The Minneapolis journal., 1906-07-07
What the Establishment Of Great
Packing Plants at Fort Worth,
Texas, Has Done Toward Build.
ing Up That City.
PROPERTY HAS DOUBLED
AND TREBLED IN VALUE
Incidentally, the Whole State of
Texas Has Profited by the En-
terprise Shown by Two Great
Chicago Firms.
BY HERBERT vANpERHooF.

= F1rteen years ago Fort WORTH Texas,
began to grow from the little settlement
that had been populated by the hardy
herdsmen and cattlemen who ventured
into the great Panhandle of the state
years ago. and by degrees the city has
grown to be one of the most prosperous
In the South and Southwest Today it
stands as the cattle center of the South 4
west-a city of over 10000 souls, with
future as bright as the rays Of the rising
sun.
Fort Worth is situated in one of the
most fertile spots Of the Southwest, in
district that has been properly termed
the: charmed circle This district is
admirably watered by rivers and artesian
wells, and the soil Is extremely fertile
Geographically, Fort Worth is the prac-
tical outlet for the great Panhandle, and
1t Is on this account that it stands today
as one of the leading cattle districts of
America. = .f.r
i remember not more than ten years
ago. said a cattleman located in the
Fort Worth district, when you could
travel over the ranches within miles of
Fort Worth, and see nothing but land,
land, land. Sometimes you might go five
miles and not see steer or hog. Today
look at Fort Worth. What do you see?
Packing houses, commercial houses which
do an enormous business pro rata of the
population, and every one looks prosper
GUS. Lands which had been practically
deserted are now under cultivation. and
Fort Worth and its tributary country
present view that to the eye of the
American citizen or the FOREIGNER gives
rest and happiness and a desire to To-
easas cate. w why, q / came here not so many
dreds In cash. and by degrees 1 have
amassed, not what you might call a big
fortune, but I've got 100000 in hard cash
Worth and the district have done for me,
and this is what it will do for any young
man or any old man."
. ~ A Climate That Is Superb.
The climate of Fort Worth and its dis
trict is superb. There is no cold weather
to speak Of; the weather Is not too
warm. for the healthy growth of grass
and the sleek cattle and hogs show that
there Is something in the soil and in
The city Of Fort Worth is looked upon
as the natural outlet Of the great Pan
handle. In this section Of the state thou
sands Of head of cattle are bred annually
and sold to the dealers of the country
But what have done a great deal fol
the good of Fort Worth, and. incidental.
~, Iexas, are the packinghouses which
have been constructed there. Previous
to their beginning business at For,
Worth, hogs were practically a foreign
feature to the Texas stockman. After
several years of solicitation on the part
of the Westinghouse industries. the farm.
ers and scattle-raisers of the Panhandle
We're interested in the. growth of hogs
and though every one could not see Of
what benefit 1t would be to grow or raise
them, there We're some wise enough tt
give them trial. Within a very shor
time the industry has grown to enor
nous proportions. .-s
l. Two packing establishments in particu
lar have done a great deal to assist II
the material building up of the industr,
in Texas, they being those of the Armou
and Swift companies. T-r
| The establishment Of these packing
houses has been a great thing for tn,
city Of Fort Worth. Nothing has eve
taken place in that part of the country
that has brought such marked and swif
increase Of business prosperity. within
the short period that the Armour ant
Swift packing houses have been opene,
outlying real estate in the city Of For
Worth has doubled in value, down tow
business property has nearly trebled /,
value, while the population has beel
Building Up a city.