The Minneapolis journal., 1906-06-28
Commanding the Trade Of a Vast
Territory, It Is Steadily Forg-
ing Ahead in the Race for SUI
premacy in Montana.
OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES
TO YOUNG MEN OF TODAY
City Is Modern in It's Buildings
and Appointments, and Is Fav-
ored with a Most Delightful Lo-
cation-Its Railway Facilities.
BY HERsERT vANDERHooF.

l gfE@# ~
| The city Of Billings, Mont. occupies
what may be properly termed the best
strategic point in the northwest. It is
one Of the famous zones of commerce for
the great northwest, for with its excellent.
railroad systems, running in five direc-
tions, communicating with all Of the lines
in the country and Canada, it commands
a vast territory, is in easy access to the
markets of the world, and with so many
railways running to and from it there is
competition in freight rates sufficient 10
give to the business men and farmers Of
Billings and its immediate vicinity fair
freight rates.
Billings lies in the beautiful Yellow
stone valley. Annually thousands Of tour
| lists visit the Yellowstone valley and Yell
| loWstone park, and many of them, at
tracted by the beauty Of the city Of Bill
4 ings, its possibilities. commercial, social
and financial. are tempted to remain
there, and in this way the population Of
Billings has reached its present proper
/ tions. ~
1t Is not SO many years ago since Bill
ings was frontier town. It's streets
were unkempt, so to speak; knee deep in
mud during the rainy weather. It had no
hotels with which to accommodate east
ern capitalists desirous Of making invest
ments in the mines nearby but one day
there came to the city a man who could
see far into the future and this man be-
gan the work Of exploiting Billings. That
he made no mistake is apparent today,
when I look at the prosperity that Bill
| ings displays to the world Fs sss
The surrounding territory Is the most
Fa1s IN the e fere and so IN grea the the oh
IN al directions. and there ts q general
air Of prosperity. But beyond these farms,
out further IL q the 5 state are re- millions u.s. of
to enrich the homesteader or citizen who
desires a good home and profitable
business. - s-t.s r. @...,
Offers Young Men Opportunities,
Billings furnishes opportunities to the
young men Of today that cannot be found
IT It ia Is no longer frontier
speak, but It has banks, hotels, well-kept
streets, public buildings, a lively, up-to-
date :con1mereial club, and excellent edu-
WHAT WHAT are s's'idi the Individual advantages of
settling at the city Of Billings? In the
first place. consider those fundamental
ssa alay3 tsl1 whethsr elty Or The IN
not only show that the city is prosper.
Gus, but that it is growing with tremen-
dous strides, stopping at nothing, but
Way OF he st IN
bank, the oldest institution OF the kind in
the city, was organized twenty-three
yea ss sestisl Rap 5@'oS west vsa
ward and locating in and about Billings,
land this bank acted as the medium thru
this banks nix has luae capta Do Of G su
plus Of T. SO, 1 oo0 on and deposits q amounting to
i But the First National bank is not the
{Yrs fforA a 18th
ers. The Yellowstona National bank was
chartered in 1891. with a capital OF $50 900,
And it has g, .f fagss sa stock t
a$ 81 5ss @sffR 5sRl sssssts
resenting Sl65, 900, 70 more & forclbly in. I'M
Of Bings % nH state s thst heqs
years. tSs Aden bahs hs
vate institutions with good foundations
and doing a healthy business, for, Il they
there IS deposited today In banks in the
city of Billings oyer. $3,0o0.oo0.
In order that the banking system Of the
clearing house was established few
years ago, and now, instead Of the old
fashioned. method Of business pursued by
the the business men EN- Of billings This shows vs.
In itself how great has been the growth
Of Billings. but it is only the beginning
Of the the cities Cities Of the R northwest. a . - '''
Has No Commercial Equal. ~
AS commercial city Billings has no
equal In Montana Situated as it is in
eastern Montana, at the junction of sew
eral railroad systems and with q navi-
gable river, it Is only natural that II
should be made the clearing port Of husi-
ness for eastern Montana, and especially
n Billings is situated in a picturesque val
Hey, SO that it attracts the tourist besides
the business man. In this matter it be-
came necessary to cater to these people,
and accordingly several first-class hotels
were Observation-Disclosures of a type that
please the travelling man. and if you can
please him you can please anyone.
{ TWENTY-FIVE years ago, and attracted q
great deal Of attention within a very short
time. In the early days Of the city the
thrift of the settlers could be easily dis
tinguished, for traders extended their
hands In all directions, for business and
twas made a shipping point Immediately
for the cattle men, those hardy citizens
Of the United States who were on the
1 ground before the railroads were seen
there, and with the construction of the
first road freighthouses were built at
Billings, and within a few years it be-
came absolutely necessary to build side
lines into the state; Today thousands Of
thousands Of head Of cattle. hogs, sheep
and tons Of poultry. Mining material is
used extensively In the mines, and in turn
ore IN vast quantities is cleared through
Billings, so that today there is no city In