The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11
Mr.. Carpenter Writes The Times
Dispatch About Alberta Just
East of the Rockies.
ARCTIC TRADE OF EDMONTON
Queer Immigrants Of the Future
Metropolis Of the North--What
Americans Are Doing.
Bv Frank G. Carpenter.

EDMONToN.--I write this Mt Edmon-
. ton. the biggest city of central Alberta
and the depot for the vast territories
which stretch from hero to the Arctic
Ocean, Edmonton Is the northernmost
point of continuous railroad connection
on this continent. It lies three hundred
and fifty miles above our State of Mon
TINA. and there is line. of railroads
from 1t to tho edge of Central America.
AS II is now. one can go In sleeping
car from the isthmus of Tehuantepec
clear across Mexico and tho United States
and this far into Canada. When the
railroads now planned are completed
there will be an extention northward
to Alaska, and, II the road should be
built across Behring Strait, we may some
day be able to go from Calais. on the
English Channel, by way of Paris, Mos
COW and the trans Siberian Road over TO
North America, and on down through
here to the isthmus OF Panama and
thence by the inter-continenta line to
the Strait of Magellan, or almost to Cape
Horn by rail.
Edmonton has already two railroads.
It is reached by the Canadian Pacific
and the Canadian Northern. BY this
time next year the Grand Trunk Pacific
will have been built through it, and
westerly to the Klondike and Cape Nome.
A Metropolis of the North.
For years this has been one of the
great trading points of the north lands.
There are wagon and water routes from
here to the Arctic Ocean, which In a"
straight line Is MS far above Edmonton
AS from philadelphia to Salt Lake CITY,
BY the lines OF travel and freight the
distance is almost IS great as from New
Nork to San Francisco.
Tho srpplies come to Edmonton by rail,
NV n
hasca landing, on the Athabasca River.
They are floated down this river to Lake
Athabasca. and thence into the Great
Slave Lake. and on into the Mackenzie,
which carries them past the various trad
ing posts to the Arctic Ocean. Large
cargoes of goods pass over that route
every wear and hundreds of thousands
dollars worth of furs are brought back
over it to Edmonton, TO be shipped from
here to New York or London rms trade
made Edmonton a town before the rail-
roads came. and, with the new lines here
and building we promise to have one OF
the biggest cities of the Northwest The
place is rapidly growing. 1t has now
something like ten thousand people. and
It's citizens claim that 1t will equal Win
nipeg some day.
Edmonton lies on the north bank OF the
Saskatchewan River. stream almost as
big as the Mississippi. and more than
thousand miles in length. The river here
flows through valley about a mile wide,
the stream itself being about thousand
feet wide. There are high bluffs on each
side of the Saskatchewan. and Edmon-
ton is built on one of the bluffs.
The town winds 1t sway with the river.
and Main Street which is laid out along
old Indian trail. is as crooked as dogs
hind leg The town IS like most of those
of the west. 1t has buildings of all
shapes, materials and heights. The older
ones are of one-story, but the newer are
of brick and stone. and many are four
stories high. The prices of business
property are out of sight fifty-foot
lot on Main Street sold last week for
10000, and common demand for land
in the business section is $500 and $500
per foot front.
Much Like St. Louis.
Edmonton. as far as its location is con-
cerned. Is much like st. Louis. 1t Is on
a good-sized river surrounded by a farm
ing region. almost as rich as the Mis-
sissippi Valley, with a vast country be-
yond II which will some time be thickly
populated. The Peace River district.
which extends northward and westward
for hundreds OF miles. is composed OF
good farming lands. and 1t has not yet
been optgep"is SeltlelticLt. AN StiDpllS9
for that district pass through Edmon-
ton and the town viii be the key TO the
future trade Of the north. AT present.
It is at the northwestern end
OF the wheat bet, and towns
are sprfnging up In every direc-
t!on. for hundreds Of miles TO the east
and south of It.
l came here from Calgary over the
Canadian Pacific Railroad There
are towns everywhere building between
the two points. They look like the FROM
tier settlements OF Minnesota and North
Dakota. Their houses are wooden am!
their streets unpaved, although few
OF the older places have sidewalks of
boards. Every town has a coat of new
paint, and its store windows are packed
with new goods. Great Quantities Of
farming machinery are Kept in sheds or
out in the open awaiting purchasers. l
notice that the cattle are feeding out of