The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-30
AUSTIN, THE CITY
WITH A BIG FUTURE
Capital Of the Lone Star State Is
Steadily Growing in Impor-
tance from a Commercial and
Financial Standpoint.
SITUATED IN ONE OF THE
GARDEN SPOTS OF STATE
Up to Date and Modern in Every
Respect, with Many Noble and
Beautiful Public Buildings and
Private Residences.
BY HERBERT yANpERHooF

Private Residences.
BY HERBERT vANDERHoor.
Located in south central Texas, within
striking distance of the gulf OF Mexico,
and with railroads radiating in all di.
rections, lies the city of Austin, one Of
the leading municipalities of the South
and the great Southwest city with
After years of toll and tribulation. the
citizens and pioneers OF the Lone Star
state have at last succeeded by unre-
hitting toll in building what may justly
pc called a monument to their untiring
iabors. in presenting to the world an up
possibilities, and city with future
as great as any In the state, to say moth
ing of the fast growing Southwest
Some time ago, in dwelling upon the
reclamations of lands in the great West
the desert OF America writer for
magazine declared that the great desert
Of the West is disappearing. This, too,
| can justly say, can be applied to the
Southwest-the deserts Of the Southwest,
those great stretches of land hitherto dry,
vast tract OF land, which in the days
gone by the settlers of early Texas said
was worthless, has been reclaimed and
Is today a garden spot.
I In the heart of this garden spot Of
Texas Is laid the beautiful city of Austin
will not dwell at length upon its eli
mate, atmospheric conditions and that
sort OF thing. for the people Of America
know of the healthful climate of tf,a
Lone Star state; of the marvellous cures
IT'S climate has wrought in treatment
the nature treatment-of those unfor-
Inmates who have gone from the cold
North to sunny Texas seeking life and
reclamation from disease. For in this
respect Texas is the grea test, the hest
a anqq the biggest sanitarium in the world.
not even barring Carlsbad, Aix-ia.
Shapelle' and any resort in America.
VIZ. Austin a Modern City.
are the business possibilities of the civ
OF Austin, capital of the Lone Star state.
! remember when l was a youth in the
NORM and heard of Austin, before I
ever ., set eyes upon it, that I thought
streets roamed greasers from o Mexico h snd
tne cowboys of the Texas plains, each
iieauy 10 shoot at the others, but kept
! shooters. Will SIX SIX
great was my surprise, not long since.
Wnen on visit to the city of Austin
n,i iqund that it's streets were well paved
H Hdh h .ae most modern substances, vitri-
! neg prlcK. granite blocks, cemented To-
setherr with coal tar; the best oualitv
OF macadam, of asphalt, and that exneri,
ments with other street paving mater;aJ
oe on th mad aft It is fact that tie
1etter than the streets of Chicaeo g.
LOUIS milwaukee, Louisville, Nashville
ana an. many other cities of America That
tn,, e stateIhent IS not bombast nor I'M
| either of the larger cities rnentiona -
ihen: too, the street railway systa,,, =,
Austln Is better than that of a great
many Northern cities. and as the mnnice
l no grows the railroad company adds
cars TO the lines, thereby taking ca ~
4 1ncrea sed traffic ~-rr - Soe soie VI
| - win good streets and splendid street
cal service, those interested in the prog
n osss o OF she south know that the greatest
progress of city have been overcome
IN fact the one great fault of MANY OF
me cities OF the South is the poor street
| I will pass over the climatic conditions
! the public buildings, of which there ara
| many, both state and municipal, and con-
| sider the real business industries of the
| city with the possibilities for the future,
i IN the first place, there has been steady
city Of Austin for many years in fact
ever since the city was a little village
But this increase in the value of real
e esda mas been more noticeable since
assessed valuation of the city was 50 oao
| 1UO. Th1s valuation was increa sed in
| ! !So4 TO $3.50 457. and to SO. o0O. 900 in
| 1905, a wonderful progress
| 5uilding Operations Are Brisk
Yet, despite this progress, that of 1905.
when the year has been completed. will
| be greater, for there is in process Of
construction at this time about 81. O00, 900
IN buildings and other improvements. The
| total bonded indebtedness of the city is
$1,e17, 900. Of which a million and q
| quarter is paying per cent and the re-
1nalnder and per cent. These bonds
are divided into dam. water and light
improvement nm bonds. and s1250o0 is for
l ,nI
The population of Austin, according to
the report made by the Comm erciaI club
o; the city, is $1,000, an increase Of 5000
Before taking up the manufacturers,
pants OF the city I want to cali the at"
tentlon of the reader to the school svs-
Is lem tb o, austin aust AS is well known, Austin
| Ter OF Texas. The University Of "TeSas
one OF the leading institutions of it's kinS
| IN america, is located at Austin. and ca
are are many other private institutions. II
hsgh s ehotf a 6doG, Ts nnai
training high school This school is os,
par with the famous Du Pont manual al
| famous Rindge manual training scb .mg
o. cambridge, Mass, for even Chico % :
WIN al its Wanted glory, educa tiona1sv
a aanar osnierw,se' must depend upon the
support Its manual training school 90
m1 Maw fo With the a school gygtsm
/ LIZ ".sa ouSlI opportunities for thu
en- lot the rising generation is if
loC Latura! that parents would seek such
| = city as Austin for their future homasa
ana what does this mean? That there
Is brought to Austin an intelligent Class
q people, who have been the cause of
tnls tremendous growth financially. com
merc1any, and educationally. In the
| manufacturing lines Austin is second fo
no city In the South Of its size. She
mas TWO telephone systems to boa ST Of
the labor and fuel supplies are excellent
| ana the factories Of the city run to their
| run capacity all of the year and are
steadily being enlarged
Some Large Industries
Just outside the city limits Of Austin
with offices in the city, is a lime Arm
which has plant that has an o,Ifp,,f ~
eOo barrels Of lime daily; an iron works
that constructs all sorts of engines, boil
ers, and pumps; a milling company with
q capacity Of 400 barrels daily: an ell
mandatory with a capacity of 100 tons
Of cotton seed a day; canning factory
with capacity Of 10000 cans daily: a
candy factory that turns out 10000
ITO people to do this; saddlery and har-
| ness factories, broom and soap factories.
mattress factories. and great razor
| factory, with an output of 1000 razors a
day. There are besides hundreds Of
other growing industries to be found in
| the city.
| With such commercial enterprise as
| this, and with easy access to the gulf
| of Mexico via excellent railroad lines. one
cannot help but look to Austin for growth.
M s the guf ons enables tsa x the
coast at a very reduced rate, and even
I to the Atlantic coast and Mexico The