Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-02-24
THE RAPID RISE OF THE WEST
Some Astonishing Figures Showing
the Magical Growth of the coun-
try West of the Mississippi.

of the exploitation for the Cen
company and is doing his best
to interest Montana counties TO the
Of getting an exhibit from
each Of them. or, at least, several
exhibits from the different counties
combined, Clerk Hazen will place the
before the board of county
commissioners when they next meet
and they will decide whether or not
county will make an exhibit.
The coming show IN the western
city has been somewhat obscured by
the shadow of the great Louisiana
Purchase Exposition in st. Louis and
for that reason many are not acquaint-
ed with the significance Of the Port
land celebration. IL will mark the
one hundredth anniversary of the
first great epoch making event in the
history of the great western common
wealth. Since Lewis and Clark made
their first trip across the towering
Rockies, this country has probably
made greater advancement than was
ever made by any country or section
of country which ever existed. A
pamphlet, of which the following Is a
copy. was sent out by the managers
OF the Centennial, gives some of the
big figures made by this wonderful
development of a mos wonderful
country.
The Tooth anniversary of the ex-
~ploration of the Oregon country
comprising the present states of Ore
gon. Washington. Idaho and parts OF
Montana and Wyoming), will be COM
menced at Portland Oregon, in 1905,
by an exposition which will be repre-
sentative Of American. European and
Oriental fife and industry. A COM
pany with 100000 capital has been
organized to hold the exposition.
The fair grounds. comprising 3S5
acres of land and natural lake, are
in the northwestern part OF Portland
practically at the very point on the
Willamette river reached by Captain
Clark on April 3. 1906.
The Lewis and Clark Centennial
will show the industrial progress not
only o. the oregon country, but of all
that part of the United States west
of the Mississippi river, and place 1t
in its true relation TO the new trade
field in the orient and the islands of
the Pacific.
Lewis and Clark in 1S05.'06 scanned
the mouth of the Columbia river Tor
the ship that never came. Puget
Sound ana the Columbia river, the
great harbors of the Oregon Coun-
Try" have a foreign commerce
amounting to $i0,00O,000 a year. In
the ten years between 1892 and 1901
they shipped breadstuffs valued at
nearly $500. 900 200.
The west has 35 per cent of the
nations farms. 10 per cent of It's
railroad mileage. IS per cent of its
gross area. counting Alaska; q per
cent of its population. 10 per cent OF
its exports and imports. and produces
90 per cent of its gold, 10 per e n of
its manufactures. and 43 per cent OF
It's farm products.
Jim Bridger's trading post, built in
southwestern Wyoming in lS43, mark
ed the beginning of the area of immi.
grafton into the far west. The great
trading posts of this region now are
San Francisco. Portland, Seattle. Ia
coma. Spokane. Butte. Boise. Los An
geles and Salt Lake.
Capt. Clark in 1906 found a few
camps OF Indians lei where the city
Of Portland now stands. Portland Is
cGe OF the great cities of the Union.
II has over 10000 people. Its job
bling trade is over s130,000,O O0 a year
and the individual deposits of its
banks approximate $25, 900 900.
The arrival of the first direct over
land mail by stage at ST. Louis from
San Francisco in 1858 was regarded
by President Buchanan as a glorious
triumph for civilization and the Un-
ion Railroads ~aggregating $1,000
| IllltS udNt NdhNh IL bi"'N VI -"
stage In the west.
In 1870. st. Louis. New Orleans, and
San Francisco were the only cities in
the west with over 1907 population.
In 1900. ten cities exceeded this mark.
Portland. the principal city In the
Oregon Country, was tine lO6th city
OF the Union In 1880 and the i2nd In
1900.
Alaska. like the Louisiana region
and the Oregon Country. was not con,
sidered by some American congress
men to be worth a pinch OF snuff
Yet, since the United States bought
it in 1867. 1t has yielded gold. furs
and fish worth $3.50, 000, 900.
In Oregon only 1876 per cent of the
total land area is in farms: Washing
ton, 1919; Idaho. SO; Montana. 1911;
Wyoming. l3. Practically the entire
area of these states is susceptible OF
development in agricultural and other
industrial pursuits.
Lewis and Clark faced starvation
when they were camped at the mouth
Of the Columbia in the winter OF
lSOj'O6. The state of Oregon now
has l.50O,OOO domestic cattle and pro
duces annually over 23,000,000 bush
els OF grain.
The healthfulness of the PACING
Coast climate is known the world ov'
er. In 1850 Oregon's death rate was
the lowest in the Union, and in 1900
Portland was the second healthiesi
city In the country.
In 1850 there were less than 1000,
00O people in the west. There are
now over 81. 100000. The west now
has more people than the entire
United States had in 1850.
Part of Lewis and Clark's journey
lay thrnnph virgin forests. THE ore