Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-09-03
A New Western Empire
BY A. w. Lee.


where the warm Chinook winds take
off the snow in the winter and enable
stock to Craze the year round. You
will see some of the finest stoch
ranches in the world. Furthermore,
the Canadians are being just as much
surprised at the possibilities for agri-
cvulture and stock raising in western
Canada as the people of the United
States were in the transformation of
what fifty years ago was termed The
Great American Desert west of the
Mississippi River into one of the
greatest garden spots in the world.
There Is no longer doubt as to what
can be produced on the farm lands of
western Canada. Another trans-conti-
mental railway line (the Grand
Trunk. will in few years be con-
structed and will open up millions
more of acres of farming land to set
tlement. The Canadian Pacific and
the Canadian Northern railways are
pushing out great feeders into the
northwest country, and Winnipeg has
west OF 1t vast empire that will In a
few years be inhabited by millions of
happy and prosperous people. In ad.
dltion to agriculture, there are In this
great west of ours, vast coal deposits,
natural gas oil, and as yet unknown
mineral wealth. Winnipeg is the nat,
ural metropolis of all this vast region.
We are only a short distance from the
border and yet two great lakes, Lake
Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, are so
situated just to the north of us, that
all railway lines must centre here and
this must inevitably be a great city"
This was the expression of a citi-
zen of Winnipeg. What saw at Win.
nipeg, and what l have already seen
since, convinces me that my friend
was well justified in his roseate views
OF Winnipeg's great future.
Winnipeg to Bantf.
The trip from Winnipeg to Banff re.
quires two days and a night. What
my friend said about the farm homes
in Manitoba was fully confirmed by
personal observation. Farther on we
saw the great cattle ranges and here
within four miles of the Banff Springs
hotel is one coal mine Just being on.
ened, the vein of which is fourteen
feet thick, fourteen miles long and If
unknown width. The quality of the
coal is said to be equal to the very
best Pennsylvania anthracite This
coal mine Is being developed by the
Canadian Pacific railway at the new
town of Bankhead
A Model Coal Mining Town.
Bankhead is to be model coal min
ing town. The policy of the company
adopted, as l am informed, upon the
advice of the young engineer in charge
OF the works, embraced the following
provisions:
First, that there should be no COM
pany store; that the miners should be
permitted to spend the money that they
earn when and where they choose.
Second, that no liquor should be sold
on the town site or on the property
controlled by the company The agree
ment OF the necessary public officials
to this provision was secured.
. The third provision was that the
houses to be constructed for the occu-
patton Of the employees of the mine
should be ornate and of different de-
signs. In other words that they should
be real homes instead of the hideous
nun bered wood-boxes, all of one make.
size and description such as disgrace
many mining camps in parts of the
United States. This condition was
complied with and as q result cottages
are being put up that are not only
eminently serviceable, but which make
altogether as pretty group of mod
crate priced homes as we have ever
seen anywhere We noted twenty-five
different designs of cottages already
erected in this mining village, where
less than twelve months ago there was
not building or dwelling Of any kind.
The manager of this company believes
in providing recreation for his men
and one of the first provisions made
was for baseball park and a large
tennis court. The men have a half
holiday each week. 1t struck me very
forcibly that there was something well
worth thinking about in these unusual
provisions In the building UP of
new mining camp
The Canadians and Reciprocity.
I have been much interested in