The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-05-26

Now shall we see repeated in Mani
toba, Assiniboia, Alberta and Sas-
katchewan the scenes that are famil-
lar to western Americans. The uh-
titled land will be titled, the lonely |
country will become populous, monu-
ment-like elevators rise on the fiat
face Of the prairie and smoking fac
tory chimneys will tell Of industry.
Into this new country the sons of toll !!
are now flocking q hundred thousand |
strong each year. From eastern
Canada and Europe come $4,000 and |
from the United States $4,000. And
they will come in greater numbers.
1t Is poor mans country-a country
where with industry and frugality he
| may become wealthy. AS the number
| of the Industrious but ambitious poor
| Is legion, it Is only a question Of MAX
| ing them understand what western
Canada offers to make them hurry ITO
get in on the ground floor"
There may be some sentimental re-
greet in the United States that so good
| ly country should not be part Of
the union, and that American men and
| money are assisting in building up a
| foreign country. But It is In the blood
for Americans to enter into a new
country and if any person Is so sit
uated in the United States that he can
see a way to improve his condition by
emtgrating to western Canada, he can
hardly be prevented from going. Be
sides there is another way Of looking
at it. Since we have and are to have, a
foreign country to the north, 1T Is to
| our interest to have it's inhabitants a..
people Of our own kind and friendly
| people. If our own flesh and blood
are to make up a large part Of the
population of western Canada we shall
be better off than as If that/region
was to be filled up with an uffriendly
| people. Again, the population of the
ct, y~oyn Ar 1HY
i that $4,000 or even 100000 people
emigrating each year to Canada will
hardly be missed Their places are
quickly filled and the big republic
goes on adding 100000 a year to its
population.
| The Canadian west is no longer a
! land with future only. 1t now has
present, active, prosperous and Civ
i ing assurance of still better years to
i come. Thousands Of acres of the.
a broad prairies that, within the mems
4 DRY of many of the present occupants
have been brought within the domain
of the plow, and are now producing
food for the world and wealth for
, their owners. 1t is no longer land
on trial. for the foreseen future has
arrived, and it more than fulfils the
, most sanguine prophecies, made
, twenty-five years ago respecting the
: possibilities Of the country There
, was a time when the mention Of the
, Canadian west was associated in the
popular mind with the life Of the
trapper and the hunter. To-day the
3 mention of Canadian west suggests
fields Of golden grain, huge elevators
!. that dot and dominate the landscape,
8 and the homes of thousands of pros
/, porous and progressive farmers.
The Canadian west is Empire-like
: In extent The single province OF Man
: itoba alone has an area Of 47,lSo, 4oo
: acres, and of this it is estimated that
g g there are available for farming pur-
poses fully 25,OO0,OOO. But the Can
4 adian west includes, not merely Man
h itoba, but all the country westward to
r the Rocky mountains, and excluding
n the unorganized districts, it extends
: northward from the international
8 boundary for six or seven hundred
s. miles Within the limits Of Manitoba
n and the three territories, Assiniboia,
s Alberta and Saskatchewan, is an area
e of 135, 100000 acres Of the most pro
e ductive farming land in the world
: and Of this only 100000 acres are
It under cultivation.
!. Rapid Growth.
y To show the rapidly with which
It this rich country is being settled, II
n may be stated that in the year 1871
a the total population was only 16,695.
t. BY 1881 it had grown to 118,706 and
Q by 1891 to 251,4S2. The census OF
e 1901 showed that the population OF
e Manitoba and the three territories was
466, $50, and to-day there are almost SO
Il per cent more than that for settlers
>: from the United States, from Great
: Britain, from Norway, Sweden, Den
>, mark and Iceland, from Germany and
C Austria, and from almost every Euro
g pean country have been pouring in al
q the rate Of thousands per month. Last
- year more than $4,000 came to Can
:: ada, and it is certain, to judge by the
i. number of arrivals thus far in 1904
= that this large number will be greatly
g exceeded this season.
Growth of Wheat Crops.
The development Of the Canadian
Is west can be measured by the increase
Le in it's wheat crops. Wheat is king
g there. 1t reigrs ever an area greater
" than that which acknowledges the
e. sway of the German emperor. The