The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-19
Has Grown Steadily in Popula-
ton and Wealth, and Has Built
Up a Vast Manufacturing and
Wholesale Trade-A Coming
Athens. @. r
BY HERBERT VANDERHOoF.


the headquarters of the state were re-
moved a few years later because of the
invasion of the state by the Mexicans
when President Sam Houston thought it
the part of prudence to seek other quar-
| ters. In Austin assembled the convention
that framed the necessary ordinances for
| the annexation of Texas to the United
States, and also the one that drafted and
! submitted to the people of the state the
state constitution. In 1872 it was selected
as the permanent capital Of the state at
a general election.
Since that time the growth of Austin
its citizens: 1t has not had anything Of
the boom order about its growth, but
each succeeding year has witnessed
substantial increase in its population. TO-
day the city has a little over $4,000 citi-
zens within its limits, is city that is
! rich in beautiful homes, abounds with
wealth and industry, and possesses every
metropolitan advantage that the larger
cities Of the country enjoy. In fact, it
has some that the majority of them lack
1t possesses one of the most delightful
climates in the world,> being without the
extremes of heat or cold that we in the
coolest day in Austin would be hailed of
springlike temperature in the North,
while in the summer the hottest days are
not so warm as to be oppressive.
Fertility Of Surrounding Country
Austins prosperity can be almost solely
attributed to the immensely fertile char
acter Of the country which surrounds it
and for which 1t Is the natural market
and trading center Here within radius
! growing section Of the state. Travis
county, In which Austin is situated. is a
great cotton growing county, but William
son county, just adjoining has the rep
utation Of growing more cotton than any
other county in the United States. In
1900 this county produced 100000 bales
of cotton, but since that time the pro-
duction of the staple has fallen off some
diversified agriculture as well as stocis
| raising. The other counties that sur
round Austin and which. may be called
tributary to it are Lee .Bastrop, Hays.
Blanco, Llano, Burnet, Beall and Milan.
AS rule all this country is immensely
fertile. With the climate with which it
Is blessed almost anything can be grown
Travis county alone, which contains $780,,
of 1900, contained 1854 farms, and Of
this number there were 2O3, 1875 acres I'M
der cultivation. This amount has been
greatly Increased since, but it is safe to
county is yet under cultivation. This
rich garden spot Of the state is attracting
much of the immigration that Is flowing
into Texas, and everybody is doing we'll
ridiculously cheap when measured by
Northern standards of value, and the
conditions for agriculture and stock rails
Ing are IDEAL Stock does not need to
be sheltered in the winter months and
abundant forage can always be found
for their needs.
While cotton is and will be for many
years to come the principal crop of this
section, alfalfa and small grain are re-
ceiving increased attention from the
farmers: Alfalfa especially is coming
into high favor. Of this crop five or six
cuttings can be made a year, and this
replanting. These figures mean that the
man who goes down to Texas~and buys
i land in this section for $40 to SOS
an acre, which is about what unimproved
h lands can be bought for in Travis coun
ty, will pay for the cost of his land in
q one year. or very nearly so. It is such
a facts as these that account for the ire
/ m 9.a influx of immigrants to the Lone
4 and the glorious climate.
A Great Manufacturing Center.
I Naturally this agricultural wealth, al
of which logically gravtates to Austin
4 has made the city not only a great trad
4 ing center, but a great manufacturing ant
banking center as well. The wholesale
4 and jobbing houses of the town are no
4 circumscribed in their territory Their
1 statesmen san invade every section of thu
d manufactures that have sprung up in thu
city comprise almost every known Line O.
industry, and their output has a recog
\ nized standard for excellence. There i
one razor company in Austin which turn
out 1000 razOrs day, and this is on,
of the most unlikely industries I coult
think of as fourishing in the center O
4 Texas.
a Of course cotton furnishes the larges
4 interest in manufac curing at Austin. TIL
city has two large congresses. and thes
handle an enormous amount of cottol
i each year. 1t has one cotton seed OF
With q civ of eiphtv for
4 of cotton seed a day. It has big engn
i works, large milling industries, and on
4 canning company, which runs the yea
round and has capacity of 10000 can
on the markets of the country than an
- other concern in the land. =
Some Indication of the volume of tn
cty's business is furnished by the state
ment Of the bank clearings, which ag
gregate about $1,5O0,OO0 a day. Their
are three national banks and two bani
: and trust companies organized under tn
state law, and these institutions hav
3 back of them the most wealthy men o
!: the community. :~..~s.E-~ "a
9 ) City of Beautiful Homes. ~ ~
Naturally, where work and wealth ar
so abundant labor flourishes. It is thi
that has made the city of Austin the cit
! of beautiful homes. By this DO no
? mean a city of palaces, although Austi
!. has it's share Of these, but Of the home
2 u lLe Sle1C IidJoI1ty.r- LIS IlOluGS are O
l a tasteful style of architecture, it's street
e are broad and well kept, and the cit
$ is laid out with view not the usefu
t alone, but with a broad view to tn
l beautiful. ..
. The water supply Of the city is OBJ
$ tanned from the beautiful Colorado river
and the water works are owned by tn
municipality, which conducts an ampl
" filtering plant. The city has also a mag
:" niticent public school system and ais
: is claimed to have the largest attend
ance of any school or university il tn
: South. The university has a group
beautiful and commodious buildings i
the northern part Of the city, where
4 occupies a site of forty acres This UNI
versity in time is destined to make Aus
tin recognized not only as the capital
the greatest state in the Union, but ais
as the Athens of the South, an homo
which it can we'll support.
Besides the state university, the cit
is well supplied with other education;
institutions of a private and sectaria
character, and these all have a large lii
Of scholars and many have a more tina
local reputation.