The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1906-09-07

! tanners bearing the words. 'Walla
Walla, the Valley of Many Waters" :"
streaming on either 81 de of special
car, the Walla Walla boys arrived
Monday morning amid the cheers of
mighty throng at the railway station.
The daily meetings of the congress
are largely attended aud much interest
is being taken in the proceedings.
Boise City, situated on branch
road 20 miles from the main line of
the Oregon Short line, claims popu-
lation of 21.500, and | guess it has the
people for it spreads out over three
square miles of territory.
It.is we'll termed The Town Beauti-
full, I" for perhaps no other locality in
the west has better stone for building
purposes, and that this material for
construction is appreciated here is GER
tainly realized by the visitor when he
sees the magnificent homes that is
made from it,
One wonders at the progress and i'm
portanoe of the town from CONNER
cial sense, when the usual drawback
of not having main line railway facil-
tiles is considered, but when they
tell you that Boise is the trade center
of section of 400 square miles, then
you begin to realize why these big
granite business blocks are here.
A pioneer gives the reason for
Boise's isolation from good railway
facilities. The trouble came when
the engineers were surveying the line
for the Oregon Short Line. The COM
pany asked bonus of the Boise
citizens, to which they replied the
road could not afford to pass the town
by, as it was the only place ON the
map in the Snake river valley at the
time. The engineers found pass 90
miles from Boise and when the town
saw that it was to be left aside COM
mittee went to Salt Lake to interview
the Railway officials. The committee
offered the bonus asked, but the
officials, with iron dignity, told them
to take their money home with them
and spend it in beautifying their
town.
That they did it no one who has
seen the place will dispute. It's homes
are among the most beautiful; it
boasts of the finest natorium on the
coast; its principle streets are paved
with asphalt and vitrified brick; it
has miles of cement sidewalks; its
beautiful lawns are hedged with every
known flower and shrub that can be
grown north.of California; its public
park would do credit to city of a
hundred thousand people; its gigantic
business blocks compare favorably
with those Of Spokane and Portland,
and its street car service is excellent.
This enumeration is but smak
portion of what could be compiled to
show. that in spite of the great handi-
cap placed on her at Salt Lake years
i ago, by a railroad company. Boise
City has labored to make herself not
only beautiful but substantial.
She has long ago given up the e@-
! pectation of winning the Oregon Short
Line to come to her, but in the spirit
OF her industry there lives the never
perishing hope that some other trans
continental road will recognize her
merit and resources and rescue her
from the clutches of Jerk water"
branch line.
This is the life hope of Boise. the
capital of Idaho, founded in 1884, and
which boasts of a building record-in
1905 OF 342 buildings. costing with
public improvements, $2,410, 200.
And when you see the place you can
not help but fall in line and believe
that the hope will surely be realized.
The delegates of the congress leave
tomorrow afternoon to investigate the
mammoth irrigatioun plants and
prospects in the lower Snake river
valley then on to Twin Falls.
A special train will be run at the
expense Of Boise City's enterprising
commercial club.
BOYD.