the first
railway it rose RAPIDLY within a few
years to the proud position OF one of
the ten radiating railroads, which
branch, like spOkeS in a wheel, in all
directions, gathering the wealth of an
inland empire to empty it at its feet.
The navigation of the Red river,
Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba, the
great Saskatchewan and her navig-
able streams. makes tributary to it
thousands of miles of important coast
line. Sovcnty-five per cent. of the
wheat land of North America is di-
rectly tributary to it. while untold
wealth of iron, coal, salt, petroleum,
gold, silver lumber fish. timber furs,
horses, cattle, sheep, hogs. etc, goes to
swell resources and backing more vast
and varied than any possessed by any
other city in the world. 1t supplies
largely all the goods consumed between
the Red river and the Rocky Noun
tains. Few places have found such
speedy recognition since the advent of
the Canadian Pacific railway; in fact,
this prairie city has dstanced all rec
Ords of booming towns.
It's positive pre-eminence is yearly
becoming more pronounced and COM
manding and today no other city in
America is attracting more attention
among capitalists and settlers, while
among tourists ii Is one of the objective
points of the trans-continental trip. 1t
nf u,
stone province of the Dominion and
also the center of the political, social
literary, monetary and manufacturing
world of the Dominion of the Canadian
west, and the fountain head of the edu-
cational institutions of not only Mani
toba but the whole northwest one
says: winnipeg is the great mart of
country of nearly 100000 acres of
rich territory, and one Of the leading
trade centers of the continent
A HE.ALTHFUL CITY.
Because of the hatness of the plains
on which the city stands Winnipeg Is
not pretty city" but what is better.
there is scarcely a more healthful city
on the continent. The plainness is be-
ing removed, however, by a judicious
planting of trees and boulevardng of
streets, which greatly transforms the
flat appearance of the town. The city
is substantially built, superior brick
and stone being available. The streets
are all wide and We'll laid out and
named on a numerical system Main
street, several miles long, is 132 feet
wide and one of the finest in America.
quite remindful of Euclid avenue of
Cleveland; but all this space is required
for the street railways and the continue
Gus stream of traffic along it, There
are both electric and horse cars in use.
Winnipeg has many substantial
buildings worthy of special mention
Especially noticeable We're the elegant
residences and immense public build
ings in close proximity to the primitive
hutS and small buildings dating back
to the early village days, also remind
full of American cities which have
grown up lik r. magic.
Armed with letters of introduction
from General Eastern Agent T.. T..
Skinner, of New York, and Charles n.
Bell secretary of the board Of trade of
Winnipeg, (to the latter we are ndebt-
cd for valuable infoTmatiOn). we rode
and strOled over this entire prairie
city during our four days sojOurn, and
visited the New Prov incial parliament
buildings, st. Johns EpiscopaD Col
lege, Manitoba Medic IL College Lieu
his residence and groL nds, Provincial
Deaf and Dumb Instit ute, City Hos
pital, City Hall, Court ! louse and Pro-
vincial Jail, also Board o. Trade. Grain
Exchange. public mark cts, and on
Sunday the principal chu rches. which
comprise among the mo st imposing
buildings of the city; alsO Elm and
Dufferin parks, the health. giving and
pleasure grounds of the city, of all of
which 1 will speak later.
FINE HOTELS.
Among the numerous hotels. the Mani
toba and the Leland are the most
prominent, both seven-story structures
OF which Winnipeggers are Justly
proud. and structures which would
grace any city of any size on the Aineri-
can continent. The Manitoba Is owned
by the Northern Pacific Railroad com
-t,.I