The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-05-06
"WHAT ALL UTAH?"


criticized by many as being too optimistic and
| overly sanguine These shadows before" cast by
the coming events were plainly decpherabe, and
in any other community would have aroused UNI
bounded enthusiasm. The ultra conservatism of
Utah. however, incredulous, and like the man
from Missouri, chad to be shown" But within the
past six weeks the people have awakened to the
fact that the events themselves were upon us, and
the daily papers now contain in each issue ac-
counts of transactions demonstrating the truth OF
our predictions.
This era of growth and prosperity has fairly
set in. Business of all kinds is better than ever
before real estate is changing hands at increasing
prices hundreds of new homes and buildings are
i'll course of construction, money is pouring INTO
| the city and state from other places, mining is
more active and productive than ever before. the
bank deposits have increased enormously and all
along the line is indicated a long period of solid
prosperity
Chief among the factors causing this activity
are the new railroads.&c. arteries of modern bus
mess One of these arteries connecting this City
with the Pacific Ocean is now in full operation.
This road was long wished for the people real
lied the immense benefits which would accrue to
this City from it, they knew that it was i'll course
of actual construction, and yet they had to see it
in actual operation before they would believe it
TO be an assured fact. This conservatism is safe
ty brake, which, while it prevents swift progress,
at the time guards against reactions Now,
however, that the road is i'll full operation, with
long trains of the finest cars in the world, the
tual benefits are being felt and the prosperity and
bo oil +lo Loot for
not having been discounted beforehand.
Construction work has actually begun on an
other great artery, connecting this city with San
Francisco-the New York of the Pacific Coast.
This will make a competing line for freight and
passenger traffic. besides opening up rich mining
and agricultural regions locally. third railroad,
the Moffat line, is pushing its steel westward
the Rocky Mountains, steadily toward this City.
Both of these roads are just as sure of being in
actual operation within the next two years as the
San Pdero road is now. Neither of them can of
ford to stop, and they will prove enormously pro-
ftable to their owners Any one of these three
great roads would be the event of generation for
a City like Salt Lake, and would give an immense
impetus to business, and arouse great enthusiasm
But all three of them coming into the city almost
simultaneously, is unprecedented in the history of
the country
What does this mean to Salt Lake City? Not
simply ease and convenience of travel, not sim
ply busy depots and hotels crowded with tourists
These things are important, and bring in hun
dreds of thousands of dollars annually to the city,
But the real benefit from the fact that these
roads traverse the richest mineral regions in the
world, which have heretofore been undeveloped be-
cause of lack of railroad facilities. 1t means long
ines of rough looking freight cars laden with the |
treasures of the mountains, gold, silver, copper, I
cad, zinc and coal. 1t means the return of these
ears to the mining camps, laden with merchandise
he products of the factories machinery. clothing.
building material and other things for the pres
porous thousands engaged in taking the ores from
he ground. 1t means the erection of mora smelt-
RS and and reduction works of various kinds ada
cent to this city for the treatment of ores giving
employment to armies of workmen 1t means the
building of factories to produce the articles needed
o supply these armies of workmen and their fam
lies. the building of schoolhouses business blocks
md homes the construction and extension OF street
EAR lines, telephone systems, electric light and
power plants, and all the other concomtants Of
modern business; each employing its own army CT
vorkmen.
Where is the money to come from TO construct
md maintain all of these enterprises 1t is stored
Up in these grim ami barren mountains in the
orm OF metal, and in the fertile and beautiful val
eys in the form of crops; and it requires only the
Industry and enterprise of man to bring it forth.
Already the results seen in the fact that work
as been started on smeters which will double
he facilities for handling ore in this valley. and
or the treatment of other ores which formerly
ere sent away for treatment States east of the
ocky Mountains, like Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.
ere built up entirely on an agricultural basis. II
tab depended entirely upon agriculture the build
lg of these roads, in connect or with the irriga-
on projects now under way, the enormous produc-
on OF crops on irrigated laud and the peculiar
of the soil to the raising of sugar
'ets, would mean immense growth and up !
hiding OF the State But when IN addition to .
rs, nature has stored up in Utah untold millions
precious metals, yielding enough every wear to
rlch an empire, it is, difficult to make a compa-
son OF It's future with that of any other State or
'untry III history. Omaha and Kansas Civ have :
!.