The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-28

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destiny that the future Of the city of
Winnipeg Ia to be a bright and glorious
one. The indications Of such writing are
plainly manifest now, and as each year
goes by they are becoming palmer. Thirty
years ago the hardy Scotsnen who were
the original agricultural pioneers Of the
northern portion Of the valley OF the Red
River Of the North, thought that they
could see into the future with enough
IElearness to discern that the end Of their
Ihardships was in sight, and they thought
nightly too, for within the following two
years thu region changed its name from
iRnperts Land and became the province
Iof Manitoba, one Of the confederation that
invent to compose the Dominion Of Canada
Ten years later the people Of the prov
t1nce for the first time awoke to the I'M
bounded possibilities that lay before the
lc1ty Of Winnipeg. It was the gateway to
,n belt Of fertile country so vast that its
possibilities could not be estimated. This
Twas in 1880 and the demand for property
|pf all kinds in and around the city became
$50 keen that the prices went up to figures
formerly unthought Of Practically the
Whose city and the country for a radius
of twenty miles was sold and resold until
ats value ran from hundreds to thousands
and from thousands to tens Of thousands.
People bought wildly. They made no
effort to see what they were getting 1t
was sufficient for the moment that they
were in the possession Of a deed carrying
with it the possession Of a certain parcel of
city or farm land. They were rushing the
future and rushing it blindly. The end
came in 1888, when those who were pre-
pared to buy wanted to see what they
were buying, when those who held prop
,erty began to inspect. Many OF these
found that they had not what they sup
posed they had. Those who had been
carried along with the fever Of specula-
ton found that instead of frst-class lands
they had ON their hands sections OF swamp
which was worth not one tenth what they
had paid for it. Naturally there was q
rush to dispose Of this class of property
and soon this resulted In their being more
sellers than buyers ON the market. 1t was
the old story Of closing out the shorts
Men who were worth hundreds of thou
sands on paper were forced to dispose OF
their holdings at prices which meant
bankruptcy. Outsiders who had invested
largely either got out as cheaply as they
could or held what they had OF good prop
erty and let the poor stuff go for taxes
wlNNlPEG's FIRST BOOM.
During this period Winnipeg hae
s,oomed with an immense booming. From
u - town Of 5000 people In 1880 1t max
ira1ansed into city Of $4,000 In 1883 1t
streets were the scene Of hustle and com
t,no+ion. it's hotels the centers Of restless
setfyity. It's every surface reflected tn
Izpirit of the time. The growth was, how
ever of the mushroom character, an
when the boom burst there was decides
Ealing away in population, a marked de
q irrease in the value Of all property, Wheth
Ier rural or urban, and the city san
hack into what appeared to be lethargy.
The effects Of the boom were not a
had. While the sudden anxiety to be
&nme wealthy in advance Of the times ha
aeft it's mark, it had also left behind It tn
seeds Of g. new and greater prosperit
st1aan the pioneer spectators had eve
dreamed Of Only small proportion
those who were attracted to the west lei
sthe country when the boom burst Their
remained many who had not lost the
Faith in the future Of the west. Amer
cans who had seen the resources Of low:
Illinois and Minnesota brought to hgh
law that the same conditions existed
Exhe province Of Manitoba, Canadian
:; who in the province Of Ontario had seen
|wilderness turned into q land Of milk ar
honey. These stayed and the steady ar
normal advance which has taken place
thru western Canada has proved tn;
they were right, for never in the wilde
time Of the boom was the present pro
perity Of Winnipeg and the province for
TASTED.
THE WINNIPEG OF TO-DAY.
4 The city Of Winnipeg to-day stands {
1.-THE threshold of the era In which she W
take a permanent hold Of her proper pos
ton in the sisterhood of the great citi
Of the American continent. All the col
ditions which served to make Chica,
CANADIAN WEST LAND CON