The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-20

spcndent viii present to the public &
number Of historical and Statistical,
facts and industrial truths, supple
mented by conclusions that will IN
doubtedly be supported by future de-
velopinents. The plot is laid in the
promising state of Idaho; scene, Poca-
tello in particular. and Bannock county
in general, with the thousands OF Her
aid readers as interested auditors.
A LITTLE HISTORY.
The station Pocatello was established
when the Oregon Short Line railroad
was completed, but not until July, 1891,
did Pocatello have its christening as
town. That year the federal govern
ment, by treaty arrangements ana d.
rect purchase from the Fort Han In
dams, offered at public sale 1l,6gO lots,
comprising 1.690 acres, exclusive OF the
$50 acres coded to the railroad company
for yard privileges, shop grounds, etc.
This plated area is still the full eX-
tent of the present tOwnsite, ana VIII
remain so until the proposed reserVa-
ton cutoff, extended reference 10
which appears elsewhere, IS thrown
open to settlement. From the GATE OF
the lot sale. admirable indeed has been
the progress Of Pocatello, until she now
claims the distinction of being the
second city in Idaho in population,
with assurance OF soon advancing TO
first position.
Pocatello possesses tho acknowledged
best system of WaterWorkS between
Denver and Portland, constructed by
James A Murray a Butte millionaire;
the best equipped hotel in Idaho,
erected by Mayor ". F. Kasiska; the
second. best opera house in the state.
erected by a company of local capital
lists; TWO mammoth public school build
ings, and a half dozen commodious
church structures.
The more pretentious business blocks
are: The Pioneer" erected by Dan
Swinehart; the Phoenix" by John G.
Brown: the -'Pythian." by c. S. Smith;
the Cora" by John S. Hickey; the
sell & Reuss," by Henry Sell and Jo-
seph Reuss: the I. o. o. F. erected
by members of the order; the hand
some stone block constructed and oc-
cupied by the Idaho Furniture COM
pany and managed by q former Salt
Laker, William hampton; and the
Pocakello lodging house, erected by
Charles Smith. No town of similar
population 4.000 can boast of better
business blocks than those referred to.
The Gate city" has one of the
safest banking houses in America, the
First National bank, differed by James
A Murray, pre- sIdent, a thrice million
aire, whose great wealth is mostly in
the form of bonds, real estate, mort
cages and other gilt-edge securities,
and metallic money; Judge D. w.
StandrOd, vice president whose reputa-
ton for sterling integrity is beyond
question; William A. Authes, cashier,
who has been a staid fixture of the
bank for years.
The Pocatello Power & Irrigation
company owns and operates a $4,000
electric light plant, which is another
institution all citizens are justly proud
of, and which exists by reason of no
other mans efforts than those of Dan
Swimhart. one of the most admirable
and energetic citizens of Idaho.
Nature gave the public thorOughfare
Of Pocatel3O a very acceptable ma
material a favor that
should not be underestimate by the
buyer of city real estate.
Clean, dry streets are thine for GER
tainty ana a bar to unwholesome sani-
tary conditions.
RAILROAD ADVANTAGES.
Pocatello-aptly termed the Cate
City" of Idailo. by reason Of all traffic
going north and westward being COM
PEELED to pass through its portals-is
unrivalled in point of superior railway
facilities that will not be
eouaned by any town or city located
between Ogden, Utah; Portland, Ore;
direct lines rad1ating to the north, east, |
south ana west: four terminal passen-
ger divisions and an equal number of
terminal freight divisions; official
headquarters for the Idaho division of
the Oregon Short Line, and the Mon
tana division of the same system, the
former division embracing $50 miles of
track (fr0m Granger, Wyo., to Hunt
ington, Ore.). and the latter 40S miles
Of track CfrOm ogden, Utah, to Butte |
y IN, inc ,a
200; office men exclusive of |
shop Clerks. 80; 80 per cent of these |
draw their monthly pay checks at Po- |
catelio.
The Idaho division is under the su-
perintendency of II. f. Van Housen, |
for nearly a quarter of a. century in the |
employment OF the Union Pa
cific and its connections. The Mon
tana division is under the superin-
tendency of c. a. Boies, another
worthy graduate of the famous over
and Route" with the faithful Edward |
Manson serving as chief dispatcher,
while popular W. A. Whitney serves
Superintendent Van Housen as chief
While these described advantages
lend more or less OF stability to the
Gate City, they are as nothing COM
pared to the revenue benefits flowing
from the extensive shops-car, ma
chine. boiler. paint, blacksmith, erect
several departments now en-
oloying $40 men, according to state
nents rendered the writer by Master
Mechanic J. D. Malone's chief clerk, J.
H. Holley, whose official utterances
are always reliable. These are the
great shops of the Oregon Short Line
system-three times larger than the
shop at Salt Lake. In this
connection the reader should not fail
% take cOgniZance of the fact that Just
IS the territory 20 the north and west
settles up and develops viii the shops
md train forces centralized at Poca-
ello increase, which is a factor that
nsures the steady growth of the par
ocular city it must of necessity benefit
II many material ways.
Superintendent Boies expressed the
opinion that the year 1898 would be a
ear of increase for the Oregon Short
Line, in both passenger and freight
-raffic. a condition which finds ample
support by the following statement,
submitted by the cOmpaly's local pas
senger and freight agent, II. Y. Platt.
showing increase of business over pre-
vious year for the single station of
PocatellO:
Increase of freight in pounds con-
5umed by local merchants during 1897,
1887.
Increase of stations revenue, freight
ard passengers, Si4,24S.54.
Increase Of cars handled through ]
yard. 500. u
Increase of freight transferred, g. Z
20. 222 pounds, over transfer platform. ! /
THE most notable increase of ]
through business of any one kind was I
n green and deciduOus fruits from west
.rn Idaho and eastern Oregon and ]
Ia hEfurr ,