East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1904-10-31
How Travel Enriches
Railroads
RAILROADS


Southern Pacific road publishes Sun
set, a monthly magazine. to set forth
the attractions of the country through
which the road runs. The Rock Is
land and the Santa Fe roads issue
monthly papers, The Western Trail
and The Earth, devoted to an exploit
alton of the advantages of their
realms. and the Great Northern cir
culates an annual bulletin of much
the same general type for each of the
separate states ii traverses The cost
OF the other advertising that they do
in the newspapers and periodicals
costs huge sums, says the Worlds
Work.
In March of last year, one railroad
made public list of 1S2 business
openings in the cities of Oklahoma
and before the end of April. AZ of
these were seized. Some days brought
in over 600 letters of inquiry to the
central office, all of which were taken
up in order and handled systematical-
ly. John Smith of Illinois, for in
stance, writes that he is dissatisfied
with local commercial conditions
that he has capital of $4,000 to in
vest and he wishes to know IL the
sum is sufficient to build an oil-mill
needed, according to the advertise
ment at Ell Reno. Oklahoma: where
upon Mr.. Smith is put into commune
cation at once with the Commercial
Club at Ell Reno-an institution
founded TO push the interests of that
place-and the club endeavors to pre-
vail on him to cast his fortunes with
theirs, if not for an oil-mill, WHY.
then for one of the innumerable
other prizes that a thriving town like
FL Reno offers 10 an able, energetic
man like Mr.. Smith. No town in ok
lahoma is without its commercial
club. One railroad alone established
% of them. Working i'm conjunction
with these clubs is a body of indus
trial agents whose duty 1t is to study
the needs and the opportunities of
each community and TO submit item !
lied reports thereon TO the central Of /
flee of the railroad.
The process of filling up the coun-
try intensifies struggle for existence
which is already too keen. and stimu
Iates growth that is already going on
At an abnormal rate. Towns in Ok
Rhoma are often so close as to sug-
yest cities VIII. many suburbs. Rail-
.oads weave complicated mesh
across the territory. The traffic be-
-ween stations is enormous. The
rains are always filled, and the sta
lions are crowded.
From a coign of vantage in Woods
county. south of Alva, nine towns /
can be seen with the aid of a spy
glass. The fortunes of the cities fluc- I
tuate. Six months after it's opening. |
Lawton boasted of 1913 saloons, 263 |
lawyers. and about an equal number l
of doctors; and today, in this three |
town, the toilet" signs /
flaunt ominously from all sides. Four I
today it has about 10000. (
In North Dakota. the Great North /
ern railroad met with an entirely diff !
ferent condition of affairs. Even in !
the memory of the present generation /
North Dakota seemed far off and in
accessible. Foreigners went there
from Canada and Europe before
would venture. In the |
days of its early development. unlike |
Oklahoma, It was not encircled by
populous and thriving states, but, for
the most part, by a territory equally !
empty of settlers. In the early sos, |
there was a great influx of an agri-
peasantry from the north of
Europe to America. These, with
from across the border.
formed the greater part of the first
tide of immigration to North Dakota !
In 1900, North DakOta's foreign-born
population formed 5S.7 per cent of
the whole. There were more than A.
600 Scandinavians and Danes; more
than $4,000 Canadians: almost Is 900
Russians. and more than 1850 Ger
mans. Another striking difference be-
tween Oklahoma and North Dakota
is-Americans were in Oklahoma be-
fore foreigners knew of its existence.
Moreover, North Dakota has 75,T12
square miles to overshadow Oklaho-
mas 3S.175. and its larger area is
capable of supporting a much larger
population. Concentration was never
necessary. In addition. the natural
tendency OF the rural-born- -and-reared
foreigner was toward selecting a quar-
ter section, rather than a town lot.
So, when James ]. Hill. president of
the Great Northern railroad, invaded
North Dakota and the other north
western states he found there vast
stretches of rolling prairie land. the
monotony of which was unrelieyed by
towns, and a conservative people not
likely to keep abreast of its opportu
mites. His first task, then, was to
induce sufficient numbers of progress
siVe immigrants to settle in his terri
tory neglecting the rearing of cities.
on the theory that towns would come
In the due course of events. There
fore, the agents fostering northwest
ern immigration devoted their atten-
ton to young men and fathers of
large families-expend their efforts
on people with brains and energy.
rather than on people of capital.
500 Reward 500.
The readers Of this paper will be pleased