St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1905-01-20
OUR DESTINY.
81. Johns Greatness Assured The
Gateway of Commerce.

The following Is taken from the
pooklct recently issued, and is so
pcrtinen, that we print below;
AZ st. Johns will be located the
greater portion of the future man
ufactufing industries of the City of
Portland. The substantial growth
of the business interests Of the
place during the last thirty months
Is conclusive evidence of the pecu-
liar desiiability Of the place for man.
ufacturing and commerce. Port
land IL by far the largest city IN the
State OF Oregon. II has az leas,
ten times the population of any
other city IN the state. It's annual
increase In population is probably
greater than the entire present pop
ulation of any other city ia the
state. II Is the center OF ihs larg
es, belt ol mcrchantable timber in
the world. II Is the creates; job
bling center on the North Pacific
Coast. II has tributary 10 Il by
water grade an almost unlimited
empire, sufficient 10 produce city
of enormous population and wealth
The most important part OF the
commercial interests OF the city
will be included In It's manufaciur-
ing and shipping enterprises. The
greater part OF these institutions
must come to 81 Johns. Indeed,
there Is no other place for them
upon the Portland harbor AZ all
points excepting along Front street
IN the City of Portland itself, which
Is now crowded to the utmost limit,
the banks surrounding the Portland
harbor are either too low for econo-
mical construction of buildings or
else too high and precipitous to be
available from the river. No other
point on the Portland harbor has
deep river channel, breadth OF har-
Dor, rail facilities or sclid river
bank of proper elevation on which
TO build mills and factories eeono'
mically. St. Johns is below all the
bridges. which are inevitable inn
pediments to convenient river traf-
fic. II is most quickly and easily
reached by all incoming ocean and
river craft. Its harbor is large
enough to accommodate at anchor
an enormous fleet, while the Port
land harbor is now oyercfowded.
But few hundred feet of the avail
able frontage of St. Johns has as
yet been occupied by the industries
which have been located there.
These industries have produced
considerable population. The town
has as resource to insure its flu
ture growth long stretch OF still
unused water frontage capable OF
/ furnishing employment to popula-
ton of 40, 600 people. In addition
to the frontage on the Willamette
River there is the Columbia Slough,
which parallels the Willamette one
and one half miles to the north, and
bounds the town on that side,
which is now available to river
transportation, and which alone
will some day furnish mill and fac
tory sites sufficient tc build town
of many thousand people. The
Northern Pacific railroad has ex-
tended its line to Vancouver, Wash
ington. 1t has obtaiped from con
gress authority to build a bridge
across the Columbia River from
Vancouver, with the intention OF
ultimately abandoning its ferry
operating between Kalama and
Goble, and using this bridge tor
running its trains into the City OF
Portland. When this bridge Is
constructed the Northern Pacinc
railroad must build its lines through
St. Johns in order to reach Port
land. ST. Johns will then be upon
the main line of the Northern Pa
cific railroad, as well as upon the
Southern Pacific and O. X. N.
This will mean superior railroad
facilities to any point in the CITY OF
, Portland except the terminal yards
. c,,ASc~,l.a for T>ua PEVIFW.