Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-06
WHEAT BELT'SCAP|TA
Tremendous Growth of City of
Winnipeg.
ITS MANY NEW BUILDINGS
How It Looks From the Top of
Skyscraper.
WHAT AMERICANS HAVE DONE
Big Wholesale Houses - Something
About the People-A Cosmo-
politan Population.
WHAT AMERICANS HAVE DON

Copyright. 1906, by Frank G. Carpenter)
WINNIPEG, Manitoba
Stand with me on the top of the Union
Bank building, Winnipeg's new sky
scraper, and take a look at the city. You
had best pull your fur cap down over your
ears and button your coon-skin coat tightly
about you; for the wind is blowing a gale
The air is nipping. but the sky is bright
and there is so much ozone that we seem
to be breathing champagne. Have you ever
felt SO much alive before?
We are In the wild and furry northwest
In its biggest town, and on the top of it's
highest building Were II not so cold the
Winnfpegger, who stands beside US as
guide, would ask us il it were not like
heaven. We are sure of one thing the at
mosphere by no means saYors of the other
place down below.
Take look over the city, 1t stretches
out on all sides for miles. The new single
roofs shine brightly under the winter SUM-
and we can almost smell the paint of the
suburban additions. Winnipeg is a grower
Even now, in the winter, the sound of the
hammer is heard all day long, and build
ings are still going up by the hundreds
Inc town prdes itself on its newness, and
indeed much of it is just built Over there
at the north are miles of new houses. At
the south buildings are. growing up on the
plains, and right below US, in the heart Of
the city, the business blocks have risen
from the ground since last summer Win
nipeg has erected eleven million dollars
worth of buildings this year It built about
nine million dollars worth the year before,
ana hVe million dollars worth in 1903 All
through the past five years 1t has been
jumping, and it Is now leaping ahead like
an Australian kangaroo. In 1900 the new
buildings numbered G5S, and in 1901 there
were erected more than 1900
A Business Street Four Years Old
Turn about and look up Portage avenue
That street was practically unbuIt four
years ago. 1t has now millions of dollars
worth of new business blocks, some of
which would be a credit to any of our
cities of twice this size
Look at that department store. It is the
largest in the west. 1t is as big as Wanna
makers establishment in New York. and it
now has six stories. 1t was built only last
year, but the demands Of the trade are
such that three stories more will be added
next spring.
Turn about and look down Main street
There at the end is the new Canadian
Pacific depot hotel and railway offices fast
approaching completion. Those buildings
alone will cost as much as two millions
and further up the street are to be the
great terminals of the Grand Trunk and the
Canadian Northern, which will cost three
millions more.
Yes, SIR says the Winnipegger at my
side that shows you how We are grow
ing. About five years ago we began to
build for all time and eternity. Before
that we had not realized that Winnipeg
was bound to be the greatest city of the
north and our houses were put up for the
time. Most of them were without cellars
and they had fiimsy foundations. Since
then we have raised them and made exca-
.vatons and we are now building as sub
ha tiyonr1
Five years ago we had about 80 600 people
Now we have 100000, and we are Just on
the edge of our beginning. The city will
grow more next year than ever before. and
within ten years, and probably sooner. we
shall equal Minneapolis and ST. Paul COM
bined."
Look at those wholesale buildings he
continues did you ever see anything like
it? Most of them started as two and three
story structures, and the business has
grown so that they have had to be pushed
up to six This IS one of the great mar
kets of western North America, and the