The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-25
Things Done in North Dakota's Cap.
ital I'M Celebration Of the =
.. 49,. 500 Roads Arrival.
A Day That Will. Go Down in His.
tory-Bismarck Prepared
for Great Things.
The New Road Emancipates this
Flickertail Capital From 'Conl
munity Of Interest" S.
Grab your horn
And blow the same;
Bismarck is. saved
The 500 Is came"

So sang a banner before a prominent
drug store at the North Dakota capital
Saturday. <ss,:r**
Fifty per cent was added to-day, to the
future profits of Bismarck merchants!
One million dollars was added to-day to
the value of real estate in Burleigh coun-
try" exclaimed Farmer Wallace shaking
his grizzed name as he came down with
both hands and feet Saturday upon tns
trembling planks of the speakers stand.
'To-day,'' declared Colonel Wiiliana
Plummer of Fargo, the orator of the oo-
casion, to-day you are e like Jennie
Brown, the Scotch girl, at the siege OF
Lucknow. She had been listening with
her ear to the ground for the approach Of
the relieving columns. Dinna ye hear
the slogan?' she cried at last, the Camp.
bells are coning!'-You have had your
to the ground. You could have said,
Dinna ye hear the slogan? The 500 ID
coming! And now, citizens of Bismarck,
the 500 Is here!' f.
This Is hell of a quiet day. ex~
claimed Governor" Dennie Hannafin peer.
ing retrospectively at crowded Main
st. ee thi o:,R!. the windows of the old
Sheridan house, now the new Northwest
io:ol "Why, thirty years ag, every re-
spectacle cl:izen would have ncsii1 h wiling
drunk!' >
Thus one may infer that matters came
to pass at Bismarck Saturday, matters of
great moment. And, indeed, 1t was at:
1 o'clock Saturday afternoon that The first
regular train reached Bismarck over tho
new extension of the Minnea polls, st. Paul
& Sault Ste. Marie railway. For the first
time In Its thirty one Years Bismarck had
a competing ratlreaf to the east After
fifteen years of impatient waiting, Bis.
ma rek,$ Burleigh county, and a large por-
ton of North Dakota, had escaped from
the blessings OF Community Of interests
Why, on such day, as Governor Hannafin
| inquired, why should any respectable citi.
zen remain sober? - - =
But sober the respectable citizens were
and sober they remained. And If three
or four young ranchmen walked more like
sailors than boys just from the saddle.
| it was because Of the great crowd. the
Ice cream soda, or the cherry phosphate.
For the Bismarck Of 1902 is no more
| like the former neighborhood of Gov
ernor'' Hannafin's claim than Minneapolis
now Is like the west side" of St. An
thony or Chicago is like the parade
ground Of old Fort Dearborn - -. :
Thus Bismarck celebrated Saturday an
event Of much social, political and COM
merciai Importance in fashion that was
no less dignif1ed, no less up-to-date as II
was enthusiastic and enjoyable = = - /
A Decorous Capital. 1rg,>t I
| The town once famed for the deadliest
| lilxker on the Missoury'' . is now the
decorous capital of prohibition state,
The street that Haunted over two doors
out of three such signs as THE Sweet
heart Dance Hail. Faro, Roulette
Clean Games For Gentlemen Fancy
Drinks Carefully Compounded.' is now
filled on both sides. block after block. with
handsome, modern brick buildings ao-
commodating not one saloon but whole
sale and retail stores Of which many
| would be a credit to Nicollet avenue oh
| to State street -.~ ~ -. = =
These circumstances. aided by Da-
kota sunshine and fine prairie breeze
brought 5000 or 5000 visitors to Bismarck
Saturday and more than doubled the pop.
ulation OF the capital. .-.. - 50. q
Although the local committees had less
than ten days to prepare the celebration
! they arranged a program that recalled
stories of the great Willard festival at
St. Paul when the Northern Pacific road
was completed to the coast Bismarck
was admirably decorated Saturday after
noon with banners, bunting and street
arches and was made brilliant Saturday
night with electric lights of many color1
and with fireworks. A long procession
of artistic floats, of Philippine veterans
from the new Fort Lincoln, of pretty >ch.l.
dren that would purse any mothers hpS,
and Of cowboy horsemen, riding ranch.
ers, that would inspire the pencil Of q
Remington, started soon after the screech
of factory whistles. the basso notes OF
cannon, and the cheers of waiting thou
sands had welcomed the flag bedecked
| hot ho,1l lod 10 tra IN
| The speeches that followed the process.
> sion conveyed merited congratulation II
Bismarck and Dakota from speaker
worthy .of a state known for its persuasive
orators. -. ..,.sas- les;.. - ~
II A ball game that achieved the metropol.
itan score Of to O. kept the spectators
the horn blowers and a brass band occu.
pied until series Of droll contests, o,
"small sports," as they were called, mad.
{. prominent the best three legged pedes
trians and the most facile eater Of blue
3 berry pie. Symbolic and elaborate fire
works displayed by eastern experts shet
: blazing trans1guration as darkness fell
: that gloriEed for visiting eyes Btsmarckt
great political trophy, the fine state cap
: itol on it's dominating hill. But lest somt
e stranger might forget that the capital 4
l noted for its pretty girls, a big ball pro
vided two steps for children. maids an,
: matrons. for railway. officials and fo
n army officers. -. - s.e%
= = Band to Arouse the sieepers.
n A brass band playing "The Gardes Di
v Corps" march awoke sleeping passenger
early Saturday morning when the specia
e train, the train, the first 500 train fron
: the twin cities, reached Ltdgerwood, \
n D., not far from the Minnesota boundary
4 Thereafter excursionists bound for Bis
: Imarck began to, crowd the coaches. 4Whe
4 Bismarck was reached upwards of
thousand visitors alighted at the static
r Of the Bismarck, Washburn and Grea
3 Falls railway near the future site of
t livery ornate station to be erected by til
|, Soo AS soon as the whistling and tn
!. cheering had subsided the long lines {
v ttravelers, especially .'eur friends froi
: Emmons county" hurried through tn
d first of the big street arches made of nal
e lionel bunting covering the historic col
:. lumns Of the dismantled old Sherlda