The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1899-07-13
YAKIMA PROSPERITY.
What the Associate Editor OF The News
Says OF the Wonderiand

the traveller who comes from a trip TO
Republic, Bossburg, Spokane aud the
Boundary country and is suddenly land.
ed in North Yakima, the contrast in the
local conditions is very striking. He
finds total lack of that feverish excite.
ment over mines and mining that pre-.
walls IN the former places, and the inhab.
itants don't bother their beads about
whether a certain piece of rock will as
say $40 to the ton or whethe it is useful
to shy at cat whose music disturbs
their nocturnal SUMMERS.
In the former places everybody is 60
ing to get rich in a hurry. No matter
how poor they may be today they dream
OF visions of wealth to come in month,
six months or year at farthest.
AT North Yakima ultimate wealth. or
at least comfortable competency, is al
SO generally expected, but it is to come
through the slower and surer channels of
agriculture and commerce, and not
through the extremely uncertain medium
OF mines. The conditions in the two 10.
callties present a striking illustration of
the diversified character of the resources
of this state.
The country surrounding North Yak.
ma was only a few years ago part of
the great American desert, and was con-
sidered incapable of producing anything
that would sustain human life. Now it
would be hard to find more fertile re-.
gion. The metamorpho,Is has been
brought about by irrigation, in regard to
which so much has been said and writ.
ten.
On arriving at North Yakima the first
thing that attracts attention is their new
railroad Improvements. 'fhe Northern
Pacific has recently erected new depot
costing IS 600 and has laid broad walk
of Portland cement, 800 yards in length,
along their track. The right of way
near the depot has been fenced in and
parked and the old freight house has
been improved by a new addition, max
ing freight house $50 feet long. On
the track the Old 52-pound rails have
been replaced by the 72-pound. Alto
gether ii is one of the most complete
railroad depots west of St. Paul.
There is not vacant house in North
Yakima. This year about fifty new res
licences have been built and there will
probably be as many more before the
season closes. The majority of these are
cottages, but some of them are handsome
residences costing $4,000 or $1,000.
There are fine business houses either of
brick or stone now in process of con.
struction. For little city, that does
not claim over 1000 inhabitants, this
isn't 30 bad. There are something over
900 children in the public schools.
The census of 1890 gave Yakima
county about 4.500 population. Now
the population of the county exceeds
IA 500, and there is no portion of the
state which is attracting more attention
from immigrants. About year ago
colony of Dunkards settled in Yakima
valley near Sunnyside, and more recent.
ly colony of Hollanders came. At the
North Yakima Commercial club on Fri
day night Your correspondent met man
from Hungary who is there for the pur-
pose of making arrangements for a COL
ony OF Hungarian immigrants.
This commercial club, by the way. is
an important feature of North Yakima.
1t has $50 members, comprising the ma.
Jority of the business men OF the city,
and they haye comfortable rooms nicely
furnished and provided with billiard
tables. reading matter, etc. The club
will move into new and more convenient
quarters in one of the new buildings now
being erected.
The rooms are open day and night and
the organization does syst. m ,tic and eff
fective work in advancing the interests
of the city and county. By all pulling
together as one man they have accom-.
plished and are now accomplishing graf.
flying results. the people of North
Yakima are good scrappers among them
selves, particularly when political mat
tiers are involved, but when a question
affecting the prosperity of their city or
county arises all of their differences i'm.
mediately vanish.
Yakima county is already famous for
its products OF fruit, hay, vegetables and
hops, all raised by means of irrigation.
Under the encouragement of the Com
mercial club they are now experiment
ing with the sugar beet for which the