Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-02-07
Message u: 5 5 from I !. |.
:: the Far West
Lake Andrew Seribbler" Tells Of the
Interesting Sights ON His Journey.

I Lake Andrew Seribbler'' Tells Of the I
! Interesting Sights on His Journey. !
Tacoma, Wash, Jan. %, '06. u
In last weeks paper I invited the
readers of the TRIBUNE for q stroll
thru the business places of Tacoma.
This morning is the 23rd of January,
the morning, moist and rather warm,
reminds me of days after fine rain
shower the latter part of May at home.
Air and atmosphere very pleasant,
grass green and out door flowers in
bloom. Some varieties of trees have
shed their leaves and put on wintry
appearance, but the most of them are
green and growing every day in the
year.
Water pipes are not dug down six or
seven feet to prevent frost, they are
laid on top or dug down and covered
just enough to get them out of the
way. Cemented sidewalks and CO.
mented and paved streets can be fol-
lowed for hours. Fruit of all kinds
and varieties are exhibited out doors,
and store doors left open all day from
morning till closing time in the even
ing. Oleanders eight to nine feet
high stand in their messy pals year
after year on the sidewalks, growing
every day. At some places, especially
meat markets, common wire screen
takes the place of the window lights.
The throng of people running in all
directions as though they were run
ming race for money, speak for the
enormous amount of business done.
Along the streets are signs, "Lunch
10 cents and up" A person can
economic and live cheap, or he can
be flush with money as he sees fit. It
must be. admitted that old Mammon
can be met wherever you go-think he
goes on free pass. Show him one
finger and he grabs for the whole hand
wherever you go. In this regard this
place is no exception. Delivery wag-
ons are nicely covered up on account
of occasional drizzling rain. Hard
showers, thunder and lightning and
severe storms are not known here.
People walking in their summer
clothes and children playing outdoors
all the time. Street cars, with fare
at five cents and transfers to one or
two others which enables person to
ride many miles for one fare. We
now take street car for a 10.mile
run out-20 cents for return ticket.
On both sides are properties for sale,
large or small, costly and cheap, all
according to location and improve
ments. Tilling the soil, and planting
strawberries is the order of the day;
also pruning trees and cleaning Or
chards and gardens. Prices on land
varying from $3.50 to 100000 per
acre; location, improvements and
amount of fruit trees planted dictate
the price. A man who loves to prom
made around a farm with regiment
of horses and machinery doesn't be-
long here; but man satisfied with a
horse or two and little piece of land,
cleared and trimmed, with orchard
and garden truck and some chickens
can do we'll. Eggs IS to SO cents, po-
tatoes never, lower then so cents. The
beauty of it is cheating the winters
every time, knowing nothing about
cold winters or hot summers; but an
even temperature all the time. The
soil looks very poor, but it is sur
prising how much can be raised on
comparatively small ground The
fruit tree has it's blooming season and
it's bearing season and then sheds the
leaves and puts on wintry appearance
thru what is supposed to be the winter
months. It must be admitted that
haven't had the pleasure of seeing the
sun every day, although it is not en-
tirely hidden away. The relief from
stiffened ears and petrifed nose coun-
terbalances this little unpleasantness,
if I so should term it. One man
showed me his bank account of $500. 90
from 2 acre lot. Just enough work
to give appetite and then gathering
their fruit for market Weeds are not
as hard to keep out here as back east
the soil being too sandy. Cellars are
out of the question here; houses are
built upon blocks or stones q foot or
two up from the ground, with bins d.
vided off for apples, pears, potatoes
and other vegetables. Several beauti-
full parks adorn the city, claimed to
be some of the finest parks in the Un-
ion, with menagerie of birds and
animals. Every variety of flowers in
existence, some of them blooming the
whole winter. This city is termed the
"City of Homes" Retired merchants,
farmers and others come here to spend
the rest of their lives in leisure and
comfort. Everybody is apparently
we'll pleased, even the frogs in the
ponds praise their lucky star with
their usual ''kreek kreek."
LAKE ANDREW SCRIBBLER.
AFTER TIVE