, 1911-06-15
CT jo"ether and Boost,
Trays, Says Gerrit Fort

Ten years ago If any ,an in wyo-
ming had limited that the Union Pa,
eff railroad company would spend a
good biz share of the 100000 ap.
preparation with which It recently
startled the world. for double-tracking
its line through the state. there would
have been a wild howl of incredulous
laughter To-day. when the matter
is talked about, the stupendousness of
tn sum involved calls 'orth Wonder
from a civilized world, but to those
who know the real Wyoming, the fact
hat a double track is to be built is
merely cause for thanksgiving. But
the fact that the state is to benefit
SO greatly from the expenditure of
this vast sum was not enough for
Gerrit Fort, passenger traffic manager
OF the system, and he added a new
thrill by announcing that the road
would spend $1,000, 900 in advertising
&c the world h advantages of Wyo-
ming. and other states of the West
through which the Union Pacific runs.
1T took the land shows held in
Chicago by the United States Land
4 Irrigation Exposition Company and
the Western Land Products EXPOSE
ton held at Omaha to open our eyes
TO the great value of telling that part
of the Eas what we of the
West could do" said Mr.. Fort.
when on a recent trip West.
The display of fruits. and farm
products told the farming world that
Wvnnin0 10 mt a lauart hut that if
Is a state of farm with just as good
land as is to be found anywhere, and
with schools, churches, womcn's clubs
and other advantages. When the
plans for the land shows were well
under way we found that the states
of the Far Northwest and of the
South a organized, and that the
community spirit was strong. This
meant that these states would cooper
ate to send the best that they raised
to Chicago and Omaha and thus at
tract new settlers. In Wyoming the
land show Idea had not caught hold
10 well, and there was none Of this
community spirit in regard to
Made Own Community Spirit"
I'VE railroad men. who knew of the
wonderful possibilities and resources
of the state, knew that this would
not do at all, as the show offered a
wonderful opportunity to correct the
wrong idea held in the East. So we
got busy. We drew on our 1910 ad-
vertising appropriation and sent men
out through the state to secure sam
pies of the best grains, the finest
fruits and the best of everything that
Wyoming grew. They had a compar-
atiyely short time to work, but they
labored v%aliantly. and when their
work was done W. furnished cars
and hauled free of charge' the ex-
hibits gathered.
Those exhibits were placed in the
Union Pacific Wyoming booth. and
they attracted wide attention from
the first day.
That was the spirit all along. In
the lecture halls. where our trained
lecturers told of the advantages to be
derived from Wyoming farms, thou
sands of people, more than $1,000 N
fact, listened breathlessly to he talks
and gazed earnestly at the stereopti-
con and moving pictures. Those pic
lures told better even than the lee
lures what is being done to-day to
brink Wyoming t the front.
Spirit Of Cooperation Does II.
",.s the spirit of cooperation which
makes people prosperous, continued
Mr.. Fort. wyoming would still De
nothing but a huge cattle range with
long and costly overland drives TO
market II 1t we're not for the railroad
And we railroad men might be only
cowboys on these same ranches, II II
were not for the settlers. We've got
to work together to bring in the dol
lars. Without the people the raliroau
cannot prosper, its tracks rust ana us
rolling stock lies Idle. Without the
railroad the people rust, just as 40
o tracks. They would make some
money, but the big money that we
all went would not be there-the real
legitimate profit"
There are in Wyming to-day mill,
ions of acres of government, state anu
railroad lands which are subject 10
entry and sale, and which Will, WITHIN
the next few years, be supporting ram
lies in plenty and prosperity. Prac,
tically 40, 900, 900 acres OF surveyed
government lands are open. the state
has other large areas and the union
Pacific railroad also has APPROX.
mately 1000, 900 acres to be disposed
" -. tauy rafAu and on the