Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-10
The Rise of Calgary.

Inc Rise OF calgary.
Passing eastward from Banff the train
descends rapidly from the mountains and
enters what is perhaps the best range of
country in American rolling prairie COW
cred with buffalo grass. 1t is all taken up
by ranchmen and several hundred thousand
cattle are grazing there now. From the
ranges we passed out upon a beautiful
prairie and followed the banks of the Bow
river until we reached Calgary, the metrop-
oils of the Canadian plains, and one of the
most promising towns In the dominion
Four-fifths of the inhabitants of Calgary
are new settlers from the United States,
and they are practically running things
there. During the present year it is esti-
mated that 5000 Americans have come to
that town settled in it's immediate vlcin-
ity, and they are said to control 30 per cent
of the business and to own 80 per cent of
the property. The increase in population
has been SO great this summer that more
sheds and other temporary structures until
houses can be built for them. Carpenters
and members of other building trades are
getting SIS and Sc day for eight hours
work, and go cents an hour for overtime
The demand for labor of all kinds is unpre-
cedented. The most ordinary common la
borer gets $3.50 day, and farm hands are
now receiving $40 month.
Nobody gets less than $40 a month and
found, no matter what his employment may
be.
Five years ago Calgary had about 1000
people more or less; now 1t claims 1000,
and the building permits for last year rep
resented an investment of more than mil
lion dollars. There are six big wholesale
establishments now under construction. and
business is already carried on in two OF
them before they are completed.
There is nothing of a boom about CAL
gary's growth, however. There is very lit
tie speculation in either city real estate or
farm property, and churches and school
how he in ting a.
rial and labor. The people are sober-mind-
ed and temperate and saloons are very
scarce. Every bar in Calgary must close
at o'clock on Saturday nights and cannot
reopen until o'clock Monday morning,
which is a novel condition for a frontier
town. And I am told that there is not a
single saloon for more than 500 miles east
of Calgary the Canadian Pacific. No
liquor can be obtained except at a genuine
hotel. According to the law in practice
out here, liquor licenses are limited to no.
tells with no less than twelve lodging rooms.
and if a town cannot support a hotel of
that size 1t gets no liquor license. Very few
of the towns between Calgary and Winnipeg
are able to meet these requirements. AL
though Calgary is a great cattle market
and source of supply for cowboys and
rangers for a radius of more than a hum
dred miles, 1t is one of the most quiet cities
in America.
Great Irrigation Project.
Near Calgary the Canadian Pacific rail-
way is spending five millions of dollars on
an immense irrigation project, larger than
any OF those contemplated by the United
States under the reclamation act, and SIM
liar to one now nearly completed in the
Punjab province of India. Three years out
Of five the rainfall in this section is ample
for any kind of crops in the province of AL
berta and other parts of western Canada,
but failure must be expected at least two
years out of five, owing to droughts. With
it's habitual comprehensive enterprise, the
Canadian Pacific company has undertaken,
at the enormous expense named, to give the
people of that part of the province which
adjoins its tracks a certain crop every year
and at the same time increase ivefold the
productive capacity of the soil. The topog
raphy is favorable, and there is plenty of
water, and 1t is proposed to irrigate a. tract
of between 100000 and 400, 600 acres of land
and cut 1t up into small farms of ten,
twenty and thirty acres each. The railway
company regards this good business
proposition. BY investing five millions of
capital in advance (and 1t is perfectly easy
to secure the money by an issue of bonds)
it will increase the value of this 400 600
acres of land from So and 81 acre to $50
and S25 an acre; and there are plenty OF
farmer immigrants who willing to pay
the additional price in order to insure their
crops SO 4s%