The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-26

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only bleak and deserted sand hills
until the Great Northern appeared. one
of.the greatest fruit regions known has
been developed within ten years, Until
the overland trains were delayed two
to three hours in loading fruit and
night special fruit express had to be
ordered for Wenatchee valley alone.
Another great industry which the
Great Northern has developed in this
section is live stock. Cattlemen, horse
breeders and sheepnen have been led
to ship thousands Of car loads of stock
through the Spokane gateway from
eastern Washington to the Montana
ranges for fall pasture and thence east
to market; something like seventy-1ve
or eighty car loads having passed
through here last week alone. The
Great Northern has by these great
and practical measures Of industrial
and commercial development brought
great increase to all Of these indus
tries and to all sections, both populat-
ing the country and giving 1t profit
able markets
Pacific Coast Development.
At Wenatchee, among the sand and
silt hills. under the eastern lee Of the
Cascades, lands that were going beg
ging at so cents to 81 per acre before
the Great Northern pushed through
ten years ago. sell at $3.50 to 5000 per
acre for the raw land" with water
right and for $3.50 to $500 an acre,
according to the age of the fruit trees,
for improved orchard property. Rates
have been made which make the
Wenatchee valley fruit within reach Of
twin city and even New York mar
kets, and SO profitable to the producer
that 100000 fruit trees were set out
the present season. at that single point.
Everett, the Great Northern's first
for mol he
which had no existence in 1890, comes
forward with population Of 20,217 in
the city census of 1902 and an esti-
mated $4,000 In 1903. It's bank de-
posts grew from ss50,0o0 in 1900 to
$2,ooo,ooo in 1902 It's postoffice re-
to s24,169.44 in 1902, and it's tele-
phones IN the same time multiplied
from 207 to 1,151. The school chill
dren multiplied four times in six years,
and it's public improvements last year
reached nearly 100000. There are
| the county, with an annual product
worth sS.000,000, and the city's varied
| industries employ 5000 men, with a
pay roll Of $2,200,000.
Another Industrial center which has
experienced revolutionary development
since the Great Northern's advent Is
Bellingham bay, represented by the
twin cities of Whatcom and Fairhaven.
! Ninety per cent of the salmon pack of
Puget Sound is caught within q
twenty-nile radius Of Bellingham bay,
where are located the greatest salmon
years the combined population Of the
| two towns has risen to $4,000. Ninety
two shingle mills are in operation in
the county, and $4,000 acres are under
! profitable cultivation in orchards, hops,
roots, vegetables, small fruit and hay.
The building improvements last year
reached $1,75O,000; the railway con-
struction in the county aggregated
$1,500,O00; while shipments of lumber
and salmon aggregated the huge total
of $9,o0o,000 for Whatcem county.
Six Years of Seattle.
Seattle has suddenly grown in ten
600 people, with $200,0O0,000 of an
nual bank clearings, deep sea tom
mage of 100000 tons, and foreign
commerce Of over SIS, 100000 per an
mum. In the six-year period, 1S96-19O2,
the school census has grown from TO-
900 to 10000, or doubled; the post
office receipts have advanced from
$4,000 to s276,o00, or trebled; the
custom house receipts have grown
from $66,794 to S507,760, or multiplied
over seven times; the wheat exports
have trebled and the flour exports have
quadrupled; the exports to Japan alone
have increased from 100000 year
to nearly SO, 100000, and the total ex-
ports have gone from $1,S16.577 to
nearly s12,000,OOO; the bank deposits
have grown from $2.70O,000 to S2S,-
O00,0 900, or ten times, and the bank
clearings from $2S,000,0O0 to $780,
$1,000; while annual value of build
ings constructed has grown from
s2o1,0 in 1896 to s6,3S5,17S in 1902,
a thirty-fold increase.
The Industrial Northwest.
Twenty-Five years ago practically
all of the industrial development be-
sound was located In the 24O-mile
stretch between here and the Red riv-
er valley, and even that was small
pioneer development Of exceedingly
dimlnutive proportions.
To-day the aggregate volume Of
grain produced in the six states
traversed by the Great Northern sys-
tenn approximates 50O,OO0,000 bushels.
The aggregate value Of the live
stock on the farms exceeds $500, OO0,-
900.
The annual value Of the farm pro-
auctions also exceeds $500, 100000.
The aggregate value Of the farm
buildings is $200,o0o,00o. and Of the
farm implements and machinery $780,
000,000
The number Of farms has increased
to 100000, and the farm acreage has
grown to 85,000,0O0, of which 50,000,-
900 are improved while the aggregate
true valuation of the 700 farms has
increased to $1,500,00O,
In these half-dozen states 160, 000,-
600 acres of the public lands have
been turned over to homestead set
tiers, railroads, lumber, mining and
! live stock interests; while 100000
acres have been given to actual home
steaders under original homestead en-
try during the past ten years.
The value Of the annual mineral
productions is not far from $150,000,-
! 900, and the annual lumber cut Is
about 4,000,000,000 feet.
During the crop year ending Sept.
! 1, 1902, the Minnesota state weighing
department weighed into Minneapolis
elevators and mills 134,000,000 BUSH
els Of grain, two-thirds Of which was
milled in that city; while the total
grain receipts at Duluth were 12s,0oo,-
1000 more. Besides the above grain
of grain from the Rocky mountains
westward to Pacific mills and ports is
about 100000 bushels.
Mission of the Iron Rail.
i In the great Industrial development
of the past quarter Of a century, q
j DEVELOPMENT which cannot be paral-
leled in any other period Of the worlds
history or in any other quarter OF the
:. earth's surface. many factors have
, contributed. Soil, climate, rainfall. the
fortitude Of the pioneer, the energy
, and Industry of the producer, the en-